BANGOR — For the seventh straight year, Bangor Savings Bank Foundation will donate $100,000 to nonprofits across Maine as part of their annual Community Matters More program. During the month of February 2014, more than 86,000 Mainers voted for organizations they care about, and 68 Maine nonprofits will be receiving grants in May.
Eight nonprofits that received the most community votes will each receive a $5,000 grant. Winners span the entire state.
An additional 60 nonprofit organizations that also received votes will receive grants of $1,000 each. This year, Mainers voted for 3,391 unique nonprofits, with every county in the state represented.
Jim Conlon, Bangor Savings Bank’s president and CEO, has always considered Community Matters More to be one of the bank’s most successful outreach endeavors.
“Each year, when we launch Community Matters More, it is very heartening to watch Maine citizens from across the state become actively involved in helping so many nonprofit organizations. Obviously, Maine people understand the vital role that these organizations play in their communities, and they want to do what they can to help. When you look down the list of the grant winners, it is clear that nonprofits of all sectors are integral to Maine’s community spirit. Not only is Bangor Savings Bank committed to providing financial support, we are very grateful to all those who participated,” said Conlon.
The statewide Community Matters More program is a partnership of the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation, WLBZ-TV 2, WCSH-TV 6, WGAN 560 Newsradio, and Blueberry Broadcasting. In addition to the grant money, the 48 nonprofits included on the ballot received substantial exposure about their missions.
The 60 $1,000 grant winners include the 40 nonprofit organizations listed on the ballot, and the 20 organizations that earned the most write-in votes in each of the eight regions.
Aroostook Council for Healthy Families, with offices in Houlton and Presque Isle, was listed on the ballot as receiving a $1,000 grant.
Make the list of 20 write-in winners were: from Houlton — Southern Aroostook Food Pantry and The ARK Animal Shelter.
Community Matters More is part of Bangor Savings Bank and the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation’s total commitment to giving over $1 million per year to the community in the form of nonprofit sponsorships, grants and partnership initiatives.
