Community Investors of Knox County launches this month

ROCKLAND, Maine —There’s a new way for Knox County residents to help low-income individuals and families move out of poverty. Community Investors of Knox County is a community collaborative compromised of a group of highly established non-profit organizations in Knox County. Its goal is to create ways to help people directly.

Sometimes changing the future of a low-income person is just a simple solution away, such as a car repair or a down payment to secure an apartment. Community Investors of Knox County’s case managers vet needs through an extensive network of local resources to make sure the need cannot be funded in any other way.
Then the need is brought to the community through an email to subscribing community members who read about someone in Knox County who needs some help. Knox County community investors can donate to help fulfill the request. Investors can donate any amount of money to the request. All of the community donations are used to create the solution for the in-need resident or family. This initiative is an amazing way that Knox County residents can directly support their community, and can also know exactly where their donation is going. 100% of donations go directly toward helping families and residents of Knox County.

The Knox County organizations that form the Community Investors group came together because of the belief that the Community Investors of Knox County model would work well within Knox County’s strong community. Kara Hay, the CEO of Penquis CAP, explains, “The heart of a community centers around its collective actions on school boards, town councils, food pantries, churches, and others. Knox County is one of those truly special places in Maine where collective action is evidenced every day through the successful revitalization of Main Street, the emergence of Rockland as a center for Maine arts, and the activity of our vibrant human service agencies. I am thrilled Penquis is partnering with many Knox County organizations to create a powerful collective action model through Community Investors of Knox County. I am confident that together we can create impact for people in Knox County in vulnerable, and often precarious, situations,”.

Just one example of a possible need in Knox County is a single mother, living paycheck to paycheck, with a broken vehicle. The donations contributed to the Community Investors of Knox County might provide the funds to repair the car. Without these repairs this mother could not get to work, might possibly lose her job, and would not be able to buy groceries to get her family through the week. Community Investors of Know County would allow community members help pay to repair the single mother’s car, and get her back on her feet.

People who need help can apply through one of the collaborative organizations, including: Area Interfaith Outreach, the Knox County Community Health Coalition, the Knox County Homeless Coalition, the Mid-Coast Recovery Coalition, New Hope for Women, Penquis CAP, and United Midcoast Charities. Each application is carefully considered, and every donation counts. The Community Investors of Knox County is a collaborative effort to build a stronger community, one family at a time.

To sign up for the Community Investors email list or for more information please contact Zora Raglow-DeFranco at knoxcommunityinvestors@gmail.com, 207-974- 2429, or visit on Facebook at Community Investors of Knox County.