Penquis

Article Title: Donate

  • Bright Beginnings

    Bright Beginnings: Building a Stronger Future for Our Community

    Penquis has embarked on a vital project to build a state-of-the-art 16-classroom childcare center serving preschoolers, toddlers, and infants in the Greater Bangor area. This initiative responds to the critical need for affordable, high-quality childcare, ensuring lasting benefits for children, families, and the entire community.

     

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    Why Support Bright Beginnings?

    • A Brighter Future for Children: A strong lifelong learning and development foundation.
    • Empowering Families: Parents can enter or re-enter the workforce with peace of mind.
    • Strengthening the Economy: Boosting productivity and supporting a vibrant local workforce.

    Conversation between two adults discussing the Penquis Bright Beginnings project. Links to an audio file of the conversation

    Your Impact Matters

    Your financial support is more than a donation. It’s an investment in our community’s future. Every dollar helps us move closer to covering the costs of building a center that will positively impact future generations.

    Donors to Date

    We are deeply grateful to the following donors for their generous support:

    • Anonymous
    • Bar Harbor Bank & Trust
    • Birchbrook
    • Bangor Daily News
    • Paul & Tammy Bolin
    • John & Karen Campbell
    • Cross Insurance
    • Drummond Woodsum
    • Jennifer & Marc Eastman
    • Eaton Peabody Foundation
    • Peter & Karen Fendler
    • Angela Fileccia
    • First National Bank
    • Andy & Patty Hamilton
    • Hollywood Casino
    • HUB Investment Services
    • Husson University
    • Katahdin Trust
    • Mark Leonard
    • Machias Savings Bank Foundation
    • Vanessa & Matthew Madore

    Kara Hay Bright Beginnings Interview Screenshot

    Information Resources

    Parent Testimonials

    “It’s been positive! The teachers are so great. Thankful for this community.”

    “Penquis provides the best education and learning experiences. My boy has grown so much and learned so much in a short amount of time. I wouldn’t change a thing!”

    “Grateful to have her in an environment where she is socializing and learning with other kids.”

    “A great school/program for kids to start learning for ‘big kid’ school! So blessed and thankful!”

    Your Gift Builds a Child’s Bright Future

    Donate Now

    For a multiyear pledge donation, please download the pledge form and return it to Penquis.

     

  • Help Meet Basic Needs

    When you give to the basic needs fund, you are helping families and individuals with any variety of basic needs. Requests are reviewed daily, which provides a quick resolution for people in need.  We have supported things like car repairs for for those who rely on transportation for employment, essential appliances to keep a home functional and children safe,  supplemental dental  care with the collaboration of others to provide life changing oral health, needed equipment or tools to stay employed. We will help with these requests as they are available and after other community resources and programs have been explored.  Thank you for your contribution.

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  • Home Essentials Kits

    Help us make Theresa’s Place feel like home! We’re collecting basic household essentials to equip 41 new apartments for new residents transitioning from homelessness. If you’d like to contribute,  CLICK HERE to donate to this effort. We can purchase Welcome Kits at a discounted rate. Or you can drop off items, at Penquis at 262 Harlow St., Bangor, ME, during our business hours, Monday – Friday, 8 am – 4:30 pm. Our Receptionist will be happy to assist you.

    Below is a full list of items each unit needs.

      • Kitchen Supplies
          • Saucepan

          • Frypan

          • Plates

          • Bowls

          • Eating utensils

          • Cooking utensils

          • Kitchen towel

          • Can opener

      • Bathroom
          • Bath mat

          • Laundry basket

          • Toilet brush

          • Body towels

          • Washcloths

          • Hand towels

          • Shower curtain

          • Laundry basket

      • Bedding Needs
          • Pillow cases

          • (queen and full size bedding needed)

          • Flat sheet

          • Fitted sheet

          • Comforter

          • Bed pillows

      • Cleaning Supplies
          • All-purpose cleaner

          • Dish soap

          • Sponge

          • Window cleaner

          • Laundry soap

          • Broom/dustpan

          • Trash bin/liners

          • Mop

    What is Theresa’s Place? Theresa’s Place is a 41-unit residence located in Bangor, ME, providing safe, permanent housing for individuals who have been chronically unhoused, are transitioning from homelessness or are at risk for homelessness.

    Who is Theresa? Theresa Bray Knowles was a health care provider for Penobscot Community Health Care and a member of the Penquis steering committee. She was passionate about providing care to those most vulnerable in our community. She passed away in August 2021. Her favorite flower was a tulip, symbolizing resilience, renewal and hope, beautifully embodying the heart and of Theresa’s Place.

    Join us in honoring Theresa’s legacy by helping the new residents settle into a safe, supportive home.

  • Heat a Home

    When the weather turns cold, thousands of families in our service area struggle to stay warm. Your donation will provide emergency heating assistance to families at risk of going without heat. You may designate your gift for households in a particular town or county, or allow your gift to be used wherever there’s a need. Thank you for warming homes and hearts!

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  • Help with Diapers

    Your donation will help area infants and toddlers in need of diapers and wipes.  If you are unsure of the average cost of a package of diapers it is about $15 for one package.  Thank you for any donation amount.

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  • Transportation Support

    Imagine living in rural Maine with a chronic health condition and little to no financial means to get to treatment. That is the reality for many individuals. Your donation to Access to Care will provide transportation assistance (rides or financial reimbursement) for individuals who do not have or cannot afford transportation to chemotherapy, dialysis and other crucial medical treatment.

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  • Support the general fund at Penquis

    Penquis helps thousands of individuals and families annually to keep their homes heated in the winter, to provide children with quality learning experiences, to get to needed medical treatment, to escape violence, to start their own businesses, to own their own homes and much more. Support of the Penquis General Fund helps to provide services when the need exceeds the funding available to allow families to receive the help they need when they need it.

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  • Repair a home

    Maine has a large number of homes with outdated heating systems, inadequate plumbing and/or electrical systems, poor insulation, structural decay and insufficient accessibility design. Yet, they are what often provide housing for our low-income citizens. Donations are used to provide emergency home repair when there is a danger to a family’s health or safety.

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  • Coats of Kindness

     

    Please consider donating any new or gently used winter coats to our Coats for Kindness program.  New coats can be dropped off at any Penquis location and gently worn coats can be dropped off at any of Gold Star Cleaners’ locations:

    220 Union Street, Bangor, ME

    Brewer Shopping Center, Brewer, ME

    200 Wilson Street, Brewer, ME

    Corner of Main & Depot, Lincoln, ME

    Old Town Plaza, Old Town, ME

    University Mall, Orono, ME

     

    Thank you to Gold Star Cleaners for their extraordinary support and their willingness to collect and clean coats for this year’s campaign!

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    Thank you for keeping our community warm through these cold Maine winters!

     

    If you are a business or organization interested in holding a coat drive, let us know! Contact Chantelle Haltizer at chaltizer@penquis.org.

  • Support the needs of a sexual assault survivor

    For survivors of sexual assault, Penquis subsidiary Rape Response Services offers a 24-hour crisis and support line, accompaniment to medical and legal appointments, support groups and follow up services. Donations support these essential services as well as the needs of survivors, such as transportation to and from the hospital/medical provider, a hotel stay, clothing and/or other personal items needed as a result of an assault.

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  • Support services for child victims of sexual abuse

    The best response to child sexual abuse is a coordinated community response. At the Penquis Children’s Advocacy Center (Penquis CAC), law enforcement, child protective services, and victim services professionals work together to coordinate the investigation, prosecution, and treatment of child sexual abuse while helping abused children heal. Your donation will support the work of the Penquis CAC, helping to reduce trauma to child victims and increase the likelihood of successful prosecutions when investigations lead to criminal prosecution.

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  • Provide volunteer opportunities for seniors

    The Penquis Foster Grandparent Program connects low-income seniors with opportunities to volunteer in schools and child care centers. Your donation has multiple benefits: seniors benefit from a small stipend and purpose in their lives, at-risk children and youth receive the support they need to succeed, and schools and child care providers benefit from volunteer assistance, allowing them to better meet children’s needs.

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  • Provide support for young children

    The first five years of life are critical to children’s healthy development. Your donation will help to give children a healthy start by supporting their early care and education, both at home and in the classroom:  diapers and wipes to keep infants clean and dry; safety items such as outlet covers and cabinet locks to keep children out of harm’s way; support for childcare fees to promote continuity of care; children’s books to encourage early literacy; and classroom supplies to provide quality early learning experiences.

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  • Behavioral Health Support for Children

    Penquis serves a number of children with autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression, and/or post-traumatic stress disorder. Many materials that can alleviate symptoms, improve children’s ability to cope, and aid in recovery often are not covered by MaineCare insurance and beyond families’ ability to purchase. Even simple items such as coloring and journaling supplies, which help children with emotional challenges to express themselves and heal, can be beyond a family’s financial capacity. Donations to this fund will be used to purchase items not covered by insurance, including communication tools such as PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) boards that can help non-verbal children communicate, sensory tools such as chewy tubes, and noise-cancelling devices.

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  • Support Printed Homes

    Support 3-D Printed Homes. New solutions are needed to address the housing affordability crisis in Maine.  Maine has an estimated shortage of 20,000 to 25,000 affordable rental units.  This project is investing is ways to create units more quickly and inexpensively, as well as more sustainably.

    The project, using UMaine’s BioHome3D technology, is a collaborative effort involving Penquis, the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center and MaineHousing. The neighborhood will be located in the Greater Bangor area and consist of nine homes that will provide housing for individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

    The project has secured private funding as well, garnering the support of KeyBank Foundation, which awarded Penquis a grant in support of the initiative. Penquis has also secured funding from NeighborWorks America, a congressionally chartered nonprofit organization that supports community development throughout the US.  If you have any questions or would like to be a part of this project or future housing solutions contact Jason Bird at jbird@penquis.org

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