CU News & Events – November Edition

December 5, 2024 |

November was a month full of gratitude, giving back, and generosity for credit unions all across Maine! Between community holiday events, food drives and distribution for Thanksgiving, fundraisers, and other celebrations, credit unions gobbled up every opportunity to display the People Helping People spirit. Below, our League provides an inside look at what some of our credit unions were up to this past month:

  • Acadia FCU and the Aroostook County Chapter hosted a Financial Fitness Fair for Aroostook County students. The Fair was hosted at the Loring Job Corps Center for all County high schoolers and Job Corps students on Tuesday, November 5. 
  • Chris at Atlantic FCU was recognized as their most recent Atlantic Community Engagement (ACE) Award winner for all of his hard work spearheading the Campaign for Ending Hunger and the Atlantic Foundation. The credit union appreciates how Chris is a “fantastic example of how we can all do our part to help people Do Better.” 
  • After a month-long food drive in October to benefit Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry in Ellsworth, Bangor FCU dropped off 662 pounds of food and almost $400 to help the organization continue their great work. 
  • Brewer FCU encouraged the community to donate to the Free the Z Turkey Drive at the Brewer Hannaford location on November 19. 
  • On November 5, Capital Area FCU had The Red Barn Road Show at the credit union and invited members to come have lunch and show their support for Capital Area FCU’s own Patti Couverette and her battle with breast cancer. Patti extended her thanks to all who extended their generosity.  
  • As a way to show some holiday love to the Buxton Food Co-op, the Standish Food Pantry, and the Gorham Food Pantry, Casco FCU held a food drive on Saturday, November 23 at Plummer’s Shop ‘n Save. They collected 93 pounds of food and $360 in monetary donations. 
  • Central Maine FCU showed their collaborative spirit by partnering with Community CU, Five County CU, Great Falls FCU, Lisbon Community FCU, and Sabattus Regional CU on a Wellness Wonderland-themed tree for the Kora Shriners’ FEZtival of Treez. 
  • Community CU presented a donation to the United Way of Androscoggin County. 
  • With the help of many generous members who fulfilled a tag from Connected CU’s giving tree, the credit union delivered a large pile of gifts to the Maine Children’s Home for their annual Christmas/Winter Essentials Program. 
  • cPort CU’s Human Resources team represented the credit union at the University of Maine’s Fall Career & Internship Fair. 
  • A free homebuyers’ happy hour was held by Cumberland County FCU at Rising Ride Brewing on Saturday, November 9. 
  • Dirigo FCU sponsored Portland Downtown’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on Friday, November 29 in Monument Square.  
  • Downeast CU team members Ginny, Melanie, and Carole volunteered at Good Shepherd Food Bank to help prepare food boxes. All in all, they processed 6,708 pounds of food and 6,544 meals. 
  • Just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, Eastmill FCU’s bake sale offered members ample delicious options to enjoy with their families. 
  • On November 21, Empeople CU and Z107.3 invited the community to support the Free the Z Turkey Drive at the Brewer Hannaford.  
  • Evergreen CU’s Cole joined the Animal Refuge League and other community members for the Shelter Sleep-In. In total, over $100,000 was raised! 
  • Five County CU recognized Diabetes Awareness Month with various fundraising activities, including a 50/50 raffle, book sales, bake sales, and basket raffles. 
  • On November 27, Gardiner FCU provided members the opportunity to grab a delicious homemade pie to indulge in on Thanksgiving Day with loved ones. Their Homemade Pie Sale benefitted the Campaign for Ending Hunger. 
  • Great Falls FCU launched their new and improved website, hoping the user-friendly design and fresher look will help members manage their finances with ease. 
  • HRCU began collecting toys to support the Rochester, Dover, and Farmington fire departments’ toy drives. 
  • Katahdin FCU is partnering with Brookfield Renewable U.S. (BRUS) to keep the Katahdin region warm. The credit union is collecting hats and mittens, and these items will be paired with winter jackets supplied by BRUS and distributed throughout the community to those in need. 
  • Soup day occurred at KSW FCU on November 1 as a fundraiser for the Campaign for Ending Hunger and Special Olympics Maine. 
  • KV FCU set up Holiday Wish Trees in their Augusta and Oakland branches, both full of tags representing local families in need. 
  • All Lighthouse CU branches began a food drive to help their communities. The Portsmouth, Dover, Exeter, Lee, and Northwood branches supported Pease ‘N Carrots’ 17th Annual Food Drive to benefit Gather, and all other locations are collecting food through December 14 for local pantries. 
  • November 22 was Lincoln Maine FCU’s Big Day of Giving Back. They held a Soup and Sandwich sale fundraiser, sold raffle tickets for a $75 Hannaford gift card, and collected nonperishable food items for local food pantries and schools. 
  • Throughout November, Lisbon Community FCU sold cash calendars in support of the Campaign for Ending Hunger, and they were thrilled to announce that with overwhelming support from members, they raised $7,610 for the Campaign for Ending Hunger. Great job to the team at Lisbon Community FCU! 
  • Maine Family FCU shared that they have partnered with the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber as a Stuff the Bus drop-off location. 
  • In their fall newsletter, Maine Highlands FCU reminded members of the holiday closures for the rest of the year. 
  • Maine Savings FCU was ecstatic to take part in the 13th Annual Feztival of Trees for the fourth year in a row. Their tree’s theme was “Baking Spirits Bright,” complete with sweet touches and kitchen items. 
  • To celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, Maine State CU displayed their love for community! The Rockland team assembled two Thanksgiving baskets with all the appropriate fixings and drew two lucky winners. Additionally, some of the credit union’s mortgage lenders joined the Kennebec Valley Board of Realtors in packing 75 Thanksgiving meal bags for local families in need. 
  • Midcoast FCU participated in the Midcoast Tree Festival at St. John’s Community Center in Brunswick and served as a Tree Benefactor sponsor again. The team created a fun “Santa’s Workshop” display on behalf of the credit union for the event. 
  • Milestones FCU shared a sneak peak of the credit union’s updated Little Free Library. 
  • On November 27, New Dimensions FCU’s Waterville and Skowhegan branches hosted a Thanksgiving Pie Sale for the Campaign for Ending Hunger. 
  • In hopes of making a difference this holiday season, NorState FCU began their Hope for the Holidays Food Drive to assist local families in their community. Nonperishable food items will be collected through the end of December. 
  • With holiday shopping in full-swing, OTIS FCU reminded members of package delivery scams where fraudsters send a text or email that a package cannot be delivered, asking the potential victim to verify personal information to complete the “delivery.” 
  • Oxford FCU made a pledge in October that for every new member they received, they would donate $10 for Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. With 100 new members, they were pleased to share in November that they donated $1,000 each to the Cancer Resource Center of Western Maine and Safe Voices. 
  • On social media, Penobscot County FCU warned any members who have an E-ZPass and may snowbird that scammers are sending fake text messages about outstanding Sunpass tolls. They provided tips for staying safe, such as not clicking any links and registering on the Do Not Call list. 
  • PeoplesChoice CU expanded its field of membership to an additional seven Maine counties. They are excited to bring the same excellent member service to more of Maine. 
  • On Friday, November 8, Sabattus Regional CU hosted a chili, chowder, and baked goods sale to fundraise for the Campaign for Ending Hunger. 
  • Once again, Saco Valley CU continued showing love to the Saco Meals Program by sponsoring a delicious dinner and providing a team to help serve meals. They even donated a $50 gift card to be given to the guest with the winning ticket. 
  • Seaboard FCU presented a donation of $3,313.52 to Neighbors Supporting Neighbors, an organization dedicated to fighting hunger in the Hermon community. 
  • Sebasticook Valley FCU was announced as sponsor of the Sebasticook Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Valley of Trees Festival taking place in December. 
  • The County FCU spent time helping Girl Scout Troop 1690 work toward one of their financial patches, utilizing Maine Credit Unions’ ready-to-use curriculum. 
  • This November, Town & Country FCU hosted “Novem-purr,” a month-long partnership with the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland where they highlighted cats up for adoption throughout the month.  
  • Trademark FCU shared that they were named to the 2024 MaineBiz Best Places to Work in Maine list. Congratulations, team Trademark! 
  • In November, TruChoice FCU was thrilled to launch their brand-new website. With new features and a more modern user interface, they hope to deliver a better member experience. 
  • The team at University CU volunteered at the 2024 Scott Scripture Memorial Community Thanksgiving Dinner to assist in preparing turkey, pies, and all of the sides for senior citizens that live in the Orono region. Following this, the team also packaged meals for delivery and served all residents who came for a meal in person. 
  • Winthrop Area FCU sought volunteer costume participants for the local Holiday Parade.