OLD TOWN, Maine — With the holiday season fast approaching, a perfect gift for someone who loves all things Maine could be a Box of Maine. Daniel Finnemore, president of the company, founded it in 2015.
"We package the essence of Maine in these customizable gift boxes," Finnemore said.
Box of Maine offers more than 100 Maine-made products from 40 businesses located throughout the state. All of the goods are local or originate from Maine. That includes products like Moxie soda, maple syrup, whoopie pies, blueberry jam, and Humpty Dumpty chips.
Shoppers can purchase a five-, seven-, or 10-item box and pick the products they want to be included. There are also a number of themed boxes to choose from like the Maine Maple Sampler box or the Wild Maine Blueberry Sampler box.
Every month since 2019, Finnemore has teamed up with a local nonprofit to donate some of the funds sold that month to their organization. For the month of November, Box of Maine is supporting Maine Veterans Project, donating $2 to the organization for every gift box sold.
"I wanted giving back to be more than just a one-time gift. I really wanted it to be an essential part of my business," Finnemore said.
President of the Maine Veterans Project Doc Goodwin said his organization serves Maine vets with a goal of suicide prevention and veteran wellness. He said he and his team already have a plan for how they'll use the funds raised from the boxes.
"We're going to be handing out fifty Thanksgiving dinners, about 120 bags of nonperishable food items," Goodwin said.
Finnemore said the most rewarding part of the job is when he gets a phone call or email from someone overseas in the U.S. military who received one of his boxes.
"They say you don't under what this small little box of my home state means to me. It's getting me through a difficult time," Finnemore said.
Goodwin said he is grateful to the people who continue to support them and keep them going.
"Unfortunately, the pandemic has done a whole lot with our budget and our ability to help, so if it wasn't for our awesome community, we wouldn't exist," Goodwin said.
Coming up on Black Friday, Box of Maine will have a 21% off sale on all of their products.
In the month of December, Box of Maine will be supporting Barbara Bush Children's Hospital to raise money to purchase toys to donate to the hospital.