Representatives from the eight nonprofits serving Cumberland and/or York counties received grants ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 through the Town & Country FCU’s Better Neighbor Fund. They are pictured with David Libby, Town & Country president and CEO (center – kneeling). Photo by Whitney J. Fox Photography

SCARBOROUGH/SOUTH PORTLAND — At a special reception held at Town & Country Federal Credit Union’s Operations Center in Scarborough, the credit union awarded $25,000 in grants to nonprofits serving Cumberland and/or York counties through its 2019 Better Neighbor Fund. The grant recipients were determined through a month-long vote during October which resulted in nearly 13,000 votes cast through the Town & Country FCU Facebook page, a new record.

“The Better Neighbor Fund honors and celebrates some of the wonderful work and services provided a special group of non-profits to communities throughout Cumberland and York Counties,” David Libby, president and CEO of Town & Country FCU said. “Tonight is about people and the spirit of coming together to support and help others, whether it’s providing help to animals, educational opportunities for children or assistance to people in recovery, and a variety of other worthwhile causes and initiatives. You all make our communities better places to live because of your mission and commitment to being better neighbors. Our Reception is designed to bring organizations that make a difference together, and to allow them to have an opportunity to speak with your fellow non-profits and to reinforce the fact that we all contribute and care about our community. It was great to see such a high level of engagement with the online voting.”

In 2010, Town & Country introduced the Better Neighbor Fund to celebrate the ideal of neighbors helping neighbors, a concept that has a long and rich tradition in Maine. To date, the credit union has awarded $250,000 to 80 charitable initiatives.

Eight charitable organizations from an original finalist list of 25 nominees were awarded a share of $25,000 from the 2019 Better Neighbor Fund — three received $5,000 grants and five received $2,000 grants.

The 25 finalists were nominated in September through the credit union’s Facebook page, and during October, the public voted online for the project they felt was most deserving to receive one of the eight grants.

The winners of the 2019 Better Neighbor Fund grants include:

• $5,000 Grant — Learn Around the World Network, Inc. (Portland) – support the GEOshow Maine program, which will introduce K-5 students across Southern Maine to new places through virtual field trips.

• $5,000 Grant — The Center for Wildlife (Cape Neddick) – support the Connecting Neighbors and Nature environmental education program.

• $5,000 Grant — Friendship House (South Portland) – provide funding to help with its bathroom renovation project.

• $2,000 Grant — Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals (Windham) – to help promote and expand the Maine Horse Matchmaker program.

• $2,000 Grant — Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad & Museum (Portland) – will be used to help build a new station for the Narrow-Gauge Railroad and Museum at Ocean Gateway in Portland.

• $2,000 Grant — Standish Parent Teacher Organization (Standish) – will help purchase and install new soccer goals and basketball hoops on the playgrounds of the Edna Libby and George E. Jack Elementary Schools in Standish.

• $2,000 Grant — Royal River Community Players (Yarmouth) – support renovations of the Yarmouth Playhouse, the new theatre and performance center of the Royal River Community Players.

• $2,000 Grant — Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland (Westbrook) – will be used to allow for the presentation of the Toddler Storytime program, which offers a hands-on, exploration of the shelter.

As Maine’s second largest credit union with nearly 40,000 members, Town & Country is a full-service financial institution offering a wide range of financial products and services to people who live, work, go to school or worship in Cumberland and York Counties. Designated as one of Maine’s ‘Best Places to Work’ for the past eight years, the credit union has $405 million in assets, and is part of the second largest branch network in the country. To learn more, visit www.tcfcu.com.