An innovative, community-minded, and family owned business with diverse operations on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border has once again demonstrated its commitment to the people and region it serves with a significant gift to support vulnerable families and individuals in northern Maine.
J.D. Irving, Limited has donated $25,000 to Aroostook County Action Program (ACAP) to ensure resources are available for those in most need when no other programs or supportive services are available or accessible. The gift was presented recently to ACAP leaders to meet unmet needs County-wide, especially for low-income families struggling to make ends meet, especially in light of the ongoing financial challenges that have presented themselves over the two years of the ongoing pandemic.
"Aroostook County is home to so many of our employees and their families,” says Jim Irving, Co-CEO of Irving Woodlands LLC and Irving Forest Products, Inc. “We are happy to connect with the great folks at ACAP once again to help their operations and the community they serve.”
ACAP will work with individuals and partner community organizations to ensure the dollars are directed to support those in need from the St. John Valley to southern Aroostook. The Agency, which operates in 11 locations across The County, has 210 staff – including family coaches and navigators – that work directly with low-income households and others in need.
“We are extremely grateful for this generous support from J.D. Irving, Limited. It will help us fill the gaps where other programs and services fall short and families, alongside our team, are left struggling to find resources,” said Jason Parent, ACAP CEO. “We are ever so grateful to Irving company leadership and the hardworking employees who continue to not only invest in the economic livelihood of our region, but the people who make our community the wonderful place it is. This donation will make a tremendous difference throughout our region in the coming months.”
The gift from J.D. Irving, Limited is significant beyond the direct support it will provide to vulnerable community members. The funds, which will also be used to support individuals and families experiencing homelessness, officially put ACAP over the top in meeting a challenge match gift that will result in an additional $25,000 to support this work.
Earlier this month, acclaimed Pulitzer Prize winning novelist and author Elizabeth Strout, and her husband, former Maine Attorney General James Tierney of Brunswick, generously donated $25,000 to ACAP to support the non-profit organization and region-wide efforts to assist the homeless. The philanthropists additionally pledged to double their gift with another $25,000 if other donors collectively contributed that amount.
“The community response to this challenge has been incredible,” said Sherry Locke, ACAP Director of Advancement. “We are so grateful for the continued support of our partners at Irving and are excited to share that this generous gift has ultimately put us over the top of reaching the recent goal of $25,000. We are so thankful to all of the donors who made this happen.”
