SCARBOROUGH, Maine– After the pandemic was declared in March 2020, Town & Country Federal Credit Union was one of the first organizations to begin an effort to support local restaurants and businesses.
Town & Country launched its “Local Helping Local” and thus began an ongoing effort to purchase gift cards to support businesses headquartered in Cumberland and York counties. The credit union recently presented its 500th gift card, which was worth $500 to one lucky member selected at random from hundreds of posts on the credit union’s social media pages.
The lucky recipient was Angi Hoffer, who selected long-time family-owned sandwich shop, Moran’s Market in Portland.
T&CFCU President/CEO David Libby said “local helping local” is an outgrowth of the credit union’s long-standing commitment and support of not just helping its 40,000 members with financial solutions, but “also being a local partner in making a difference in the communities we serve.”
Libby added that asking members to highlight local businesses important to them and their communities through the credit union’s social media channels has resulted in “thousands of local businesses being highlighted and more than $25,000 in gift cards awarded to 500 of those businesses.”
Added Jon Paradise, SVP-communications, marketing and community outreach at the credit union, said, “While initially this initiative was aimed at supporting local restaurants, as the pandemic went on, we recognized that the need expanded well beyond just local restaurants. Over time, ‘local helping local’ has grown to include gift shops, hair salons, hardware stores, bakeries, specialty stores, entertainment-themed businesses, such as miniature golf courses, coffee shops and many, many more, representing communities throughout Cumberland York counties. This initiative has also enabled our members to be part of determining local businesses to support. We knew local businesses were important to our community before the pandemic, but I think that the possibility that a favorite restaurant or business might not survive without support was a catalyst that caused many members to respond. It’s been heartening to see such a high level of engagement that awarding gift cards to local businesses has drawn from the community.”
In addition to giving away gift cards, Town & Country has also been a leader in helping individuals impacted financially as a result of the pandemic including being the first financial institution in Maine to create a Crisis Assistance Relief Loan to help members with financial challenges, deferred thousands of loans, specialized financial wellness programs and communications, and a variety of other efforts.”
Paradise and Libby both said that the two-year anniversary of “Local Helping Local” is not the end but just the beginning. “We will continue to help local people and local communities and look for ways we can make a difference through our ‘Local Helping Local’ initiative with financial challenges and other areas of the community in need of support.”