Kennebunk Saving is getting a head start on their annual holiday donations to local food pantries. “This is a time of urgent need, so we’re being especially proactive,” said Liz Torrance, the bank’s Director of Social Responsibility. In fact, the organization is nearly doubling their usual holiday-season gift campaign, issuing grants totaling $55,000 to 32 different local nonprofits including Table of Plenty in Berwick, the Sanford Backpack Program, the food pantry at the Community Action Partnership of Strafford County, and Gather in Portsmouth.

“There are so many people in our community who need Gather’s support this year and we can’t provide it without partners like Kennebunk Savings who continue to give generously year after year,” said Anne Hayes, Executive Director of Gather. “The more the community can work together to strengthen the social safety net and support those in need, the better off we’re all going to be.”

The Kennebunk Savings holiday campaign has included several surprise gifts. When Torrance and the Bank’s Chief Lending Officer Aaron Awbrey visited Mainspring in Kittery, home of Footprints Food Pantry, for a routine meeting, they also brought along 200 pounds of groceries and a $10,000 check. Then, at a recent community event hosted by Creative Mornings, Torrance, along with Than Meyer, a Senior Commercial Lines Agent with Kennebunk Savings Insurance, and Zac Little, the Bank’s Marketing Content Manager, brought the team from Red’s Good Vibes $5,000 toward their community fridge initiative. “It’s a fun way of demonstrating to our community that we have their backs – we’re here for you even if you’re not asking for our help,” Torrance said.

“We’ve seen firsthand how families and individuals in our communities have been negatively impacted by the recent Government shutdown and the disruption of SNAP benefits,” said Doug Smith, Social Responsibility Manager. “We believe that when our neighbors thrive, we all thrive. That’s the message behind our giving every single year, but it’s a message we hope is a little louder right now.”

Photo Caption: (from left) Pete Mead, Red’s Good Vibes, Than Meyer, Kennebunk Savings, Caitlin McGrath-Levesque, Red’s Good Vibes, Zac Little and Liz Torrance, Kennebunk Savings