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Dear friends of Homeworthy,
As we march through this month, we are filled with gratitude for the incredible support from our community. Thanks to your generosity, our Emergency Heating Fund saw an outpouring of donations, ensuring that families and individuals facing crisis could stay warm this winter. Later in this newsletter, you can read about Teresa’s story, highlighting the real human impact of this fund—made possible by you. A special thanks to Luca Mellon, whose generous gift was one of the first to come in, and reaffirmed to our team that our community truly has our back. Additionally, the heating fund was bolstered by an Rapid Relief Response Fund Grant from the Sewall Foundation - a huge boost that will help us continue funding this program throughout the winter.
We’re also thrilled to share an exciting milestone: Homeworthy’s Firefly Field housing community on Talbot Avenue in Rockland is now open! Leases have been signed, keys have been handed out, and residents are moving in—finally settling into safety and security. Seeing this development is a testament to what we can achieve together, and we look forward to celebrating this new beginning for families with you all in the spring. |
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A special thanks to Homeworthy’s Board of Directors for generously providing welcome baskets to our new tenants |
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Thank you for being part of this journey. Your kindness and commitment continue to change lives, and we couldn’t do this work without you.
Sincerely, |
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Molly Feeney Executive Director, Homeworthy |
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Heating Fund Success Story |
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Teresa has lived in Midcoast Maine her entire life. After successfully renting the same home for 14 years, she found herself homeless last summer when her landlord sold the property. Since July, Teresa has been living in a camper in a friend's yard. Winter has been challenging in the camper as it is uninsulated and without an internal heating source. Teresa has relied on a propane-powered Mr. Buddy Heater to keep the camper at a safe temperature, but with her limited income due to a disability, the cost of propane to keep her warm is beyond her means. With the low temps, she has to fill the propane tanks twice weekly. Because of Homeworthy’s Heating Fund, Teresa can now stay warm without sacrificing medicine or food to do so. |
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| Andy Cebula and Eileen Carr donated a beautiful Subaru Impreza to help a client be independent and connected to employment, learning and social connections. There are so many ways that the people in this community show our neighbors who are struggling the care and compassion that give them a hand up. We are proud to be a part of this caring community and a vessel for your generosity and kindness. |
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Earlier this month, the Good Trouble Music Project hosted a fundraiser concert to benefit Homeworthy, featuring local musicians Kate Fiano, Sara Trunzo, Andre Lascoutz, as well as our hosts, John & Rachel Nicholas. They were able to raise over $750 for Homeworthy! Check out the video to see a clip from Sarah Trunzo’s performance of her song “Taking My Power Back”. |
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| Just this past week, Ms. Wing’s Oceanside Middle School class donated several homemade blankets to the Hospitality House Family Shelter! Homemade items are always welcomed in our shelter—how lucky are we that our local school community sees value in supporting us through these special projects. Thank you so much, Ms Wing & class! |
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During the month of February, the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation runs a contest for nonprofits where their supporters can vote to award grants. Can you spare a few minutes today and help us win a Community Matters More Grant from The Bangor Savings Bank Foundation? |
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 | Dave Perry is a trusted local tax expert who prepares Homeworthy client taxes for free. He also runs Robinhood Tax Services, which will prepare anyone’s taxes in exchange for a donation to Homeworthy - a great way to support us and get expert tax assistance as well!
A few of the case managers have kept Dave quite busy this season with Homeworthy client returns; he has finished 18 so far with pending refunds over $28,000! He has also had about $600 in donations from Robinhood tax preparations. There has been one response from our January newsletter so far, so we want to make sure that everyone knows that you can have expert tax prep and make a donation to Homeworthy at the same time.
Thanks Dave, and all who make this wonderful effort succeed. |
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Winter Updates from The Landing Place |
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| BIKE PROGRAM: The TLP bike program just wrapped up its third season. Transportation is a huge barrier for youth in our area - getting to work, going to school, socializing with friends - all difficult to do if you don’t have a vehicle or a guardian who is able to give rides. The TLP Bike Program aims to eliminate some of these challenges by giving away bikes to youth for free, teaching them to maintain the bikes and learn repair skills, and maintaining a bicycle library so we can take youth out on cycle trips in Rockland and thorughout the midcoast, so they feel more comfortable on the roads. |
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With the help of volunteers, we were able to give away more bikes than ever before. We have BIG plans for spring and hope to hit the ground running as soon as it is warm outside. We are looking for new and used bikes, bike parts, and instructors to teach youth bike mechanics, so reach out if you can help! |
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NEW POOL TABLE: The American Pool Association worked with United Midcoast Charities to donate us a new pool table. It's super nice and one of our donors is fixing it up for us so it's going to be top notch. The youth already love it! |
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NEW MURAL: We are updating the murals on the inside of the TLP Drop-In Center, in partnership with Alexis Iammarino, from Arts in Action. There will be youth input on the design and youth will be the ones painting it - we’ll be sure to share once we have some photos! |
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 | From L-R: Leslie Eaton, Molly Feeney, Caroline Morong |
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| Board Member Spotlight: Leslie Eaton |
| Leslie Eaton has been a member of Homeworthy’s Board of Directors for about five years, and she recently stepped into the role of Board Chair. Read on to hear why she chooses to work with Homeworrthy in this capacity. |
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Q: How did you first get involved with Homeworthy’s Board of Directors?
I joined the Board after a very close friend approached me and asked if I had any interest in being a member. Having just finished a long-term tenure with another community Board, I was reluctant to join another one so quickly, but knew if I did, Homeworthy would be my choice. While pondering the idea, I stopped at a local coffee shop and noticed what appeared to be an unhoused person sitting alone at a picnic table. I approached him and asked if he would like a coffee and something to eat and he nodded yes to me. I returned shortly with a hot coffee and breakfast sandwich... the gentleman never spoke but simply lifted his head and nodded with appreciation, and it was then that I knew I had to be involved. I immediately called my friend and said, "I'm in”, and it has been the most rewarding experience for me.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about your role on the board, and working with Homeworthy in general?
The Board members and staff are an amazing, compassionate, dedicated, like-minded group of individuals working together to make a difference in our community. Hearing the success stories and knowing we are driving change and having a positive impact in the lives of the humans we help warms my heart. Meeting so many generous and caring donors that support our mission and our goals—without them we couldn't do the work we do. And having the most loyal staff that show up every day to make a difference!
Q: What’s something you wish the general public knew/understood more about this work and rural homelessness?
Homelessness exists in our community. It's in our backyards, it's behind the big box stores, it's in the parking lots... it's everywhere. Homelessness in many cases is not self-inflicted or a choice; it’s increased rents, displacement from a home due to property sale, job loss, health issues, domestic violence… it's so much more than the stigmatism around laziness and drugs. Most of the folks we serve at Homeworthy work or hold multiple jobs and still can't afford the rents or homes in our area. According to Redfin, as of January 2025 median home price in Knox County is $436,250—this is simply out of reach for most of our community.
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We’re so thankful for our community. |
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As always, if you or someone you know and love needs assistance and is experiencing homelessness—please reach out to Homeworthy at 207-593-8151 or email us at info@homeworthy.org. |
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