REGION — It is that time of year! The 5th Annual Community Change Challenge kicked off February 1 and will extend the entire month of February. Last year area businesses raised over $6,000, proving that a little bit of change can add up quickly! It is not too late to join, any business, organization, school or group is more than welcome to sign up…when we all work together; everyone does a little to make BIG CHANGE in our community. This year we are honored to have matching donations for the first $2,000! $1,000 from The Dugout Bar & Grill and $1,000 from Bangor Savings Bank! Now you can make your donation count double!

The Tier 1 trophy (for employers with over 200 employees OR unrestricted customer traffic) currently resides at Spruce Mountain School District in Jay. The Tier II trophy (for organizations of less than 200 employees) is currently held by The Dugout Bar & Grill, in Farmington. The winning organization in each tier gets to designate one quarter of the total raised to a United Way Community partner of their choice. The remaining 50% is put into the Community Fund to be used among all Community Partners. Either way, the money raised here, stays here and helps many of our partners continue the good work that they do. This work includes feeding our seniors, putting food on food pantry shelves, housing domestic or sexual abuse survivors, educating our children, improving literacy and so much more! Remember that a little bit adds up and can go a long way in benefiting our community. Here is the final list of participating businesses:

• Spruce Mountain School **
• The Dugout Bar & Grill **
• Hannaford in Farmington
• Hannaford in Jay
• UMF
• Franklin Community Health Network
• Peak Nutrition
• Poland Spring
• Thomas Performing Arts Center
• Mt Blue High School
• Hair Designs Unlimited / Hair by Mindy
• Franklin County Emergency
• Farmington Police Department
• Jay Police Department
• Determined Nutrition
• Main Street Nutrition
• Vera’s Iron & Vine
• Pine Tree Cellular
• Strong Hardware
• United Way
• And more to come/be confirmed!

** current Change Challenge Champion

United Way of the Tri-Valley Area’s mission is to unite people and resources to improve lives and build a strong and healthy community. Every dollar and hour are appreciated, so please consider helping United Way help others by making a tax-deductible charitable contribution. For more information about United Way of the Tri-Valley Area, visit www.uwtva.org

or call 778-5048. Be sure to follow United Way on Facebook to be kept up to speed on upcoming programs and initiatives (www.facebook.com/uwtva).

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