Yarmouth Fuel Fund

Thanks to the many contributions of Yarmouth residents, service organizations, and businesses during the 2011-2012 heating season, the Yarmouth Fuel Fund was able to assist about 65 qualifying Yarmouth households last winter. While most assistance took the form of 100 gallons of heating oil, some households do not use oil to heat their homes – so YCAN provided a roughly equivalent amount of gas or wood to them.

So far this fall, 9 qualifying Yarmouth households have already received assistance.

The YCAN Fuel Fund is supported entirely by the kind and generous gifts of Yarmouth area residents, service organizations, and companies. Their support and yours makes a huge difference to our neighbors who cannot otherwise keep their houses warm through the winter. As this year’s heating season begins, we are once again asking for your financial support to help achieve two goals:

Goal 1: To offer Fuel Assistance to qualifying residents.
The price of fuel oil remains high, and the overall economy has not improved much either, so we expect that the need for Fuel Assistance will be high once again.

Goal 2: To help one or two homeowners qualify for home insulation assistance.
The insulation assistance program available in the area requires a home to meet certain standards before they will help. If a Yarmouth homeowner cannot afford to make the repairs required to prepare a home for insulation improvements, they do not qualify for insulation assistance. YCAN, in partnership with Yarmouth Energy Savers (YES), The Opportunity Alliance (TOA), and you, would like to help one or two low income Yarmouth homeowners make the repairs needed to qualify for insulation assistance. If we can help a homeowner qualify for insulation assistance, their need for Fuel Assistance in the future will hopefully decline or perhaps even disappear.

Please help us raise $20,000 once again this winter!

Every $350 contributed last year helped one family make it through last winter. Your willingness to help out a neighbor in need makes a big difference, even if you can only contribute a small amount. When put together, our contributions add up to something big: Community.

For information on how to contribute, please click here.

Also, People’s United Bank has once again donated a new iPad to this cause, which you can win by purchasing a Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce raffle ticket. Tickets are $10 and available at the Chamber office on Main Street or at any upcoming Chamber event. The raffle drawing will be held at the Boast n Toast on December 5th at the Muddy Rudder restaurant. This raffle raised $2,000 towards the Fuel Fund’s $20,000 goal last year!

Thank you!

Yarmouth Seniors – Do You Need A Ride?

YCAN  has launched a new and exciting program for our community:

  • Free Rides for Seniors (male or female, age 55 and older)
  • who cannot drive, either temporarily or permanently
  • on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9 am to 12 pm
  • by volunteer drivers
  • to shopping areas along Route 1 in Yarmouth or Falmouth
  • to shop for groceries, get your hair done, etc.
  • NOT for medical appointments (Yarmouth Health Council does this)

The details of pickup and drop off will be worked out after you contact us.  If you would like to take advantage of this new service, please contact Jean Rafford by phone at (207) 329-7295. Leave your name, telephone number, and the day you might like a ride.

Please help spread the word to others who may needs rides. We hope many of you will join this important new effort in our community!

Senior Rides Program: Volunteers Needed!

YCAN is planning to offer rides to Yarmouth seniors who need to

  • buy groceries
  • shop
  • visit a hairdresser or barber in Yarmouth or Falmouth

This service will be offered on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9 am to Noon, starting in September, 2012.  Between now and then, we will be recruiting volunteer drivers and spreading the word to seniors who have expressed an interest in this service.

We are looking for:

  • One or two volunteers to help us coordinate the scheduling of drivers and clients.
  • Volunteer drivers who could drive at a scheduled time once or twice per month.

If you can help, please contact Jean Rafford:

  • by phone at (207) 329-7295, or by e-mail to jeanrafford “at” gmail.com

For more information about YCAN, please explore this site further!

Volunteers Needed for Yarmouth Wellness Fair on 4/14

Could you help YCAN sell raffle tickets at the Yarmouth Wellness Fair on Saturday, April 14 between 9 AM and 3 PM? All proceeds will benefit YCAN programs, including the Fuel Assistance Fund, the Yarmouth Community Food Pantry, and Seniors Are Treasures.

We are seeking people willing to staff our table for one hour (or more if you wish) that day. If you are interested, please contact us via e-mail (ycan@ycan.info), or by phone at (207) 838-2261.

Thank you, and be well!

Thank you Yarmouth for helping the Fuel Assistance Fund exceed its 2011 goal!

The 2011 Yarmouth Cares About Neighbors (YCAN) Fuel Assistance Fund Drive has raised over $35,000, and spent over $20,000 to date providing Fuel Assistance to 61 qualifying Yarmouth households.

Winter is not over yet (despite the occasional beginnings of mud season), so we expect total expenditures to continue growing between now and when warm weather becomes more predictable. Last year at this time we had assisted 32 households – so this year’s need to date has been 90% greater than last year’s despite our relatively mild winter. Our community has made it possible to meet this increased need.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped us exceed our 2011 goal, including:

Albert & Lois Howlett
Anonymous Donors
Artisans at the Log Cabin & Jill Thomas
Carol & David Ertz
Carol Barthold
Carol Spruce
Carolyn & Edgar Beem
Carolyn Dahlgren
Casco Bay Ford
Casco Bay Wireless
Casco Lodge #36
Catherine Landry
Charles Tibbetts
Charlie Sawyer
Charmian Cutler
Chip & Lynn Roche
Chris & Brenda Whitney
Chris & Patti Arapoglou
Christopher Condon
Clayton’s
Connie Hildreth
Constance & David Hildreth
Darrell Pardy
David & Elizabeth Fleury
David & Pamela Adams
Debra Hopkins
DeLorme
Dick & Debbie Woodbury
Dirigo Hobbies
Donna Felker
Doris Salzman
Dorothy Gossett
Douglas Title Company
Ed Libby
Eleanor Irish
Ellen & David Ruffner
First Universalist Church
Gilbert & Laurie Broberg
Goff’s Hardware
Gwen
Helen M Walker
Helen Maxwell
Homestead Flooring
James & Kathleen Case
James Fallon
Jane & Dennis Gildart
Jennifer & Bennett Wilson
Jennifer Lenardson
Jim Costello
Joan Russell
John & Antoinette Menario
John Palmer
John Sedgewick & Deborah Keefe
Judith & William Eycleshymer
Judith Heap
Judith Oliver
Julie Benavides
Just Friends Inc
Kathleen Kolb
Kent Peterson
Lee Mallett & Caroline Hartly
Leon Gorman
Linda Conner
Maine Marathon
Mark Tux Turkel & Amy Sinclair
Mary Conneen
Mary Engel
Mary Finnegan
Mary Gorden
Matthew Chin
Mercer & Sons
Mitchel Rasor
Myron & Meredith Hamer
Nancy Sheriff
Nelson & Betsy Mead
Norway Savings Bank
Patricia Merrill
Paul & Kathleen Hassett
Paula Beverage
People’s United Bank
Peter Anastos
Philip & Joy Ahrens
Quality Containers
Robert Scarlata
Robin Hodgskin & Art Bell
Ruth Beamis
Sandie Randall
Sarah Downs & James Bowie
Sarah Marshall
Sarah Witte
Sharon Kelley
Stephen & Kyle Atwell
Steven & Joyce Bell
Sue Mandell
Ted & Ellen Russell
Terrence DeWan Associates
The Meyers Family
The Mortgage Office
The Notes
The Woods Family
Tim & Howsie Stewart
Town of Yarmouth
Virginia & Gregory Field
Vreeland Marketing
William Bowler
Yarmouth Boat Yard
Yarmouth Chamber Raffle
Yarmouth Frame Shop
Yarmouth Health Council
Yarmouth Lions Club
Yarmouth Veterinary Center
Zara Briggs

The Yarmouth Community Food Pantry, Fuel Assistance Fund, and Seniors Are Treasures programs can always put your time, goods, or funds to good use! Click on any of the highlighted program names above for more information.

YarmouthCAN is a 501(c)(3) non-profit

Harrison Middle School students support the Yarmouth Community Food Pantry

Students at the Harrison Middle School recently completed a celebration of Geography Awareness Week. This year’s theme was Geography: An Adventure in Our Community. Students were involved in many activities throughout the week to help them improve their geographic literacy. In addition, they focus on a service learning project each year to demonstrate good citizenship.

The beneficiary of this year’s service project was the Yarmouth Community Food Pantry. The student body collected coins (nickels, dimes, and quarters) for five days to donate to the pantry. A check for $730 was presented to Pantry Manager Sue Rowe to help people in need in Yarmouth. Geography Awareness Week is an annual event sponsored by National Geographic throughout the country.