FARMINGTON — The Maine district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration presented Franklin Savings Bank with the SBA District Director Award during a virtual ceremony Dec. 3.
This award was received in recognition of the efforts taken by Franklin Savings to greatly increase the use of SBA programs in the bank’s lending portfolio. Derek Hayes, senior vice president of Commercial Lending had this to say about the team’s success, “We’re grateful to receive the SBA’s District Director Award because it confirms the faith so many small business owners have placed in Franklin Savings Bank during a very turbulent year. I am also immensely proud of our staff, who have worked tirelessly to help our business community access much-needed capital in 2020,” according to a news release from the savings bank.
The mission of the U.S. Small Business Administration is to make the American dream of business ownership a reality. Franklin Savings Bank shares this same goal. For over 150 years, the team at Franklin Savings Bank has been providing resources to start, grow, and preserve local businesses
Hannaford expands ‘Fuel Kids at School’ pantry initiative to Maine’s community colleges
SCARBOROUGH — Hannaford Supermarkets announced Wednesday an expansion of its ‘Fuel Kids at School’ pantry initiative to Maine’s community colleges with a donation of $35,000 to establish and expand pantries at all seven community college campuses. The donation will be used for startup and buildout of pantry and storage spaces as well as food costs.
Based on research conducted with Preble Street in Portland, system officials estimate that at least 40% of students enrolled at the colleges are food insecure.
“This generous donation not only helps keep these food pantries stocked, it provides for freezers and refrigerators that will allow these food pantries to provide a range of food options for years to come,” said Maine Community College System President David Daigler, according to a news release from Hannaford. “Our students can’t learn if they’re hungry. These food pantries, many of them student-run, are a critical resource for our students and their families.”
More than $15,000 of the donation will be used for food and the remaining funds will go toward refrigerators, freezers, with renovations at five of the seven of the campuses, including Central Maine Community College, Eastern Maine Community College, Kennebec Valley Community College, Northern Maine Community College, Southern Maine Community College, Washington County Community College and York County Community College. The colleges will work directly with Good Shepherd Food Bank on preparatory and operational logistics, including food safety training and inspections and food purchases.
“By removing barriers and bringing food right to where people already are and through folks they already trust is such a win-win,” said Shannon Coffin, vice president of community partnerships at Good Shepherd Food Bank.
The donation is a part of Hannaford’s $1 million commitment to ‘Fuel Kids at School’ pantry initiative launched in November 2019 to establish 90 school food pantries across the northeast, including 30 in Maine. Since then, all 30 school-based food pantries have been established at Head Start preschools across the state in partnership with Good Shepherd Food Bank.
“With all the pressures and demands of being a college student, we hope that being hungry or thinking about where their next meal will come from is not one of them. It is our hope that Fuel Kids at School, at our community colleges, will remove a barrier for students who are trying to improve their lives and shore up their future,” said Sherri Stevens who leads community relations for Hannaford Supermarkets. “Hannaford has a long tradition of nourishing our communities. And, this donation is one more way we can be counted on.”
Maine College of Health Professions selects alumnus, Ken Albert, for board leadership
LEWISTON — Now in its 129th year of offering exceptional health professions education, Maine College of Health Professions has announced that MCHP alum, Ken Albert, RN, Esq., and chief executive officer of Androscoggin Home Healthcare and Hospice has accepted the role of MCHP board chairman.
Ken Albert Photo courtesy of Maine College of Health Professions
“Ken has been a tremendous asset to the college’s leadership since he first joined our board in 2017,” said Dr. Monika Bissell, MCHP president, according to a news release from the college. “I couldn’t be happier about Ken’s appointment as chair. He is a strong community advocate, a seasoned health care professional, a highly effective CEO, and MCHP alum. His expertise, experience, empathy and enthusiasm will help the college continue on its trajectory of unprecedented success. We are grateful for his service and excited about our future with him at the helm.”
Albert, a 1986 graduate of the college’s nursing program, will lead the college’s eight-member board, which is charged with serving as stewards of MCHP. Trustees have authority to guide the affairs of the institution by setting strategic direction and having general control and supervision of the college’s business.
In addition to his MCHP degree, Albert moved on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing at the University of Southern Maine, magna cum laude, and a degree of Juris Doctor from the University of Maine School of Law with honors in health law. He has been the CEO at Androscoggin Home Healthcare and Hospice since 2016. Prior to joining Androscoggin, he was the first ever nurse appointed to serve as the director and chief operating office of the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention.
Albert’s background is rich in medical experience, including 17 years of clinical practice in emergency and intensive care settings. Additionally, he spent five years as a traveling critical care nurse working in metropolitan, rural and tribal communities across the United States. He also served for several years as an adjunct faculty member at New England College where he taught Legal Issues in Health Care Administration.
For more business news, visit CentralMaine.com.
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