Have you wondered how Harpswell Aging at Home makes so much happen in our great town? Approximately 90 organizations lend a hand. We’re thrilled to be part of a multigenerational ecosystem of support that involves people from Harpswell and beyond. Here is a sampling of the services these organizations offer to our community.
The town of Harpswell makes indoor and outdoor meeting space available and partners with HAH on programs and events. Most importantly, Gina Caldwell, recreation director and community services coordinator, is the primary contact for those wishing to connect with HAH. She can be reached at 207-833-5771 ext. 108.
Delivering joy from younger generations, the preschoolers at Brunswick’s Little Schoolhouse on Maine create charming cards and notes throughout the year for our older neighbors. Harpswell Girl Scout Troop 1263 has joined us for caroling during the holidays, has co-hosted a tea with us, and is gearing up for a campfire sing this spring.
Meals in a Pinch, HAH’s critical meals program that serves close to 60 individuals every two weeks, uses the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program’s kitchen. Great Island Church of the Nazarene kindly provides facilities for packing, labeling and storing food.
Elijah Kellogg Church and Bailey Island Union Church offer much-appreciated space for gatherings at reduced prices, as do the Merriconeag Grange, Orr’s Island Schoolhouse, and Cundy’s Harbor Community Hall, where our popular Lunch with Friends events are held. The American Legion provides skilled coffee-making volunteers to help out!
Sharing Tables produce providers, the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program, Harpswell Community Garden, and the Merrymeeting Gleaners make summer’s bounty available to all. Cook’s Lobster & Ale House, The Dolphin Restaurant and Marina, and Salt Cod Cafe provide delicious donations. Iris Eats owner Elyse Dana has led enjoyable culinary workshops — radish roses, anyone? Melinda Harris Richter, of Island Candy Co., taught us how to make chocolate treats, and we learned about groundfish and lobster from the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association.
Bowdoin College is a generous partner through its McKeen Center for the Common Good and Schiller Coastal Studies Center. Student volunteers help with chores — cooking, stacking wood, raking leaves, and more.
Roxanne York Real Estate regularly contributes staffing and food for Lunch with Friends, as do the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell Indivisible, and the Harpswell Garden Club. Donations from Engel & Völkers and Harpswell Realty also are appreciated. HHLT plants container gardens that are shared with residents each year, while the Garden Club provides seasonal holiday arrangements.
Shaw’s donates fresh flowers to HAH to brighten the days of Meals in a Pinch recipients, while Upland Designs supplies cards for inclusion with those food deliveries and Pat Hebert donates calendars in December. HAH recently partnered with the Maine Council on Aging and Hannaford Supermarkets to promote a new food security program for older Mainers.
HAH’s transportation team is dear to the hearts of many Harpswell residents, and it could not operate without People Plus, which vets our drivers and handles scheduling. Lynne Smith is there to take your calls (207-729-0757) when you need a ride! We also work hand-in-glove with a longtime partner, Habitat for Humanity 7 Rivers Maine, on home repairs all over town.
Lili Ott, co-chair of HAH’s Steering Committee, says, “Harpswell is rich in kind people and thoughtful action, and HAH is privileged to work with these partners to make our town a model for neighbors helping each other with quiet dignity.” Would you or your organization like to get involved with HAH? Email us at volunteer@hah.community.
