The return to school will still have us adapting to changes, but one thing's for certain: kids will need school supplies at home as well as at school.  We are gearing up to give families a helping hand. We'll need the usual items: new sturdy backpacks, pencils and pens, erasers, markers, glue and tape - check our SignUpGenius for what's most needed. (printable list by grade level). 

Donation boxes will be popping up soon around town (stay tuned for a list!) or bring your donations to the Scarborough Public Library on August 14th. If you'd rather not shop, please consider making a gift today to Project GRACE to sponsor a child's backpack. Thank you!

MEND Health & Wellness of Maine and NRB (Nonesuch River Brewing) have nominated Project GRACE, Holy Cross School, and Scarborough Land Trust as beneficiaries of the Autumn & Ales 5K, 10K, 1/2  Marathon to be held in Scarborough on Saturday, September 16th. To run, donate, or sponsor, follow this link.  This race is perfect for runners of all levels, whether you're a seasoned athlete or just starting out. The course starts at the Libby Mitchell American Legion Post #76 and takes runners along the Eastern Trail and through the gorgeous Scarborough Marsh.  Project GRACE is grateful to be among this year's chosen beneficiaries.

Anita Chandler (right) president of Altrusa International Foundation of Portland presented the annual  "Volunteer of the Year" award to Sharyn Shearer at their club dinner recently. Attending were Project GRACE board president, Alberta Follansbee, and executive director, Steffi Cox.

About 80 area nonprofits were invited to submit nominations, and we're thrilled Altrusa choose Sharyn to receive their esteemed award. 

 "Sharyn is an exceptional representative of the hundreds of volunteers who are at the very center of our mission to help our neighbors through difficult times, inspire our community to come together for common cause, and do so with dignity, compassion, and grace," said executive director, Steffi Cox.

Project GRACE receives dozens and dozens of thank you notes from recipients of our services; and though addressed to Project GRACE, they are intended for the volunteers like Sharyn. In addition to volunteering for Project GRACE, Sharyn has helped with activities at her church, St. Maximilian-Kolbe, been very active with the South Portland Food Cupboard, and over the years has quietly and steadily made our community a much more caring place.

"Throughout her more than twenty years with Project GRACE, Sharyn has been a steady source of wisdom, helping us keep true to our founders’ vision of a neighbor helping neighbor group that lifts up, rather than enables, that is welcoming and friendly, and gives with generosity," said board president, Alberta Follansbee.

We are grateful to the Altrusa International Foundation for giving us the opportunity to shine a light on the good work being done by Sharyn and our many volunteers. Please join us in congratulating, Sharyn!

Teens and recent high school grads are invited to stop by the Scarborough Public Library on Wednesday, May 17th (4:30-7pm) to find out about job and careen resources, meet up with employers, learn about scholarships and financial aid for continuing education. All teen attendees 15-19 years of age are eligible to enter a drawing to win a $250 scholarship and gift cards and door prizes, too.

Attention Employers! We're developing a 'job board' for teens to click a qr code with a link to your website or other job board lists to see available opportunities. If you have an opening or internship, please complete our employer registration form here. We'd love for our local talent to find a fit with your company!

Maine Department of Labor Career Center, Finance Authority of Maine (FAME), Penobscot Job Corps, Scarborough Grounds, Scarborough Community Services, Ketcha Outdoors, Ron Forest & Sons Fence Co., Black Point Inn, Scarborough Public Safety, Goodwill Northern New England, US Army / National Guard, Journey-Magazine, and more!

Stay tuned!

A new heating assistance fund called Keeping Cumberland County Warm is available to income eligible Scarborough residents. This one-time grant program is federally funded and allocates $50,000 for each municipality in Cumberland County. Project GRACE is supporting the grant program administration in Scarborough by facilitating the application process. The application period is open from now through April 10. Find all of the program details and a downloadable application here. Paper applications are available at Town Hall or Scarborough Public Library. Project GRACE is also available to initiate an application over the phone; call (207) 883-5111 or visit our volunteers in person at scheduled dates at the Scarborough Public Library.

Have you tried any of these easy and inexpensive fixes? Got any other ideas for us? We'd love to hear'em!

• Put on a sweater, fuzzy slippers or warm socks, or knit yourself a cozy blanket to warm your body, not the whole room.

• Close the door! Your Mamma told ya not to heat the whole outdoors, and she knew a thing or two! Remember to close closet doors and close off unheated areas of your home, too.

• Apply a window-insulator kit to reduce drafts and create an extra thermal barrier. (Don't forget to close curtains after dark, and open them during the day to let the sun in for solar gain.) You'll feel warmer, tool.  >>See how to do it.

• Seal air leaks in and around your home (vents, windows, and doors are common problem areas). You can apply caulk, foam, weather stripping to stop air leaks. >>Learn more about weatherization.

• Install foam gaskets to seal receptacles and switch boxes. It's an inexpensive and very easy DIY to reduce drafts. >>See how to do it.

• Check your heating vents to be sure they aren't obstructed by furniture, clutter or curtains. If your ducts are blocked, the room won’t heat the way it’s supposed to, causing the unit to work harder and less efficiently.

• Make sure your boiler or furnace is cleaned and serviced annually by qualified personnel to  extend the life and efficiency of the heating system while ensuring safe operation.

• Turn the thermostat only to the desired temperature. Your home won't heat any faster by cranking it up. Consider getting a programmable thermostat that adjusts to your schedule.
  

Come one, come all to the 11th Annual Rally to Keep Our Neighbors Warm!

Saturday, February 11th Project GRACE, the Town of Scarborough, Public Safety and the Fire Department, Scarborough Library and Friends of the Library, Scarborough Kiwanis, Rotary, and Lions, along with the Historical Society and Audubon Nature Center will be at Town Hall and the Public Safety Building. Join us! Visit with your neighbors and help us raise $20,000 for fuel assistance. Stop in 10-Noon at the Town Hall or make a donation curbside. 

There will be a bake sale, book sale, informational tables and live music! Bottle drive and a warm sock drive, too! Preorder delicious chili and chowder made by Bread & Butter Catering Co and pick it up at the Rally.

Keeping warm. That's the challenge of a Maine winter. For some of our neighbors, the choices can be stark: eat or heat. Fill a prescription or fill the oil tank. Even lowering the thermostat to near 60 and putting on extra layers isn't enough to make ends meet for some. That's why the Town of Scarborough and Project GRACE will host their 11th annual “Rally to Keep Our Neighbors Warm” at the Public Safety Building (by Town Hall) on Saturday, February 11th (10-Noon) to help our neighbors heat their homes.  
 
The inspiration behind the Rally is local philanthropist, Eddie Woodin, who has challenged Project GRACE to raise $20,000 from the community to win a challenge gift from him. And in just two hours! It’s a big goal, but with support from the community, it’s attainable! At today’s prices, $2,500 is about seven or eight ‘helps’ of 100 gallons of oil, k1, propane, or firewood. $10,000 would allow Project GRACE to send out about 2,500 gallons of fuel to keep the furnace going for seniors and families who are having trouble making ends meet. The Rally brings in about 60% of the funds needed each season, and when there is extra to spare, the fund also allows Project GRACE to help Scarborough residents with the cost of small home repairs to stop costly drafts or cover a furnace cleaning or tune up to improve efficiency and lower energy consumption.
 
The Rally is a community event, that can only happen because of the teamwork and enthusiastic support from the Town of Scarborough, Scarborough Police and Fire, SEDCO and the Chamber of Commerce, Scarborough Lions, Scarborough Public Library and so many others.  We hope you'll join your neighbors in Rallying together. Whether you can share a little or a lot, each gift helps us keep our promise that we won’t leave our Scarborough neighbors in the cold. 

The police departments in Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, and South Portland are teaming up to "Pack the Pantries" with food for our neighbors! Save the date for Saturday, December 17th (9-11a.m.). Nonperishable foods are needed, as well as ca$h/check$.

Would you like to host a Giving Tree or start a holiday collection for us this season? More Info. Already eager to set up your tree? Let us know!

All funds raised will go to our two greatest needs right now: fuel assistance and help with groceries for families and seniors having a tough time making ends meet. 100% of the money raised during this match challenge will go to our "Keeping Our Neighbors Warm" fuel assistance fund and to our "Neighbors Helping Neighbors" fund. Your generous donations will help a neighbor keep their homes warm with a 100 gallon delivery of oil, k1, or propane or help a neighbor put food on the table.

Thank you, Michelle Raber State Farm Insurance, for being the first, "like a good neighbor", to make a match gift!  And to NT&T/National Telephone & Technology, too! A generous year end gift from Katahdin Trust brought us to goal!

Autumn leaves crunch underfoot as a friend and I walk along a favorite trail through the woods. As I take in the fading greens and rich reds and russets and sharp blues of the marsh on a clear bright day, I breathe in the fresh air, stress slides off of me, cares and the persistent ‘to do’ list are forgotten. I’m filled with gratitude. We live in a beautiful, special place. I’m glad our town had the foresight to protect this patch of land for everyone to enjoy. On my way home, I stop at a farm stand and catch a glimpse of the farmer. As the growing season comes to an end, she takes a solo walk through her fields to give thanks for the harvest and the bounty that feeds her family and her community. We are thankful for the bounty on our tables and the beloved friends and family gathered round to celebrate Thanksgiving. 

We are curious to know what you’re grateful for. (Email pgme@projectgracmaine.org or send a card to PO Box 6846, Scarborough ME 04070). Is there a Guinness Book of World Records for longest list of moments of gratitude? I bet Scarborough could win the title with ease!

Worried about the cost of heating your home this winter? You're not alone. Stop in at the Scarborough Public Library on Saturday, November 19th (9:30-10:30) for a free workshop offering tips, ideas, and freebies to help you save fuel and funds to keep you warm at home this winter. 

A sure sign the holidays are here are all the craft fairs featuring talented local artisans and makers! Check the Community Calendar to save the date for your favorites. Two fairs will donate proceeds to Project GRACE, which help us feed, clothe, and keep our neighbors warm!

In a recent letter to the Scarborough School Board and Town Council, Project GRACE gave a brief overview of some of the ways we are helping students and the schools.

• Milk Money. Project GRACE recently made a $1,100 gift to Scarborough School Nutrition to cover the costs of milks and nurses' office snacks for the last school year. While all students can have a free breakfast and lunch, extra milks are not included. Instead of embarrassing a child who doesn't have the money for milk, nutrition staff just keep a tally and bill us at year end. It's a gift we are pleased to make each year. 
  
  
• Nutrition Department's "Backpacks" Supplemental Nutrition Program. Last Spring a gift from Saco Biddeford Savings enabled us to add jam/jelly to a surplus of peanut butter, and with help from a Town & Country grant, we did our first school snacks drive just before school started. This fall we made an additional gift of over $500 in staple foods (tuna and tuna helper/rice, salad dressing and condiments, soups, snacks and cocoa packets, etc.) for the 'backpacks' that feed families struggling to put food on the table. Nutrition staff are very caring and put in extra effort to see that kids are well looked after, and with dignity and compassion for all the families. This holiday season we’ll also be donating staples for nutritious meals at home, the ‘fixings’ like stuffing, gravy, squash and seasonal favorites.
  
  
• Immediate Needs for Students and Families.  Cindy Fasulo, LPN is a Project GRACE board member who helps us liaise with the schools. In addition to access to other resources, Cindy has a "stash" of retail and grocery gift cards that school nurses, counselors, and personnel can request to provide immediate assistance to a family that needs food, personal hygiene supplies, or shoes and clothes for their children. Our volunteers also shop for clothes and essentials for kids as needed when school counselors and social workers contact us directly with a special request. Typically Project GRACE invests at least $3,000 annually through the schools, enabling us to extend our reach discretely to families who might not otherwise contact us.
  
  
• Assistance for School Personnel. Sometimes it's not the kids who need our help, but a member of staff  - a teacher, custodian, administrator, etc. - who is going through a challenging time. In those cases we often work through an intermediary, like a school principal, to provide extra assistance and confidentially. It may be a 100 gallons of fuel assistance to keep their home warm (regardless of which town the employee calls home); it may be help with transportation to work; it could be respite from a stressful situation; it could be extra groceries or a dinner out with the family. Our help varies as the situation requires because we value the commitment school personnel make to their students, to their school, to the community.

 

• School Supplies & Backpacks for Students & Schools. Our annual back-to-school campaign to collect sturdy new backpacks and assorted school supplies was enormously successful this year. We helped families who applied directly to us for packs and supplies, were referred through Nutrition or school personnel, etc. We also gave each of the schools a couple of totes of extra supplies for the teachers to use in the classroom or share with students as needed, and dozens of sturdy new backpacks to have on hand for a child who needed one. Supplies and backpacks were donated by many individuals, groups, and businesses (including Infinity Credit Union, Town & Country Federal Credit Union, Abbott, NT&T, Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial). Community Services, with help from Rebecca MacCallum (aka USOA's "Mrs. Scarborough"), held a series of drives for us. The Scarborough Library accepted donations throughout the campaign, and also hosted our donor drop off and family pick up events at the library just before the start of school. The retail value of the packs and supplies we donated to the schools alone was over $2,200, but the investment from the community in our teachers and students is priceless. 
  
  
• Advanced Math Calculators. Our neighbors are very quick to share, and are very generous about giving to help a child start the school year ready to succeed. One company in particular, Landry/French, deserves extra recognition this year for their generosity: they made a special appeal for the calculators and it's our great pleasure to pass their gifts to us on to the schools. The High School was given 20 TI-84 advanced math calculators, while the Middle School received 20 TI-30s. We provide the calculators so that a student who has lost or forgotten one can borrow one as needed for homework, a test, or class work. We also invited the math teachers to give calculators to students with exceptional math skills who cannot afford to have a calculator of their own (TI-84s cost more than $100 apiece). The total value of the calculators is an investment of about $2,400 in the academic promise of Scarborough students. 
  
• Community Thanksgiving Dinner. This year will mark the seventh annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner hosted by Chef Peter Esposito and his talented kitchen staff and volunteers. It all started with the energetic conversations at the 2016 Food for Thought & Action Forum, one of a series convened by Project GRACE, that sparked an idea for a community Thanksgiving dinner that has since evolved into a favorite annual tradition for the town, guests, volunteers, co-hosts and supporters. From the outset, Scarborough’s Community Thanksgiving Dinner enjoyed the unstinting and generous gifts of “time, talent, and treasure” from Scarborough Schools, Community Services, Public Safety, the Town of Scarborough - and Project GRACE, too. While we will be stepping back from our multi-faceted role as a co-host and sponsor, we are confident Chef Peter and his team will cook up a delicious traditional holiday dinner with a generous ‘side’ of joy. As is our custom, we’ll make a modest gift of thanks to the kitchen staff, who volunteer their time as well as talent at Thanksgiving.