It’s holiday time again, and with it comes the pressure to give everyone a meaningful gift. As the shopping days dwindle, we wind up rushing out to mobbed stores in a desperate search for the perfect gift.
This year, why not give a gift that’s sure to be a good thing for all involved? Try donating in a loved one’s name to a coastal charity or non-profit organization this holiday season. Such gifts are sure to be appreciated, often require only a phone call, and will have a higher success rate than Old Spice gift packs.
Here are five worthy coastal organizations to consider:
The Ark Animal Shelter (Cherryfield): Ark staff and volunteers take in homeless and unwanted cats and dogs and find them good homes, simple as that. The Ark has a no-kill policy, meaning animals coming into the shelter will not be euthanized without a medical reason to warrant it. In addition to the Cherryfield shelter, the Ark also offers foster homes, a low-cost spay/neuter clinic, and vet bill help for needy families.
The Ark’s Christmas wish list is eclectic. The organization could always use cash donations; it’s on the hunt for a front-loading washing machine and a hybrid-fuel vehicle, and there’s a never-ending need for paper towels and pet food.
Each Christmas, the Ark offers a range of gift baskets for your pets, including handmade cat and dog beds, catnip blankets, and homemade dog biscuits. Nearly all products offered are made by Ark volunteers and 100 percent of the proceeds benefit the shelter.
Call 207-546-3484 and leave a message or click on www.thearkpets.org for more information.
Maine Interfaith Power & Light (Brunswick): Religion and green electricity — go figure.
Throughout the U.S., state chapters of Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) have brought people from differing religious faiths together for a common cause: to make clean power more readily available. Maine IPL sells electricity made by renewable wind and solar resources at a modest price of eleven cents per kilowatt-hour.
The Maine group also sells what are known as green tags or renewable tags Customers buy tags to offset their personal environmental toll on the planet. The money generated by the tags goes toward subsidizing and funding investment in renewable energy projects. By funding renewable energy, Maine IPL’s website suggests, tag buyers essentially take pollution from traditional coal and oil-generated electricity out of the sky. Green tags are sold in $20 blocks.
Call 207-721-0444 or go online at www.meipl.net.
Maine Sea Coast Mission (Bar Harbor)
For the past 100 years, the Mission has offered a helping hand for islanders and those on the coast. Most recently, the Mission ship SUNBEAM has been outfitted to allow for telemedical services connecting islanders to medical services on the mainland. The Mission also has recently started an afterschool activities program in Washington County.
Each Christmas season, the Mission gives out some 15,000 gifts to children and their families on the islands. Gifts range from the practical to the fanciful. The Mission’s gift wish list should be available now if you want to help. Cash donations also help keep the Mission’s work going.
Call 207-288-5097 or go online at www.seacoastmission.org.
Special Children’s Friends (Ellsworth)
Special Children’s Friends (SCF) runs a free preschool program for children with special needs as well as children with typical development. The group also runs two weekly playgroups in Ellsworth and offers home services. Children with special needs receive targeted care from SCF staff to help with developmental delays. The organization is run by a wonderful and dedicated staff.
Call at 207-667-2430 to donate or go online to find out more at www.ellsworthme.org/scf.
WERU Community Radio 89.9 and 102.9 FM (East Orland)
WERU is one of only three independent community-run radio stations in the state. Its eclectic programming offers something for everyone, from techno to Irish reels with everything in between. Every day you can also find great public affairs programs and news shows, including a call-in show devoted exclusively to talking about babies. The station’s national news programming definitely appeals more to blue state folks than red, but local news shows bend over backwards to allow equal time for all views.
Support free airwaves by buying a loved one a membership to the station. There’s no set price, so give what you can and tune in.
Find out more or listen online at www.weru.org or call the station at 207-469-6600.
Happy holiday shopping!