Article Title: Donate

A backpack is a needed back-to-school item, yet it is also one of the most expensive. The We’ve Got Your Back program provides children from families facing financial challenges with backpacks to help them prepare for the school year. The backpack may be the only new item a child has when they return to school. Help to build a child’s confidence and demonstrate that the community cares about their education.

Christmas is for Kids (CIFK) is a fun and easy way to spread holiday cheer. Many local children would have little or nothing to look forward to Christmas morning without your support. In late November, you can visit the Christmas is for Kids website at www.christmasisforkids.org and select a child or family to sponsor, or you can give a general donation below and we will select a child and shop for you. The average donation to meet one child’s need and/or wish is between $35-$45. Thank you for adding joy this holiday season!

When the weather turns cold, thousands of families in our service areas struggle to stay warm. Your donation will provide emergency heating assistance to families at risk of going without heat. You may designate your gift for households in a particular town or county, or allow your gift to be used wherever there’s a need. Thank you for warming homes and hearts!

Imagine living in rural Maine with a chronic health condition and little to no financial means to get to treatment. That is the reality for many individuals. Your donation to Access to Care will provide transportation assistance (rides or financial reimbursement) for individuals who do not have or cannot afford transportation to chemotherapy, dialysis, and other crucial medical treatment.

Maine has a large number of homes with outdated heating systems, inadequate plumbing and/or electrical systems, poor insulation, structural decay, and insufficient accessibility design. Yet, they are what often provide housing for our low-income citizens. Donations are used to provide emergency home repair when there is a danger to a family’s health or safety.

For survivors of domestic violence, the Penquis Law Project provides high quality civil legal assistance at no cost. However, funding is not available, and to pay for court, service and other fees necessary to substantiate victims’ claims in court. Donations to support the Penquis Law Project are used to remove this cost barrier and help victims achieve a life without violence.

For survivors of sexual assault, Penquis subsidiary Rape Response Services offers a 24-hour crisis and support line, accompaniment to medical and legal appointments, support groups, and follow up services. Occasionally, victim/survivors of sexual assault have needs beyond the services we have funding to provide. Donations to the Support for Survivors fund will be used to provide victims of sexual assault with transportation to and from the hospital/medical provider, a hotel stay, clothing and/or other personal items needed as a result of an assault.

The best response to child sexual abuse is a coordinated community response. At the Penquis Children’s Advocacy Center (Penquis CAC), law enforcement, child protective services, and victim services professionals work together to coordinate the investigation, prosecution, and treatment of child sexual abuse while helping abused children heal. Your donation will support the work of the Penquis CAC, helping to reduce trauma to child victims and increase the likelihood of successful prosecutions when investigations lead to criminal prosecution.

The Penquis Foster Grandparent Program connects low-income seniors with opportunities to volunteer in schools and child care centers. Your donation has multiple benefits: seniors benefit from a small stipend and purpose in their lives, at-risk children and youth receive the support they need to succeed, and schools and child care providers benefit from volunteer assistance, allowing them to better meet children’s needs.

The Penquis Journey House, located in Dexter, is a transitional living program for pregnant and/or parenting young women between the ages of 16 and 21 who are experiencing homelessness. Your gift supports the provision of 24-hour on-site staff for support and guidance, case management services, parenting support, and help obtaining resources.

Penquis helps thousands of individuals and families annually to keep their homes heated in the winter, to provide children with quality learning experiences, to get people to needed medical treatment, to escape violence, to start their own businesses, to own their own homes, and much more. Support of the Penquis General Fund helps to provide services when the need exceeds the funding available to allow families to receive the help they need when they need it.

Donate goods

Donations of goods may be mailed or delivered to any of Penquis’s four office locations:

• 262 Harlow St., Bangor;
• 50 North St., Dover-Foxcroft;
• 40A Main St., Lincoln; or
• 315 Main St., Suite 205, Rockland.

Most needed items include:

• Diapers and wipes (new)
• Backpacks and school supplies (new)
• Toys for children 0-17 (new)
• Winter wear, including hats, mittens, gloves, scarves and coats (new, gently used, or handmade)
• Senior incontinence and personal care items (new)
• Children’s books (new or gently used)

Memorial and tribute gifts

If you have a loved one who has been impacted by Penquis, establishing a memorial or tribute gift is a meaningful way to honor your loved one or celebrate a special occasion, such as a birthday, while supporting the work of our mission. Your memorial or tribute gift will be a lasting tribute to your loved one and make a difference in the lives of those we serve.

Make a gift of securities

Gifts of marketable securities, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and IRA rollovers are accepted by Penquis. Investment advisors or brokers can call the Penquis Chief Financial Officer at 207-973-3512.

Make a planned gift

Thank you for your interest in exploring different ways to support Penquis and the 20,000+ Mainers we serve annually. Here you can learn great ways to benefit you and your family while also benefiting Penquis. With a planned gift, you may be able to:

• Increase your fixed income,
• Supplement your retirement,
• Enhance your net estate,
• Create a personal legacy,
• Receive tax deductions,
• Avoid capital gains taxes, and/or
• Provide income to your family.

Simple and prevalent ways to give. Bequests by will.

A gift made through a will or bequest enables donors to make contributions without diminishing assets during their lifetimes. A bequest enables donors to make gifts of personal assets that can be fully deducted from an estate. Gifts may be for a specific amount, a percentage of the estate, or specific property within an estate.

Beneficiary Designations

Passionate about supporting Penquis even after your lifetime? It’s not only possible, it’s easy to do with a beneficiary designation. A beneficiary designation clearly identifies how specific assets will be distributed after your death. Just name Penquis as a beneficiary to receive assets such as retirement plans and life insurance policies after you’re gone. You simply fill out a form that is entirely separate from your will—which makes this approach an easy way to give. This type of gift avoids income tax on the plan in addition to possible estate tax.

Gift Annuity

A charitable gift annuity provides the donor or donors lifetime payments for the gift. The charitable gift annuity is a simple contractual agreement between one or two donors and Penquis in which assets are transferred to Penquis in exchange for an annuity payment. The rate of return is set permanently at the creation of the annuity and does not vary. A gift annuity provides income and estate tax deductions, as well as important capital gains tax benefits.

Charitable Lead Trust

A charitable lead trust makes payments to Penquis for a specified term of years or for the lives of the donor and other beneficiaries. These trusts may be structured to pay donors and/or their beneficiaries a fixed percentage of the market value of the trust or a fixed amount.

Charitable Remainder Trust

Charitable remainder trusts make it possible for donors to retain or even increase income during their lifetimes for themselves or for the lifetimes of other beneficiaries while providing a significant gift to Penquis upon the death of the beneficiaries. These trusts may be structured to pay donors and/or their beneficiaries a fixed percentage of the market value of the trust or a fixed amount.

Pooled Income Fund

A pooled income fund pays an income for life to the donor or other income beneficiaries designated by the donor. Cash or securities are transferred to a pooled income fund at Maine Community Foundation, which, as trustee, manages the assets and pays an income for life to the donor or the income beneficiaries designated by the donor. At the death of the income beneficiary, the remaining assets in the pooled income fund account are transferred to Penquis.

Life Insurance

Life insurance policies can be donated to Penquis or Penquis can be named as the beneficiary. Gifts may be a paid-up policy, an existing policy with cash value, or a new policy. Premiums paid after the policy has been contributed are deductible, and donors earn charitable deductions equal to the present cash-surrender value of the policy.

Real Estate, Artwork, and Vehicles

Want to make a gift to Penquis without touching your bank account? Consider donating real estate, artwork, vehicles, or appreciated equities.

Donors may contribute real estate to Penquis and, if they wish, retain the right to reside in the property for their lifetimes. When such gifts are made, donors receive deductions in the year in which the gifts are made.

Real estate can be a personal residence, vacation home, timeshare property, farm, commercial property, or undeveloped land. Such gifts help Penquis continue our work and will benefit our Maine communities for years to come.

This method of giving a gift can also help you. When you give Penquis appreciated property you have held longer than one year, you may be eligible for a federal income tax charitable deduction and may avoid paying capital gains tax. Plus, you no longer have to deal with that property’s maintenance costs, property taxes, or insurance.

Another benefit: You and your beneficiaries don’t have to hassle with selling the real estate. You can deed the property directly to Penquis or ask your attorney to add a few sentences in your will or trust agreement.

Please consult your legal or financial advisor when considering any planned gift. Penquis staff are happy to discuss with you and/or your professional advisors, in confidence, gift opportunities that help ensure your needs are met. Please call us at (207) 973-3512, (207) 973-3535 or (207) 973-3574.

Donate to help us prevent, reduce, and eliminate poverty in Maine by making a donation.

Make a gift of securities. Make a planned gift.