Dear Mission at the Eastward Friends and Family,

YOU are at the heart of all the good we do for our homeowners at MATE! Your continued

commitment to MATE is crucial to our efforts to hammer out housing insecurity in Central Western

Maine.

This Valentine’s Day, we invite you to make a lasting difference by joining The Builder’s Team, a new recurring gifts program at MATE, that will help us better meet homeowners’ immediate needs, underwrite our ongoing financial goals and support MATE’s mission.

Please become a recurring donor by clicking on the button below, or you can mail your gift into MATE monthly at the address below, noting “recur gifts” in the memo line.

Our program honors 4 levels of giving:



$10/month ($120 annually): YOU are a Builder’s Team Carpenter!

$25/month ($300 annually): YOU are a Builder’s Team Master Builder!

$50/month ($600 annually): YOU are a Builder’s Team Structural Engineer!

$75/month: ($900+ annually): YOU are a Builder’s Team Architect!

We are grateful for our future members of The Builder’s Team, and shortly after joining, you will

receive a gift that expresses our gratitude.

You will also be entered into a raffle to win an occasional

surprise just for The Builder’s Team and your name will also be listed in our December e-newsletter.

Additional perks will bubble up too, so stay tuned!

As a member of The Builder’s Team, YOU will be expanding our capability to help people year-round and create cash flow that will empower our planning and ability to buy building supplies in bulk to save money and grow our mission and service areas. Recurring giving also strengthens our ability to invest in excellent staff that keeps our non-profit running smoothly, and your gifts will fund operational expenses at McCleary House. Large or small, all gifts matter, and your recurring donations will ensure MATE remains a viable, vital non-profit that hammers out housing insecurity for the most vulnerable.

This Valentine’s Day, we thank you in advance for having a generous heart that will help us establish The Builder’s Team: A MATE Recurring Gifts Program. Together, we will make such a powerful, positive difference to people in Maine in need of safe, warm, and affordable housing.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

We're thrilled to present our first joint Golden Hammer Award to two recipients who always go above and beyond for MATE, our previous two Board President's and Builder's Team Program Managers, Sharon Cowen and Karen Hagy!

SHARON COWEN

Sharon served as President of the MATE Board during a crucial and intense period of change for MATE. Working closely with Karen Hagy as Karen transitioned through the final year of her tenure, Sharon took the reins in 2023 and continued through 2024.

Sharon provided strong leadership and steady diligence while the organization adapted to a new executive director, major changes to management practices, marketing, fund raising, resourcing, and operations.

KAREN HAGY

Volunteers make MATE work. We depend on all of them to keep the organization running. MATE volunteers don’t just come to Maine to build decks and repair roofs. Some offer talents remotely from places across the US. We are especially blessed with volunteers who get involved and do more than we ask. Karen exemplifies and personifies the Golden Hammer Award. Karen’s first “boots-on-the ground” volunteer connection with MATE was in 2010 as pastor of Bedford Presbyterian Church. 

We are extremely grateful and very excited for the future!

Mission Partner Grantors and Donors

• Maine Housing Authority
• Skowhegan Savings Bank

Mission Partner Churches

• Davidson College Presbyterian Church (NC)
• Congregational Church of Middlebury (VT)
• Farmington Area Ecumenical Ministry
• St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church (TN)
• Wales Presbyterian Church (ME)
• Clarendon Hill Presbyterian (MA)
• First Presbyterian Church of Springfield (NJ)
• North Turner Union Presbyterian Church (ME)
• St. Joseph's Parish (ME)
• Terryville Congregational Church (CT)
• Grace Community Church (MA)

Individual & Family Donors

• Thank you to our many individual and family donors who make up the bulk of our donor base. We are so blessed to have you all behind the work we're doing in rural Central Western Maine!

*for the purpose of confidentiality, we will no longer reveal the names of our individual and family donors*