Sanford, Maine—In an effort to help keep residents of Maine and New Hamshire warm this winter, Partners Bank collaborated with Maine’s Channel 8 WMTW and Maine’s United Way partner program, Keep ME Warm, in what has proven to be a successful campaign to raise both awareness and funds for the cause of heating assistance through southern Maine and New Hampshire. The campaign, titled “Heat Week,” sponsored by Partners Bank and WMTW, took place from December 5 through December 9, 2022. Each day throughout the week, WMTW ran spots sharing tips on how to conserve heat and save on heating costs as well as providing information on how viewers could either donate to or obtain – heating assistance. The week cullminated in a live telethon on Friday, December 9 with Partners Bank contributing a base donation of $200,000 and meeting a donation match of an additional $50,000. Community donations will continue to be accepted through the end of the month, but as of the completion of the telethon on December 9, community donations amounted to $50,000. All funds have been donated for heating assistance, divided amongst the United Way of Southern New Hampshire and the Keep ME Warm fund, and have already begun to make a difference in communities.

Through the live telethon, which ran from 6AM to 6:30PM, phones were manned by a dozen Partners Bank employees who assisted in processing payments for those donating and guided those inquiring about assistance to helpful resources. Appearances through the telethon included Blaine Boudreau, President and CEO, Partners Bank; Liz Cotter Schlax, President and CEO, United Way of Southern Maine; and Matt Wolcott, Senior Vice President of Resource Development and Governance, United Way of Southern Maine; and more.

“We knew that we wanted to give back to our community in a big way this year—this past summer, as we were determining how we could be most effective in our giving, the rising cost of fuel made it painfully clear that our fellow community members were going to need help to heat their homes this winter. And the idea of creating a heating assistance fund was born,” recalls Boudreau. “We presented our ideas to the folks at WMTW, and they were excited to come on board and work together to make this the successful initiative that it was. We’re grateful to them as well as to the local United Way organizations that have taken on facilitating these donations. And, of course, we are grateful to every single person that has contributed. ”

To donate to this impactful cause or to learn more about how to access heating resources, visit PartnersHeat.com.