SCARBOROUGH – When the pandemic became official in March 2020 and shutdowns hit local businesses extremely hard, Town & Country Federal Credit Union was one of the first organizations to begin an effort to support local restaurants and businesses. The credit union launched its ‘Local Helping Local’ initiative just days after the pandemic was declared in mid-March of 2020 and, thus, began an ongoing effort to purchase gift cards to support businesses headquartered in Cumberland and York counties. On Thursday, March 31 the credit union presented its 500th gift card, which was worth $500 to one lucky member selected at random from hundreds of posts on the credit union’s social media pages. The lucky recipient is Angi Hoffer, who selected long-time family-owned sandwich shop, Moran’s Market in Portland.
David Libby, president and CEO of Town & Country, explained that ‘local helping local’ is an outgrowth of the credit union’s long-standing commitment and support of not just helping its 40,000 members with financial solutions but “also being a local partner in making a difference in the communities we serve.” Libby added that asking members to highlight local businesses important to them and their communities through the credit union’s social media channels has resulted in “thousands of local businesses being highlighted and more than $25,000 in gift cards awarded to 500 of those businesses.”
Jon Paradise, SVP of communications, marketing and community outreach at the credit union, said, “While initially this initiative was aimed at supporting local restaurants, as the pandemic went on, we recognized that the need expanded well beyond just local restaurants. Over time, ‘local helping local’ has grown to include gift shops, hair salons, hardware stores, bakeries, specialty stores, entertainment-themed businesses, such as miniature golf courses, coffee shops and many, many more, representing communities throughout Cumberland York counties. This initiative has also enabled our members to be part of determining local businesses to support. We knew local businesses were important to our community before the pandemic, but I think that the possibility that a favorite restaurant or business might not survive without support was a catalyst that caused many members to respond. It’s been heartening to see such a high level of engagement that awarding gift cards to local businesses has drawn from the community.”
In addition to giving away gift cards, Town & Country has also been a leader in helping individuals impacted financially as a result of the pandemic including being the first financial institution in Maine to create a Crisis Assistance Relief Loan to help members with financial challenges, deferred thousands of loans, specialized financial wellness programs and communications, and a variety of other efforts. “As we have throughout our history, Town & Country is dedicated to helping our members and our communities during prosperous times and, as has been the case for many people these past two years, challenging times. It’s who we are and what we do.”
Paradise and Libby both said that the two-year anniversary of ‘Local Helping Local’ is not the end but just the beginning. “We will continue to help local people and local communities and look for ways we can make a difference through our ‘Local Helping Local’ initiative with financial challenges and other areas of the community in need of support.”
As Maine’s second largest credit union with 40,000 members, Town & Country is a full-service financial institution offering a wide range of financial products and services to people who live, work, go to school or worship in Cumberland and York Counties. Designated as one of Maine’s ‘Best Credit Unions’ by Forbes in 2021 and 2020, the credit union has $520 million in assets, and is part of the second largest branch network in the country. To learn more, visit http://www.tcfcu.com.