NEW COMMUNITY COLLABORATIVE OFFERS UNIQUE WAY TO SUPPORT KNOX COUNTY NEIGHBORS

Wed, 01/24/2018 - 10:15am

Community Investors of Knox County launches this month

ROCKLAND, Maine —There’s a new way for Knox County residents to help low-income
individuals and families move out of poverty. Community Investors of Knox County is a
community collaborative compromised of a group of highly established non-profit organizations
in Knox County. Its goal is to create ways to help people directly.

Sometimes changing the future of a low-income person is just a simple solution away, such as a
car repair or a down payment to secure an apartment. Community Investors of Knox County’s
case managers vet needs through an extensive network of local resources to make sure the
need cannot be funded in any other way. Then the need is brought to the community through an
email to subscribing community members who read about someone in Knox County who needs
some help. Knox County community investors can donate to help fulfill the request. Investors
can donate any amount of money to the request. All of the community donations are used to
create the solution for the in-need resident or family. This initiative is an amazing way that Knox
County residents can directly support their community, and can also know exactly where their
donation is going. 100% of donations go directly toward helping families and residents of Knox
County.

The Knox County organizations that form the Community Investors group came together
because of the belief that the Community Investors of Knox County model would work well
within Knox County’s strong community. Kara Hay, the CEO of Penquis CAP, explains,

“The heart of a community centers around its collective actions on school boards, town
councils, food pantries, churches, and others. Knox County is one of those truly special
places in Maine where collective action is evidenced every day through the successful
revitalization of Main Street, the emergence of Rockland as a center for Maine arts, and
the activity of our vibrant human service agencies. I am thrilled Penquis is partnering
with many Knox County organizations to create a powerful collective action model
through Community Investors of Knox County. I am confident that together we can
create impact for people in Knox County in vulnerable, and often precarious, situations,”.

Just one example of a possible need in Knox County is a single mother, living paycheck to
paycheck, with a broken vehicle. The donations contributed to the Community Investors of Knox
County might provide the funds to repair the car. Without these repairs this mother could not get
to work, might possibly lose her job, and would not be able to buy groceries to get her family
through the week. Community Investors of Know County would allow community members help
pay to repair the single mother’s car, and get her back on her feet.

People who need help can apply through one of the collaborative organizations, including: Area
Interfaith Outreach, the Knox County Community Health Coalition, the Knox County Homeless
Coalition, the Mid-Coast Recovery Coalition, New Hope for Women, Penquis CAP, and United
Midcoast Charities. Each application is carefully considered, and every donation counts. The
Community Investors of Knox County is a collaborative effort to build a stronger community, one
family at a time.

To sign up for the Community Investors email list or for more information please contact Zora
Raglow-DeFranco at knoxcommunityinvestors@gmail.com, 207-974- 2429, or visit on Facebook
at Community Investors of Knox County.