Westbrook, Maine – November 21, 2023 – To support some of the most vulnerable individuals throughout the state, The Biddeford and Mechanics Savings Charitable Foundation delivered a donation of $10,000 to Sweetser, a community mental health organization whose mission is to provide quality treatment, support, and hope to children, families, and adults through a network of mental and behavioral health, recovery, and educational services. In recent years, the awareness and stigma surrounding mental health has lifted, but the access and affordability of these services has not.
The Foundation recently presented Jayne Van Bramer, President & CEO at Sweetser with a check for $10,000 which will be used to construct a safe recreational play area for young clients. As many youths do not have the vocabulary to describe how they feel, play is proven to aid in treating children with mental health issues, and safe play structures provide an essential health service to Sweetser’s young clients.
“Thank you to Maine Community Bank for their ongoing commitment to Sweetser, the clients we serve, and for their direct support assisting with our new outdoor recreation space on our Saco campus. This $10,000 donation will help us complete this project with our community partners. As we all know, outdoor play is good for children’s physical health, development, and mental well-being.”
Together, Maine Community Bank and the Biddeford and Mechanics Savings Charitable Foundation contributed over $335,000 to several local non-profit organizations in 2022 and continues to support the local community through donations, volunteerism and in-kind donations each year.
About Maine Community Bank
Biddeford Savings and Mechanics Savings have been financial partners with the people of Central and Southern Maine for the past 150 years. To help carry out their commitment to the communities they serve, the two banks merged on January 1, 2020, becoming divisions of Maine Community Bank. The merger expanded the lending capacity, product offerings, and branch service areas, while keeping all decision-making at the local level. They have branches in Auburn, Biddeford, Brunswick, Kennebunk, Lewiston, Scarborough, Waterboro, Westbrook and Windham.
About the Biddeford and Mechanics Charitable Savings Foundation
The Biddeford and Mechanics Savings Charitable Foundation was created in July of 2020 and is structured to give back to the communities in a larger, more enduring way. The Foundation’s mission is to help individuals and families in the bank’s local communities meet their basic needs and achieve financial empowerment.