Nothing casual about town employees raising funds for worthy causes

By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer

DOVER-FOXCROFT — For about a dozen employees of the Morton Avenue Municipal Building, Friday is a day to dress down in exchange for a monetary contribution with the collected funds earmarked each month for a various organization in town. During December and January town employees will be wearing their more casual attire for the Dover-Foxcroft Area Food Cupboard while also sponsoring a non-perishable food drive as well as a raffle to further help residents in need.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

FILL THE BUCKET AND THEN SOME — Throughout December and January employees of the Morton Avenue Municipal Building in Dover-Foxcroft are collecting items for the Dover-Foxcroft Area Food Cupboard. Monetary contributions are being accepted and Rachael Ray-brand items are being raffled off,  and on Fridays town employees can make a small donation in exchange for being able to dress down with these funds also going toward the food cupboard.

“We dress down every Friday for $2,” Assistant Clerk Elizabeth Thompson said on the last casual attire day of November. “This month it’s for Pine Tree Hospice. December and January we are going to do the food cupboard.”

Thompson said when Pastor Tom Bruce ran the Living Word Food Cupboard he mentioned the need to feed the hungry extends far beyond just Thanksgiving. As a result Morton Avenue Municipal Building employees are going to raise funds and collect items over two months’ time.

“We want to be a drop-off for non-perishable food items,” Thompson said, saying monetary donations for the Dover-Foxcroft Area Food Cupboard will be accepted as well. She said a bulletin board, which was decorated with information on Pine Tree Hospice during November, will highlight the food cupboard and will have a large bucket for non-perishables to be placed in.

“We are also doing some raffles of Rachael Ray items,” Thompson said. Tickets can be purchased to win an insulated casserole tote and cooking dish from the celebrity cook and TV personality’s line of products.

“We raffled a lunch tote and cookbook for the Kiwanis children’s Christmas program,” Thompson added about a past fundraiser at the town office. She said one resident gave $50 for this endeavor.

“It started when we moved over here,” Thompson said as the town relocated the municipal office to Morton Avenue nearly seven years ago. She said the idea came from Penquis with casual days benefitting the organization’s Smart Starts for Students school supply drive.

“We went to (Town Manager Jack Clukey) and he said ‘absolutely’ and we have done it ever since,” Thompson said.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

DRESSING DOWN FOR PINE TREE HOSPICE — On Fridays the dozen town employees at the Morton Avenue Municipal Building can dress down in exchange for a $2 donation. Each month or two the funds are earmarked for an organization in town, and in November the casual attire monies went to Pine Tree Hospice.