Community Harvest Awards College Scholarships

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2022 Community Harvest Scholarship recipients: Elaina Hammond, Ian MacDonald, Kate Russell and Caroline Van Hemel.

Kennebunk, ME, August 9,2022 — Community Harvest recently awarded college scholarships to four Kennebunk High School graduates in recognition of their service to others.

The scholarship winners will receive $2,000 each for their demonstrated commitment to volunteering or advocacy efforts that promote community building, diversity, and/or inclusion.

“This year’s honorees faced unprecedented circumstances during their high school careers as a result of the pandemic,” said Kerry de Bree, Executive Director, Community Harvest.

“In evaluating the accomplishments of the applicants, our board was especially impressed by those who found ways to volunteer and help others amidst the challenges presented by COVID-19,” said de Bree. 

This year’s recipients are:

Elaina Hammond, Kennebunk, a longtime Community Harvest volunteer, most recently served as a student member of the Board of Directors. She was chosen for her commitment not only to Community Harvest, but many other local organizations and social justice issues. Elaina plans to attend the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts in Liverpool, England.

Caroline Van Hemel, Kennebunk, was selected for her volunteer work on behalf of her youth group and her efforts to support food insecure individuals in the community. Caroline plans to attend the University of Vermont.

Ian MacDonald, Kennebunk, was selected for his volunteer efforts during the pandemic, including delivering meals to seniors and finding a solution to help a neighbor’s business. Ian plans to attend the University of Rhode Island.

Kate Russell, Kennebunk, a longtime Community Harvest volunteer, was selected for her commitment to the organization’s holiday meals. In recent years, she was an important part of a core group of volunteers who kept the meals running despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kate plans to attend St. Joseph’s College.

For more information about Community Harvest scholarships, go to communityharvestmaine.org/projects/college-scholarships/

Community Harvest Launches COVID-19 Neighbors Caring for Neighbors Project

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Thanks to the generosity of many donors and in partnership with local restaurants, Community Harvest has launched a Neighbors Caring for Neighbors initiative in response to the hardships our community is experiencing due to the spread of COVID-19. Community Harvest has always been about bringing people together over shared meals. While we cannot do that in our traditional way right now, we can connect individuals who may benefit from a complimentary meal with the local restaurants who have always been so generous to our organization. We are providing gift certificates from local restaurants for the curbside pick-up of healthy meals to individuals who may be struggling for a variety of reasons during this time, as well as health care providers, first responders and others continuing to keep our community as safe as possible.

For more information about this program, contact us at (207) 967-1911.

To make a donation to support this effort, use our online donation portal.

Thank you!