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We are truly saddened and shocked by the senseless act of violence that occurred in Lewiston. Our hearts are with our partners, friends and everyone impacted by this tragic event.

ACAP is once again offering navigation assistance for individuals looking for health insurance through Maine's open marketplace. Open enrollment begins on November 1. CoverME.gov is Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace and the only place to get the financial assistance to make insurance and care more affordable. Free local help is available! For navigation assistance, contact Barb Rodriguez at 207-764-3721 EXT. 222 or brodriguez@acap-me.org. To learn more about the insurance plans and prices for 2024 visit: coverme.gov.

Penny Horne (center) retired from the ACAP Early Care and Education Team after being with ACAP for nearly 37 years! Over her tenure with ACAP, she worked in four Early Care and Education Centers: Northern Maine Community College, University of Maine at Presque Isle, Gouldville Early Care and Education Center and the Presque Isle Technology Center. Penny has made a positive impacted on the lives of over 900 children and their families!

Happy Retirement, Penny! Your comedic wit and HUGE heart will be dearly missed!

November 7, 2023

Time: 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Location: VFW, 253 Van Buren Road Caribou ME, 04736

Sponsored By: Presque Isle CareerCenter

The Presque Isle CareerCenter will be having a hiring event! Representatives from several companies will be here interviewing for current openings. No appointment required! ACAP, along with 20 other County employers, will be at this event.

For more information, please contact Katelin Ouellette at the following:

• Telephone: 207-768-6855
• E-mail: Katelin.Ouellette@maine.gov

Drug Free Aroostook is a collaboration with community partners that provides education, resources, and evidence-based programming to reduce the underage use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs.

Coalition meetings are open to the public and new members are always welcome. Meetings are held monthly via Teams. If you are interested in learning more or attending a future meeting, contact Theresa Dow at tdow@acap-me.org.

Aroostook County Action Program, United Way of Aroostook and WAGM-TV are hosting the seventh annual Helping Hands Telethon on Thursday, November 16^th from 5:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., live on WAGM. The day-long broadcast will raise funds to meet emergency fuel needs for those who don’t otherwise qualify for fuel assistance. 

As another winter fast approaches, and with high energy costs and inflation continuing to drive up household expenses while funding for Federal Assistance programs like HEAP are being cut back to pre-pandemic levels, the need for additional funding raised through the Telethon is greater than ever to help avoid a crisis in the coming season.

Last winter, a retired central Aroostook couple – both of whom were facing serious medical concerns – reached out to ACAP in hopes of receiving fuel assistance, something they had never before done, but suddenly found themselves with no other choice. With the help of an ACAP Navigator they completed an application for the Federal Home Energy Assistance Program, only to find out their retirement income placed them just above the qualification guidelines. Thankfully, that was not the end of this story…

THANKS to the hundreds of donors who raised over $100,000 for last year's Helping Hands Telethon, this couple and many other of our Aroostook County neighbors in need had a warm home when it mattered most! The generosity of Telethon donors helping northern Mainers facing a fuel emergency, who do not otherwise qualify for other assistance programs provided this couple, and other households across the region, the only resource available to them at that time. 

Past support through the Helping Hands Telethon not only provided the initial fuel assistance needed, but the families and individuals served received help to prevent future emergencies and get on their feet. 

ACAP will put funds raised to use allocating emergency fuel to warm the homes of seniors, families and many others in need when no other resources are available or accessible. The dollars donated will be used only when other funds are not accessible. Households receiving assistance will be further offered other supportive services to help them avoid future emergencies, including household budgeting and workforce development, where appropriate.

On the Early November Edition of ACAP Today, Executive Director/CEO Jason Parent connects with two members of ACAP's Prevention Team who lead Tobacco Education across Aroostook County as we look ahead to the upcoming Great American Smoke-out in mid-November. Community Educators Chastity Holland and Magen Leikam share about their work in helping County youth make smart choices to avoid using tobacco products and speak about what support is available to help those who do use tobacco products to quit.

To watch the Early November Edition of ACAP Today, click on the image above.

Every U.S. household can once again place an order to receive four more free COVID-19 rapid tests delivered directly to their home. Before You Throw Out "Expired" Tests: Check to see if your COVID-19 tests' expiration dates have been extended.

The COVIDtests.gov program has distributed over 755 million tests directly to more than two-thirds of American households, 310 million of which went to households in underserved communities. The U.S. government will continue to make COVID-19 tests available to uninsured individuals and underserved communities through existing outreach programs. Please contact a HRSA health center, Test to Treat site, or ICATT location near you to learn how to access low- or no-cost COVID-19 tests provided by the federal government.

ACAP has begun providing licensed school aged childcare to the Caribou community this month. The expanded partnership with RSU 39 is the latest effort to respond to the growing childcare shortage in Aroostook County, following the recent closure of a large Caribou-based provider. Highly trained staff will engage youth in fun educational activities as well as provide time and support for school homework. Healthy meals and snacks will be provided. The program will serve children 5 to 12 years of age. Open Monday- Friday during the school year from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm, and during school breaks 7:00 am to 5:30 pm. The School Age Childcare Program will be located at the Caribou Community School at 24 Bennett Drive. Parents interested in enrolling their children should complete the online application using the button below.

Versant Power's charitable matching program to provide electricity bill assistance to customers in need is continuing to provide assistance to area residents. Through Versant’s partnership with Aroostook County Action Program (ACAP), Penquis, and Downeast Community Partners (DCP), over $50,000 in electricity bill credits have been provided to customers in need.

The Team at ACAP is so appreciative of the partnership with Versant Power allowing us to meet a growing community need. This has been a challenging time for so many households in our community and through this partnership we are able to assist those who are need of support. To hear the relief in someone’s voice when you tell them that we are able to assist is so rewarding. This partnership has provided us the ability to lift that weight for households of all shapes and sizes in our community Read More...

High-speed internet helps you connect to the things that matter — like work, school, health care, and more. Nearly seven thousand households in Aroostook County have access to internet savings thanks to the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program.

Want to see if you’re eligible? Visit GetInternet.gov. 

If you need assistance contact ACAP at 207-764-3721 or help@acap-me.org

ACAP's own Connie Montpetit was recently recognized by the State WIC Program for serving as ACAP WIC’s Breastfeeding Peer Counselor for the past 10 years.

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SNAPSHOT OF THE WEEK

ACAP Human Resources Team Member Jamie Guerrette (left) participated in the annual Purple Pinkie Project with the Presque Isle Rotary. This year’s Purple Pinkie Project visited schools in

SAD 1, Ashland, Washburn and Easton. The club uses this event to increase awareness for Rotary International worldwide fight to end polio.

Joining Jamie for this photo are two key ACAP community partners, Martin Puckett, the former City Manager of Presque Isle and newly appointed Executive Director for the Central Aroostook Association, and Trisha House, area representative for U.S. Senator Susan Collins.

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