Patirot Cares, Patriot Shares in 2025

300 Tickets!  We put a different spin on December program - instead of a monetary donation, Patriot Subaru and Patriot Acura teamed up to purchase 300 Maine Celtic basketball game tickets, and gave them to the families of the Special Olympic athletes so they could attend the game. The highlight was a special halftime exhibition game featuring the Special Olympic players. It was all so much fun!  From a backyard summer camp for people with intellectual disabilities to a global sports movement, Special Olympics has been changing lives and attitudes since 1968. Here in Maine, you'll find year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of sports for both children and adults with intellectual disabilities.  We see how SO helps build confidence, develop physical fitness, form friendships, and experience the joy of individual accomplishment as well as teamwork. With a strong network of volunteers, coaches, families, and community partners, the organization fosters a culture where every athlete is celebrated for their abilities and encouraged to reach their full potential, both on and off the playing field. Patriot is all for that!

Associates from Patriot Acura and Patriot Subaru recently visited WinterKids in Westbrook, getting a behind-the-scenes look at preparations for the upcoming season. Piles of "boxes of fun" were stacked and ready for shipment to local schools, filled with programs and guides designed to spark outdoor play and learning. Through our "Patriot Shares, Patriot Cares" community initiative, WinterKids was selected as our November recipient, and we were proud to present a $2,375 donation-perfectly timed as they celebrate their 25th Anniversary. Their team provided a great overview of how WinterKids helps children embrace the best of a Maine winter, strengthening both body and mind. Patriot brought the faux snowballs for the photo op, but now we're waiting for the real ones to fall. Shown on the left are WinterKids' Courtney, Melissa, Kristel, and Marion, with Patriot's Kim, Jesse, Hannah, Sean, Chase, and Dan, and Tom from WinterKids on the far right. Yeti's ready-let's get moving!

Our October "Patriot Cares, Patriot Shares" spotlight takes us to the Falmouth Food Pantry (FFP). Established in 2008, the pantry now serves an average of 200 families - roughly 800 people - primarily in Falmouth, Portland, and Westbrook. We visited the pantry and met with Executive Director Dorothy Blanchette, who founded the organization, to see firsthand what makes this all-volunteer effort so special. Operating out of the former Falmouth Police Station next to Town Hall, boxes are packed with nonperishable items, then a bag of meat, eggs, and fresh produce is added. Instead of clients coming in, the FFP provides home deliveries, ensuring everyone receives a balanced portion of goods while reaching those who are homebound, disabled, or working long hours. Volunteers can even customize boxes for specific needs. While we were there, our team lent a hand loading a few cars preparing for deliveries - a small way to help in the moment. Through Patriot Subaru and Patriot Acura, we donated $2,250 to support the FFP's mission. We're grateful to Dorothy and her team for the work they do every day!

This made perfect sense! For September, our "Patriot Cares, Patriot Shares" community support program teamed up with Safe Kids Maine. Their mission is to educate parents and caregivers on ways to reduce preventable childhood injuries. Taking a percentage of sales during the first week of September 1-6, we raised $2250! We met with Executive Director Suzanne Grace, while Safe Kids was conducting a Car Seat Safety Check over at the South Portland Western Ave Fire Station. Suzanne explained some startling facts: In 2024 at car seat safety checks conducted by Safe Kids revealed that 9 out of 10 children's car seats were not installed or used correctly. Our donation from both Patriot Subaru and Patriot Acura will go to increase the number of safety check events and training programs for parents, schools, and communities. If you are a parent or guardian, go to their website: https://safekidsmaine.org/ and read up about on safety information, not only for car seats, but also for bicycling safety, water (pools, lakes, ocean) safety, as well as home, fire prevention and gun safety. It's a tremendous resource -but only if you use it!  We look forward to working with Safe Kids Maine on other events, supporting their efforts to keep our children happy and safe!

"Patriot Cares, Patriot Shares"  and we're on board with SailMaine, a community-based non-profit that offers affordable access to the water through unique programs and education. We first met with Exec. Director Michael McAllister who gave us insight into their goals and capabilities, and after hearing the scope, opted to name SailMaine as our August partner for Cares/Shares. From this, we generated $2250 between our two Patriot stores, and went down to the sailing center on the East End, Portland.  What a spectacular day to be on the water! SailMaine offers programs for Junior to Adult Learn-To-Sail, High School Racing, Adaptive Sailing for those with disabilities, the City Sailor program for underserved youth and a Summer Camp. Program scholarships are made available through donations from individuals, grants, and corporations. Both Patriot Subaru and Patriot Acura are passionate about life-changing programs that take advantage of Maine's natural resources. www.sailmaine.org   On the dock, Jill Napijalo, Hannah Hodgdon, Erin Quigley, Dan Walker, Breeana Mawhinney, Michael McAllister, and Kody Burns. Anchors Away!

For July, "Patriot Cares, Patriot Shares" is rockin' with the Maine Academy of Modern Music! With locations in Portland, Augusta, Bangor and school partnerships on the midcoast, MAMM is committed to offering a wide range of music classes and opportunities for all ages.The power of music inspires, it creates collaboration, and it builds a community. It is a healthy, positive, and fun outlet for creative expression and an environment to practice important life skills. We love it! Our team met with Founder/Exec Dir. Jeff Shaw and Kerstin Gilg, Development Mgr, and presented a combined donation of $2100 from Patriot Acura and Patriot Subaru earned during the week of July 7-12. The summer camp was in session, and it was great to hear these young musicians shaking the building's brick foundation. Maybe there is an American Idol in there, or a gold record band forming right now, but most important is seeing these kids excited and engaged in a skill that can last a lifetime. Our associates from Patriot Acura and Patriot Subaru will be listening! L-R Jeff Shaw, Patriot's Megan Cogswell, Ethan Payne, Maddie Randall, Dustin Kimball, Greg Simpson, with Kerstin Gilg. Rock On! MAMM Website

Patriot Acura chose the Maine Veterans' Homes as our March recipient of our "12 Weeks of Giving" program, and earned $550 from our first week of the month sales program. We went a short hop down the road to the MVH in Scarborough, and met with Patty Nutting, Administrator and Katie Berthiaume, Director of Occupational Therapy, who provided both a wonderful overview of the facility and goals, and then a tour through the building. Much larger than it looks! They impressed upon us the wide variety of compassionate care provided to veterans, spouses, and families, recognizing the time and sacrifices each has made in service to our country. It is a 24-7 commitment to rehabilitative and therapy care served by a dedicated team that understands the challenges. Patriot associates on the tour - Jill  Napijalo, Dominic Young, Ethan Payne, Matt Cormier(Veteran), Eric Rubino, and Tom Talbott. Thank you Maine Veterans Homes for sharing what you do with us, we appreciate all that you do! #Veterans #SupportOurVeterans #Scarborough.

News flash. We're all getting older. Fortunately, organizations like the Southern Maine Agency on Aging can make things a bit easier by providing "resources, services and information to empower older adults, adults with disabilities, and their caregivers to live to their fullest potential."  Patriot Acura wanted to recognize the important work offered by SMAA and named them the recipient of our February "12 Weeks of Giving" program.  Taking a percentage of sales during the first week of the month, we donated $675, and more importantly we're hoping to share the good word on their helpfulness to many families. Friendship and companionship are very much at the heart of the SMAA mission. It is truly a community. Patriot associates met with SMAA's Community Resource Manager, Ashley Perrone, for a guided tour of this wonderful facility in Biddeford. A wide range of daily adult activities include exercise, art, music, baking, and "brain games".  Nutritional guidance, Medicare counseling, financial organization, as well as numerous community resources from fuel assistance, guidance on housing and assisted living, in-home care, transportation, legal assistance and much more is part of the curriculum. Older Mainers, from all walks of life, all deserve the comfort of knowing that they do not have to face life's challenges alone. Pictured:  Megan Cogswell, Ethan Payne, Ashley, Glen Reed, Brooklyn Burns and Josh Williamson. Patriot Acura thanks SMAA for their effective, transparent, and practical commitment to helping our seniors and their families navigate these challenges.

Patriot Acura kicked off our 2025 "12 Weeks of Giving" program with a visit to the South Portland Food Cupboard. During the first week of every month we'll take percentage of sales and connect with a local grassroots charitable organization, and help spread the word about their good work. We were greeted warmly by Executive Director Dwayne Hopkins, which was great since the overnight temp hit an incredible -9 below. Inside the warehouse was bustling with volunteers, getting ready for the following day distribution. Joining Dwayne was Warehouse Mgr, Peter McNamara and Communications leader Lauren Smith Kennedy. Together they provided a cook's tour and detailed the extent of the work. In addition to providing a choice of foods to some 700 area families, the SPFC extends the resources to 10+ sober houses, 4 other food pantries, 2 soup kitchens, and asylum seekers. On the wall - the words of founding Director Sybil Riemensnider - "Respect the Food, Respect the Recipients, Respect Each Other".  We were happy to present a check for $675 and learned that with the efficiencies of the volunteer organization and the donations from vendors like Hannaford, other businesses, and individuals, $675 can provide some 33 people with a week's supply of staple food. Patriot Acura salutes the excellent work of the Cupboard and their effective food assistance program. Thank you to the team!

Patriot Acura was introduced to Scarborough based Project G.R.A.C.E. this past summer while we were still in fact building this store, when our sister Patriot store in Saco provided support for their ongoing senior living program. Now that Patriot Acura has opened, and being aware of Project G.R.A.C.E.'s winter time home heating assistance programs, we immediately reached out. And, how convenient that we just so happened to have Santa in the house when Alberta Follansbee, Board President came in when we presented the check for $550! "Bert" explained that Project GRACE has a dedicated fuel fund that donors can contribute to year-round (https://fuelrally.weebly.com/about.html) as well as a Fuel Rally event in February at the Scarborough Public Library that involves many community groups and members. Overall this program is the group's greatest expenditure. We're glad to help, and let others know how important this program is. You can never have too much GRACE (Granting Resources and Assistance the Community Effort)