BANGOR, Maine — United Way of Eastern Maine will now be known as "Heart of Maine United Way." The announcement was made at the annual United Way breakfast in Bangor Wednesday morning.
Shirar Patterson, president and CEO of Heart of Maine United Way, said the name change better represents all of the communities it serves in Maine. She said the name change has been in the works since January of this year, when they expanded their support network to Somerset County.
Patterson said they felt the title of "Eastern Maine" no longer fully represented their organization.
"We just really wanted to make sure that we selected a name that not only represented our geography and the region that we cover in the state, but also the people that live here and that make it so special and that are so generous. And that's why heart of Maine just really rose right to the top for us," Patterson explained..
Heart of Maine United Way also announced its new program to help families specifically in Piscataquis County on Wednesday.
The new initiative is called "Bundle." It incorporates awareness campaigns and interactive websites to provide families with information about access to resources and a variety of support programs.
Along with this program comes the "Bundle Box." Patterson said these boxes will be given out to families with newborns four times a year at doctor's office checkups. The boxes include toys, books, informational packets, and even a gift for the child's parent or caregiver.
"They will be at their well-child visits, so when you bring your child to the doctor, you'll receive those boxes. As long as you're going to a doctor that's participating in Piscataquis County, you'll be able to get those for the first year of the baby's life and maybe those will expand as more funding is available and as the project grows," Patterson said.
Patterson added the boxes will only be offered to families in Piscataquis County for now, and they're expected to start being handed out at doctors' offices this fall.