Bar Harbor Bank & Trust Donates More Than $488,000 To Northern New England Nonprofit Organizations In 2020

Press release from Kennebec Valley Chamber-Commerce:

December 3, 2020

Bar Harbor, Maine – In celebration of Giving Tuesday, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust announces the year-to-date results of its charitable giving programs. From January through November 2020, the Bank has donated more than $488,000 to nearly 400 nonprofit organizations throughout Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

“Giving back to the communities where we live and work is a fundamental part of who Bar Harbor Bank & Trust is as a business, employer, and more importantly, a neighbor,” said Jack Frost, VP Director of Community Giving at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. “This year has been a particularly challenging one for our communities, and we are honored to be able to partner with hundreds of nonprofit organizations to deliver much-needed services to our neighbors in need.”

The Bank has made several donations in celebration of Giving Tuesday this year, including:

• Community Volunteer Transportation Company (CVTC) (Peterborough, New Hampshire)

The Bank made a $500 donation to CVTC, an organization dedicated to growing the unmet transportation needs for people in the Monadnock Region, to help drive volunteer recruitment efforts. In 2019, volunteer drivers donated more than 5,000 hours to fulfill the more than 3,300 ride requests received by CVTC.

• Food Pantries on Mount Desert Island and Greater Ellsworth Area

The Bank donated $1,000 to each of six food pantries: Bar Harbor Food Pantry, Emmaus Homeless Shelter, Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry, Maine Seacoast Mission Family Food Center, Tree of Life Food Pantry, and Westside Food Pantry. The Bank pledged to match a portion of the donations made to the food pantries during the week of November 9-13. The Bank’s pledge and promotion helped raise more than $43,000 in five days for the food pantries.

• Healthy Acadia (Machias, Maine)

The Bank gifted $1,000 to Healthy Acadia’s Down East Teen Leadership Camp (DETLC), an annual, residential summer camp program for teens entering grades 7th through 9th. The vision of DETLC is to provide teens with social, communication, and leadership skills to support emotional resiliency and to deter misuse of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.

• Island Health & Wellness Foundation (IHWF) (Deer Isle, Maine)

The Bank donated $1,000 to the IHWF, an organization whose mission is to identify and advocate for health and wellness needs of Deer Isle-Stonington residents. The Bank’s donation will be directed to the IHWF School Fund, which is used to help cover the expenses of basic needs for local students.

• Kearsarge Food Hub (KFH) (Bradford, New Hampshire)

The Bank donated $1,000 to KFH, an organization composed of several different yet deeply connected programs that service their mission of reinvigorating the community around a restorative local food system. The Bank’s donation will help pay the cost of goods sent to local food pantries.

Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 to set aside a day that encourages people to do good. It has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. Learn more about Giving Tuesday at www.givingtuesday.org.

Bar Harbor Bankshares (NYSE American: BHB) is the parent company of its wholly owned subsidiary, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. Operating over 50 locations across Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust is headquartered in Bar Harbor, Maine and has more than $3.6 billion in assets. As a leading Northern New England community bank, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust offers a full range of personal and business banking services, as well as wealth management services through its subsidiaries Bar Harbor Trust Services and Charter Trust Company. For more information about Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, visit www.barharbor.bank or call 888-853-7100. Member FDIC.

This press release was produced by the Kennebec Valley Chamber-Commerce. The views expressed are the author's own.