Bar Harbor Hannaford Employees' Generosity Bags Company's United Way Trophy
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Swan Agency Real Estate.
BAR HARBOR—In the midst of the tourist season in Bar Harbor, running into Hannaford for a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread can seem like being a contestant on an episode of “American Gladiators.” Oftentimes, the employees of this undersized and well used grocery store are giving all they have just to replace the goods that customers have taken from the shelves. It’s like trying to replace beach sand after the waves have washed it away.
While these store associates are getting paid to restock shelves, provide chosen seafood or deli meat, or help customers figure out how to operate a self-checkout machine, they are also giving some of that hard earned pay back to the community. That generosity has been noticed.
On January 28, the Bar Harbor Hannaford was recognized for its giving by the Hannaford Corporation.
A few years ago, Hannaford started to recognize its stores that raised the most money for the company’s United Way campaign. The top earning store receives a trophy that the store gets to keep for the year to showcase the accomplishments of the store’s associates. The trophy has small plagues that show the previous year’s winners and is passed on from winner to winner, Stanley Cup style.
This year, that trophy went to the Bar Harbor Hannaford. The trophy recognizes the top contributors to Hannaford’s United Way campaign in the “eastern division” which pits the Bar Harbor Store against much bigger stores, and previous trophy winners, such as Ellsworth, Biddeford, and Gorham.
Hannaford is a strong supporter of United Way and according to Heart of Maine United Way’s President and CEO Shirar Patterson, “Hannaford’s campaign is one of the strongest in our region, and their generosity helps improve the lives of more than 125,000 people in our community."
United Way’s website says that its mission statement is “to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities around the world to advance the common good. True to our founding spirit, whenever there is a need in our communities, United Way is there. We bring a comprehensive approach to every challenge, actively listening and responding to local needs. Our reach across tens of thousands of communities means we can share innovations and scale impact to improve lives around the world.”
Through associate donations and community events, the Bar Harbor Hannaford raised over $11,000. According to store manager Alisha Parent, approximately 65% of the money raised was from direct donations by store associates. The employees can choose to donate to United Way each paycheck via a pretax deduction of the employee’s choosing and the majority of store associates donate to the campaign.
According to Bar Harbor Hannaford’s human resource manager Melissa Hepburn, the $11,000 total breaks down to an average of $135 per store associate.
Parent said, “I am super proud! Our store associates are phenomenal.”
The associates do more than just donate from their own paychecks though. They hold multiple fundraisers during the year to raise additional money.
One of those events is an annual auction and dinner held at the George Edwin Kirk American Legion Post 25 on Cottage Street. For a $10 donation, attendees can eat a dinner prepared by longtime Hannaford associate Evelyn Lindsey and bid on items that the store has collected throughout the year as donations from local businesses and organizations.
"Congratulations to the Bar Harbor Hannaford on their successful United Way campaign!” said Patterson. “Hannaford provides tremendous support to United Ways across the state, including Heart of Maine United Way. We are deeply grateful for the dedicated volunteers who make these campaigns a success and for the many employees who participate each year.”
Parent said that they are working on an area to display the trophy for the year at the front of the store.
Correction: Melissa Hepburn's title is human resource manager. We fixed this on February 1 at 6:40 p.m. and apologize for the error.
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This store has always been known for his hardworking staff and generosity.