Just two weeks after the tragic events in Lewiston, Town & Country Federal Credit Union held its annual “Better Neighbor Fund” Reception which brought non-profits together to highlight the importance of supporting neighbors and community. At the special reception, which was held at the credit union’s Forest Avenue Branch in Portland, it announced the eight non-profits from Cumberland and York counties that received the most votes through a public vote during October. Grants totaling $25,000 were awarded, with amounts ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 to those non-profits. The credit union also announced and distributed additional contributions of $100 each to the 17 other non-profits that did not finish in the top 8 in votes.
The Town & Country ‘Better Neighbor Fund’ event is unique in that it brings all 25 nominees together to interact with each other and celebrate the non-profit community. “This is much more than presenting checks, it’s about learning about the work of all of our nominees and celebrating the work that they do to make our ‘neighborhoods’ strong and vibrant. They truly make our neighborhoods better and we are pleased to honor them. In light of the tragic events in Lewiston recently, along with the many other challenges happening in the world today, we all need a reminder about the role we, as individuals and as a collective community, have in supporting not just where we live but the people who live there, too. Together, we can and do make our neighborhoods better and stronger,” remarked Jon Paradise, SVP at Town & Country, in explaining the focus of the reception and the spirit of the awards.
The eight non-profits receiving grants and where they are headquartered are as follows:
$5,000 grant recipients –
• Project Linus of Cumberland & York County in Cape Elizabeth
• Sweetser in Saco
• Friendship House in South Portland
$2,000 grant recipients –
• Midcoast Humane Society Public Assistance Fund in Brunswick
• HART Animal Rescue Team in Cumberland
• Special Surfers in Kennebunk
• Maine Needs in Portland
• Alzheimer’s Association, Maine Chapter in Scarborough
All of the non-profits were grateful for the opportunity and the award recipients were appreciative of the “commitment from Town & Country to the community.” A representative from Sweetser in Saco, one of the recipients, said, “This will make a significant difference in what we can do in our community. We can’t wait to share this to better serve our clients.”
With these grants, Town & Country has now awarded $350,000 in Better Neighbor Fund grants supporting nearly 130 different community programs since it launched this groundbreaking initiative in 2010.
As Maine’s second-largest credit union with 40,000 members, Town & Country is a full-service financial institution offering a wide range of financial products and services to people who live, work, go to school, or worship in Cumberland and York Counties. In 2022, Town & Country was named “Best Credit Union in the 207” and “Best Mortgage Lender in the 207,” and was recently named “Best Credit Union” in the Best of Portland competition. It is also the only Maine credit union to be designated as one of Maine’s “Best Credit Unions” by Forbes in three out of the past six years. The credit union has approximately $550 million in assets and is part of the largest branch network in the country. To learn more, visit http://www.tcfcu.com.
