Summit Natural Gas of Maine Announces Winners of 2019 Charitable Giving Program

June 4th, 2019

West Side Trail and Lawrence Backpack Program Earn Top Grants

YARMOUTH, Maine – Summit Natural Gas of Maine today announced the recipients of the company’s 2019 Charitable Giving Program.

West Side Trail and Lawrence Backpack Program will receive $4,000 each. Alfond Youth Center, Augusta School District, Falmouth Food Pantry, and the Gardiner Public Library will also each receive $1,000 donations.

“At Summit, service is at the core of our mission,” said Matt Jacobson, Director of Sales & Marketing at Summit Natural Gas. “Whether it’s going above and beyond providing exceptional service to our customers or playing a role in strengthening the fabric of the communities we serve through charitable donations and volunteerism, we understand that being a good friend and neighbor is critical to being a strong and sustainable company.”

Each year the company donates thousands of dollars to local nonprofits and community events. This year, in addition to sponsoring a number of charitable events throughout the year, the company solicited applications from local nonprofits for charitable grants that would directly benefit and strengthen the communities Summit serves. After narrowing the applications down to six finalists, the company asked Maine residents to vote on their favorite causes. The top two vote earners each received $4,000 grants and the remaining four charities each received $1,000 grants.

In addition to providing charitable grants and yearly sponsorships to local organizations and causes, Summit also planned several volunteer days this spring with local communities and nonprofits. To celebrate Earth Day, employees used their paid volunteer time off to help prepare Pine Tree Camp in Rome for their summer camp sessions. Employees also recently volunteered at Snow Pond Center, a 2018 sponsorship recipient.

2019 Charitable Giving Grantees and Programs:

Alfond Youth Center – The Alfond Youth Center is expanding their Supplemental Nutrition Weekend Backpack Program during the summer to include the months of July and August. Each backpack includes enough food to provide 2-3 meals per day for a family of 4 for the entire weekend. Meals include a protein source, whole grains, fresh and canned vegetables, and healthy snacks. Backpacks also include home recipes on how to use and prepare fresh produce. Funding from Summit will allow the center to expand their program and provide food for more families.

Augusta School District – The Augusta School Department maintains a “Clothing Closet” located at Cony High School that furnishes Augusta school students with necessary articles of clothing that they are otherwise unable to afford. Many schools in the Augusta area use the Clothing Closet as a resource for mittens, boots, snow pants, and other articles of clothing. While the Clothing Closet receives donations from local churches, the public, and “Diddos for Kiddos”, the closet doesn’t always have enough supplies for students’ needs. Funding will go towards purchasing supplies.

Falmouth Food Pantry – The Falmouth Food Pantry provides support for over 300 families unable to meet the nutritional needs of their households in Falmouth and surrounding communities. The Pantry also assists families in crisis through advocacy, personal support, and home deliveries when possible. Collaborating with Cultivating Community and its New American Farms Program in West Falmouth, the Food Pantry will also be able to purchase fresh produce that is grown locally without pesticides.

Gardiner Public Library – The library shares its resources through a statewide library system and an inter-library loan system in addition to providing fast and free broadband connection for people using the library. Funding will go towards improving their old network system in order to allow the library to provide better service and statistics information.

Lawrence Backpack Program – This program provides bags of food for students in high school and junior high school at MSAD #49. The bags are distributed at the end of the week for weekends and week-long breaks. On average, the program hands out 30 bags a week. Students at the school help manage the program with the assistance of a JMG Specialist. Funding will allow the students to expand the program.

West Side Trail (Yarmouth, Phase 2) – The West Side Trail (WST) is envisioned as a trail connection from the southern tip of Cousins Island to the northern end of town along the CMP transmission line. Phase 1 of the project was built over the last 8 years and has provided more than 8 miles of trail accessible from a variety of locations. Phase 2 will incorporate universal access standards, making it suitable for families with young children, people using mobility devices, those with disabilities, and the elderly, and will add 2.5 miles of trail to the network.