Hey Neighbor, there's still time to get your tickets for Scarborough Night at the Sea Dogs on August 3rd!

Too many kids in Maine - and in our town, too - are hungry and not getting enough nourishment. When kids come to school hungry, it threatens their futures in profound ways. Hungry kids have a harder time concentrating on lessons and generally score lower on tests, are at higher risk of health problems, tend to miss more school, and are also more likely to experience behavioral issues and social difficulties. Hunger makes it harder to fully participate in school or other activities. It doesn't have to be this way for our kids.

At a recent school board meeting, Project GRACE awarded the Scarborough School Nutrition Program a $3,000 grant for milk and snacks, breakfasts and lunches, and second helpings, for students whose families are struggling.
 
"We're picking up the lunch tab for our neighbors who want to provide healthy meals for their kids, but can't because of set backs like loss of work, illness, or other circumstances that make it difficult to make ends meet," says Project GRACE's Board President, Bert Follansbee. "No child should have to go hungry, and our partnership with the schools and the generous support of our friends makes it possible for us to respond with discretion and compassion." 

Almost 3,000 kids attend school in Scarborough; about 12% are participating in the 'free and reduced' school meal program. Even so, some children need extra helpings to make up for not getting enough food at home. Other families, especially working families who earn just a bit too much to qualify but not enough to make ends meet or a family going through a temporary rough patch, need help feeding their kids. The longstanding partnership between Project GRACE and the schools ensures vulnerable students get the daily nutrition they need to stay on track to succeed.

Our community's generous investment in Project GRACE allows us to meet basic needs for kids in our schools so that teachers and students can focus on learning and preparing for a bright future.

Kids will be heading back to school soon, but many families will struggle to provide the basics like backpacks, notebooks, paper, pens and pencils, rulers and glue sticks. With your help, we can ensure all kids start the first day of school ready to learn, prepared to succeed.

Join the Portland Sea Dogs as we celebrate Scarborough Community Night at Hadlock Field. Along with a fun night of baseball we will be celebrating Scarborough's fabulous community spirit, and the Project GRACE mission of Neighbors Helping Neighbors. 

You can help your neighbors with each ticket purchased. Tickets are $9 general admission seats, including $3 donated to Project GRACE's Neighbors Helping Neighbors Fund which supports programs like community nutrition, fuel assistance, and helping a neighbor in a time of need.

Download Sponsor Flier

To purchase your tickets, please fill out the form online.

For questions regarding the event, or to discuss a corporate package or see how your group can get in on the game, please contact Dennis Meehan at 874-9300 or dmeehan@seadogs.com

The "Food for Thought & Action" group, hosted by the Scarborough Food Pantry, Scarborough School Nutrition, and Project GRACE, is ready to reconvene. We are eager to hear how things are going and your ideas for what else we can tackle together to halt hunger in our community.

We'll be convening in a few weeks, and hope you'll attend. In the meantime, please save the date:
Wednesday, May 16th (2:30-5:00)
St. Maximilian-Kolbe Church 
150 Black Point Road (map)

Help the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center open up the nature center, pick up trash and debris in the marsh, and help you neighbors with a donation of food or grocery gift cards for the food pantry. 9am - Noon.

The community is invited to a special Earth Day Festival @ the Scarborough Public Library from Noon to 3pm! The event will celebrate two new ReVision Energy solar installations at the Library: an electric vehicle (EV) charging station and a rooftop solar panel array. Earth Day activities will include an appearance by News Center Maine meteorologist Jessica Conley and weather van Stormy, live music by The Incredulous String Band, electric vehicle demonstrations by Pape Chevrolet, a Minecraft Lab where players can build virtual solar arrays in the Library’s Minecraft world (2-4pm), and exhibits by community environmental organizations, including the Scarborough Community Garden!  An official ribbon cutting of the EV charging station will take place at 1:00 pm. This event is free to attend. Hope to see you there!

Seems like the whole town turns out for ACE Hardware's annual Garden Party at the Oak Hill store! We will be there, too, promoting the Scarborough Community Garden. We will be joined by the Cumberland County Master Gardeners and the Scarborough Garden Club, to promote their annual plant sales, learning opportunities, and offer soil test kits and gardening tips. Thank you to all our friends at ACE Hardware for including us in this Scarborough Spring tradition. Hope to see you all there!

Have you heard the buzzzzzzz? Wentworth School is the place to "bee" on Tuesday, April 10th for the 4th Annual Jr. Trivia Bee Championship!
 
Middle School students are prepping to see which team will answer the most correct questions in a fun trivia competition. In addition to the Jr. Trivia Bee Championship, homeroom teams are competing for Best Costume and Best in Category (including history, math, science, geography and pop culture). Hosted by the Kiwanis Builders’ Club, all are encouraged to come out and support the kids. It’s an evening of fun and goodwill, but one that showcases the talents of our kids. Proceeds will go toward Project GRACE's School Immediate Needs Fund.

Thanks to a generous foundation grant, Project GRACE was able to help parents and school nurses and social workers purchase 61 pairs of new shoes and winter boots for kids. All kids deserve to feel good themselves. New, well-fitting shoes give dignity, joy, and boost self-esteem.  That’s why Project GRACE has expanded our school outreach program to include a pair of new shoes for children that need them. We want kids to focus on their studies rather than their circumstances.

Here are a few tips for keeping warm. Visit us on FaceBook to share yours...

>>More tips from "This Old House"

Here are a couple tips that might keep your pipes from freezing:

• Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing.
• Turning faucets to a trickle helps prevent pipes from freezing; use cold water rather than warm.
• If needed, wrap pipes in insulation or newspaper or heat tape from the hardware store.
  

PS - save the date - our 6th Annual Rally to Keep Our Neighbors Warm will be on Saturday, February 10th at the Oak Hill Fire House (10-Noon). Our ambitious goal is to raise $15,000 for fuel assistance!

We would like to thank everyone who has helped out Project GRACE this past year. The generosity and thoughtfulness of our community throughout the year, and especially at the holidays, is inspiring. Our hearts are grateful, and we wish you a joyous 2018! 

Together we can help our neighbors have a more joyful holiday season. We are hearing from families who are worried about how they'll keep their homes warm, put food on the table, and make sure their kids find a few items under the tree. Can we count on your help this holiday season?

We have almost 150 kids on our list this year! Christmas presents for kids are needed by Monday, December 11th.  Please RSVP HERE to receive a wish list.

Check out the giving trees all around town!  If you're hosting a tree for us, or another group, send us a pic or visit us on FaceBook - we'd love to share it!

Project GRACE giving tree locations include:
Biddeford Savings
Big 20 Bowling
Chiropractic Family Wellness Center
Gorham Savings Bank
Inn By The Sea
Maine Medical Center
Piper Shores
Stantec
SunLife
St Maximilian-Kolbe Church
Village Center Auto (soon!)
Wentworth School
West Scarborough United Methodist Church

Tags include: new toys and family games, arts & crafts supplies for all ages and abilities, learning toys, new dish towels and cooking utensils, snow pants, hats & mittens, new warm socks for boys and girls, soaps and shampoos, twin bed sheet sets, fleece 'throw' blankets, fleece vests and pullovers, energy saving LED lightbulbs, and more...

We recently distributed Thanksgiving holiday meal baskets to 38 families, and here are a few of the thank you notes that came to us, meant for you:

Thanks to our many friends, neighbors, and supporters, 38 families and 15 senior households (about 175 people!) received bountiful Thanksgiving meal baskets, with all the fixings for a traditional holiday meal. Many had special touches, like flowers or festive napkins, and most included fresh vegetables and fruit, too. We are always impressed by the care and thoughfulness that goes into each basket. The cheery 'treat' bags for seniors were put together by Scarborough Daisies and Brownies, kids at Blue Point School made placemats, St. Max church shared their hall with us, the Volunteers in Police Service welcomed everyone and helped carry baskets to the car, and many volunteers lent a hand. This is giving project is one example of the generous holiday spirit -- and many helping hands -- that is a hallmark of our town.

We are grateful! Thank you, and a Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Nearly two-hundred friends and neighbors from all over town came to Wentworth Café on Thanksgiving Day to enjoy a delicious and festive communal meal. Plus forty more who couldn't come to Wentworth were brought a holiday meal. Dozens of volunteers of all ages prepared a traditional holiday dinner with all the fixings under the direction of Chef Peter Esposito, set the tables and placed fresh floral arrangements, served up ice cream and homemade apple and pumpkin pies, and greeted guests with a welcoming smile. We are grateful for all who helped make this second annual community meal a great occasion, including the dozens of community volunteers, Scarborough Garden Club, Town of Scarborough Community Services, Project GRACE, Scarborough School Nutrition, Wentworth School custodial staff, and the steering committee: Kelly Murphy, Chef Peter Esposito, Ann LeGage, Brenda Franklin, Audra Keenan, Jackie Perry. We are especially thankful for all who came to Wentworth, because it was being together that was at the heart of it all. We hope you will join us again next year. 

We hope all of our neighbors weathered the storm okay and that power is soon restored. We really appreciate the crews working to clear brush and trees and fix downed wires and broken utility poles.

At Project GRACE, our power is back on and our phones are up and running, too. If you or a neighbor suffered a loss due to the storm, and need temporary assistance, please give us a call.

For those still without power, there is a warming/charging station at Wentworth School, and the Scarborough Public Library is open as a warming/charging station, too. The library also has great tips on assembling an emergency kit and preparing for the next storm.

Help us win for the Scarborough Food Pantry!

We are collecting donations of $10 to help us buy more Hannaford Helps meal boxes. Each contains staple items like rice, pasta, canned fruit and vegetables, and peanut butter. Every $10 box purchased at the Scarborough Hannaford's gets us closer to goal. The more that store collects, the better the chance our local food pantry will win a prize of gift cards. Other communities are competing for their favorite pantry, too. We are encouraging our neighbors to purchase a box or two at the Scarborough store to help the Scarborough Food Pantry win!  Thank you!

Twenty-four teams competed for top honors in the 10th Annual Project GRACE Trivia Bee and bragging rights for Trivia Champions, Best Team Costumes, Best Team Name, and for Most Enthusiastic Supporters. It was a fun and high-spirited evening at Camp Ketcha, celebrating all that's good about being part of a community that cares.

After six rounds of questions and a couple of audacious challenges for the judges to decide, six teams made it to the semi-finals: In the Key of Bee, The Crooners, The Back Tee Bees, Bee Calm and Go Solar, The No Eyed Dears, and CK S'mores. After a final round of tough questions, The Back Tee Bees took top honors as the 2017 Trivia Bee Champions! The library team also scored the "Most Enthusiastic Supporters' trophy. We appreciate the teams for playing, helpful volunteers, our generous sponsors, and all who attended - you made this 10th Bee a success for Project GRACE. When we pull together to help our neighbors, everyone's a winner. Thank you, one and all!