PORTLAND

Rock the House concert raises $1,500 for Habitat

Town & Country Federal Credit Union expanded its Rock the House event this year to include a benefit concert that raised $1,500 for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland.

The June 1 fundraiser, held at Halo at Thompson’s Point, featured the music of Foreigners Journey, a popular tribute band.

Town & Country is a longtime supporter of Habitat, including financing 80 percent of  homes at its current development in Scarborough and contributing nearly 1,000 volunteer hours to Habitat homes over the past two years.

To learn more, visit www.tcfcu.com.

Amanda Rowe Elementary students create art with accompanying text detailing their immigrant stories for an “I’m Your Neighbor” mural project that explores what it means to be an American from a different culture. Jolene McGowan

Amanda Rowe Elementary students create art with accompanying text detailing their immigrant stories for an “I’m Your Neighbor” mural project that explores what it means to be an American from a different culture. Picasa

Students to unveil mural on immigrant stories

Side x Side, a Portland-based nonprofit arts integration organization for public school teachers and students, in partnership with the Portland Public Schools and the University of Southern Maine, will unveil the “I’m Your Neighbor” project at 9:15 a.m. Monday.

The unveiling, in the Rowe School Cafeteria at the Amanda Rowe Elementary School at 23 Orono Road, will feature a permanent mural that students created for the school hallway.

Teaching artist Laurie Downey has been working with third- and fourth-graders and the school staff for several months to put together the mural. Students created original drawings and accompanying text to share personal stories about their heritage from places and cultures around the globe such as Ireland, Sudan, Somolia and even the Wabanaki people of Maine.

“Students have spent months learning about the history and importance of immigration and its impact on our community,” Downey said. “It’s an honor to work with this talented and diverse group of students and staff. My work takes me all over Maine and the stories we collect are the highlights of the work we do.”

Key elements to this project-based approach are research from primary sources, the use of project journals combining writing and drawing, and collaboration with local community members.

For more information about Side x Side and the “I’m Your Neighbor” project, contact Beth Wilbur Van Mierlo at 775-7118 or email info@sidexsideme.com.

Four Maine parishes to share $11,000

Four Maine parishes have been named recipients of Matthew 25 Awards, that include grants ranging from $2,000 to $5,000.

The awards, totaling $11,000, were presented by Catholic Charities Maine’s Parish Social Ministry program to help parishes expand or enhance programming for people who are vulnerable or in need, regardless of their faith affiliation.

St. Peter Chanel Parish, which oversees St. Bruno-St. Remi Church in Van Buren and St. Joseph Church in Hamlin, will receive $5,000 to purchase a utility trailer for its Parish Outreach Committee, to help transport food, household appliances, furnishings, supplies for children’s camps and other items.

The Good Shepherd Parish (overseer of Most Holy Trinity Church, Saco; St. Joseph Church, Biddeford; St. Margaret Church, Old Orchard Beach; St. Philip Church, Lyman; and St. Brendan Chapel, Biddeford Pool) will fund the parish’s social justice commission to purchase sleeping bags for homeless people in the Biddeford-Saco area.

St. Joseph Parish, (St. Joseph Church, Ellsworth; Blue Hill Mission Church, Blue Hill; Our Lady of the Lake Church, Dedham; and St. Margaret Chapel, Winter Harbor) will receive $2,000 for the parish’s “Heat Savers” program to offer free or low-cost window inserts to seniors to reduce heating costs and fossil fuel consumption by minimizing heat loss through windows.

And, St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish, (which includes the Immaculate Conception Church, Calais; St. Joseph Church, Eastport; St. James the Greater Church, Baileyville; St. Ann Church, Perry; St. Ann Church, Indian Township; and St. John the Evangelist Church, Pembroke) will use grant funding to support and sustain the Irene Chadbourne Ecumenical Food Pantry in Calais with the purchase of an upright, reach-in freezer to replace four aging chest freezers. The food pantry is staffed by volunteers, mostly parishioners at St. Kateri Tekakwitha, and serves more than 800 clients.

For more details, visit www.ccmaine.org/parish-social-ministry.

WELLS

Avita treats student volunteers to lunch

Wells Junior High School students recently were recognized for their volunteering efforts at the Avita of Wells assisted living facility.

For many months, grade 5-8 students have been coordinating visits to the facility, traveling in small, rotating groups, to interact with residents of Avita’s memory care facility.

The students were honored with a barbecue lunch from Avista staff and residents for their commitment to others.

KENNEBUNK

Food pantry plans stuff the bus event

Community Outreach Services has planned a stuff the bus event from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday with the Kennebunk Recreation Department bus parked in front of the Kennebunk Town Hall at 1 Summer St.

The event is being held to ensure Kennebunk’s local food pantry has enough food on hand to help supplement meals for children who are on school break and do not have access to free and reduced meal programs offered during the school year.

Volunteers will collect nonperishable food items, personal supplies and monetary donations to benefit the town’s food pantry. Items that are always needed to stock the pantry include canned fruits, vegetables and soups, peanut butter, jelly, mayonnaise, tuna fish, canned chicken and meat, granola bars, crackers, juice, cereal, oatmeal, pancake mix and syrup, Jell-O, instant pudding, macaroni and cheese, pasta and pasta sauce, rice and beans.

Monetary donations also are appreciated and checks can be made out to Community Outreach Services.

For more details, contact Karen Winton in the social services office at kwinton@kennebunkmaine.us or 604-1342.

STATEWIDE

Maine Vet Center to host community open houses

The Maine Vet Center will host open house events Thursday at five locations to celebrate its 40th anniversary of offering veterans’ programs around the state.

All veterans, active duty service members, their families and the general public are invited to attend the celebrations at the following locations and times: Bangor Vet Center, 615 Odlin Road, Suite 3,  from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Lewiston Vet Center, 35 Westminster St., from 4 to 7 p.m.; Northern Maine Vet Center, 456 York St., Caribou, from 4 to 6 p.m.; Portland Vet Center, 475 Stevens Ave., from noon to 2 p.m.; and the Sanford Vet Center, 628 Main St., Springvale, from 4 to 6:30 p.m.