Bangor Savings Bank Foundation announces recipients of Community Matters More Grants

    BANGOR — Once again, Bangor Savings Bank Foundation will donate $100,000 to nonprofits across Maine as part of their annual Community Matters More program. More than 80,000 Mainers voted and 68 Maine nonprofit organizations will benefit by receiving grants.

    An additional 60 nonprofit organizations that also received community members’ votes will receive grants of $1,000 each. This year, Mainers voted for 3,146 unique nonprofits, with every county in the state represented. 
    Jim Conlon, Bangor Savings Bank’s CEO and president commented on the success of Community Matters More. “The people of Maine are compassionate and interested in helping their communities thrive.  Once again, thousands of Mainers stepped up and supported their favorite nonprofits by casting votes in Community Matters More. The success of this annual initiative is a direct result of their commitment and realization that nonprofit organizations pay an integral role in our state. On behalf of the 750 Bangor Savings Bank employees, we want to thank our fellow Maine citizens who participated in this year’s program, and to say how honored we are to be able to assist these deserving organizations.”
    The 60 $1,000 grant winners include the 40 nonprofit organizations listed on the ballot, and the 20 organizations that earned the most write-in votes in each of the eight regions. Nonprofits listed on the ballot receiving $1,000 grants are, from Northern Maine, the Jeffrey S. Parola Foundation and Shaw Public Library Association and from Central Maine the Penquis Journey House Among the 20 write-in winners is the Dexter Community Playground/Dexter Regional Development.
    The statewide Community Matters More program is a partnership of the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation, WLBZ-TV 2, WCSH-TV 6, WGAN 560 Newsradio, and Blueberry Broadcasting. In addition to the grant money, the 48 nonprofits included on the ballot received substantial exposure about their missions.
    Community Matters More is part of Bangor Savings Bank and the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation’s total commitment of giving over $1 million per year to the community in the form of nonprofit sponsorships, grants and partnership initiatives.