BIDDEFORD — The Southern Maine Agency on Aging is celebrating 50 years in the community. Southern Maine Agency on Aging provides the resources, programs and people to ensure that older adults and adults living with disabilities in Cumberland and York counties maintain their vitality well past the age of 60.

Some of Kennebunk Savings’ Southern Maine Agency on Aging volunteers pose for a group photo. From left are Karissa Kapise, Merianne Leach, Grant Edgerly, Christine Dunham, Lori Johnson, Becky Noyes, Lucinda Pyne, Patrick Theriault, Amy Emmons, Jenn Straetz and Josie Merryman. Courtesy photo

Kennebunk Savings is celebrating the anniversary, and its longtime partnership with the organization, by sponsoring yearlong programming with a $25,000 donation.

“We are so thrilled to partner with Kennebunk Savings in our 50th anniversary year,” said Megan Walton, CEO of Southern Maine Agency on Aging. “Kennebunk Savings’ support has directly impacted the lives of thousands of older adults, and this special donation in 2023 will ensure we can continue to help individuals of the greatest social and economic need.”

In a news release, the bank emphasized volunteering as a central tenet of employee culture, and many staff members pitch in for Meals on Wheels and other SMAA programs.

“This is a wonderful program,” said Becky Noyes, a commercial processing and closing manager with Kennebunk Savings, who has volunteered for Meals on Wheels for six years. “To see a smiling face when you come to the door – it makes you feel good.”

Lori Johnson, a volunteer for the past decade and HMDA manager at the Bank, said that she loves when the people she visits have a story to tell. Grant Edgerly, the bank’s facilities manager, who just completed his first year as a volunteer for SMAA, said, “I think the most rewarding part of volunteering for the Meals on Wheels program is the interaction and the impact that the program has on the recipients. When you help people that are truly in need, and you see how grateful they are for the help, there’s not a much more rewarding feeling.”

Kennebunk Savings has donated more than $400,000 to Southern Maine Agency on Aging since 2003.

Some of Kennebunk Savings’ Southern Maine Agency on Aging volunteers pose for a group photo. From left are Karissa Kapise, Merianne Leach, Grant Edgerly, Christine Dunham, Lori Johnson, Becky Noyes, Lucinda Pyne, Patrick Theriault, Amy Emmons, Jenn Straetz and Josie Merryman.