by Shaun Haskins, Co-Director of Development
“Giving to Cobscook is giving to family,” is what one community member posted on Facebook this past Giving Tuesday, a sort of unofficial national holiday where non-profits like us let our community know how important their financial support is for the work that we do and the people that we serve.
That comment took my breath away - quite literally - not because the sentiment felt so surprising, exactly, but because it’s how we try to do our work. In a community of our size and circumstances, everybody is family–we have a non-negotiable commitment to each other because our future is bound up together. If I can indulge in a bit of sentimentality, it was a moment where I felt “seen” (not me personally, but Cobscook as a whole).
As Giving Tuesdays go, this was a good one. We watched amazing videos of our high school teens foraging for lichen to make into dye and sharing moments from school trips and their reasons for being here. I woke up to multiple pledges of support that arrived after midnight from folks hoping to still be eligible for the incredibly generous $5,000 match (they were!). And the conversations you have had with your friends, neighbors, and relatives brought more people into this community–this family. Folks from Lubec to Santa Cruz, California, showed up to support the life-changing things happening here in eastern Maine, and we are unendingly grateful.
The best way we can show our thanks to you, in turn, is to continue to offer programs and opportunities for learning, making, sharing, and connecting. And that’s what we’ll be doing, in December and in 2024 and beyond. If you missed our Giving Tuesday campaign and would still like to offer support, you can make a donation here.
Some highlights: