Left to right: Bangor Savings VP and Mortgage Loan Officer Alina Burke, SJC President Jim Dlugos, SJC VP and Chief Advancement Officer Joanne Bean, Bangor Savings SVP of Community Development and CRA Officer Jim Robbins, and SJC alum Vinny Palange ’87.
Bangor Savings Bank Foundation has awarded Saint Joseph’s College $5,000 towards the construction of the Institute for Local Food Systems Innovation, a hub providing education and infrastructure in support of the economic development of Maine’s local food industry. Funds from the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation will specifically help complete infrastructure costs for the hydroponic greenhouse, one of the critical enterprises within the Institute, scheduled for construction later this year.
Vice President and Mortgage Loan Officer for Bangor Savings Alina Burke and Senior Vice President of Community Development and CRA Officer at Bangor Savings Jim Robbins presented the check to Saint Joseph’s College President Jim Dlugos and members of the College’s Advancement Team.
"Saint Joseph’s College Institute for Local Food Systems Innovation is a forward looking and impactful demonstration of community engagement and economic development that will serve as a collaborative model for growing our state’s economy,” said Jim Robbins.
The Institute is designed to support New England’s capacity to produce at least 50% of food consumed (by 2060), help double the region’s food manufacturing employment over ten years, and provide critically needed workforce training through courses and certificates in hydroponics, food manufacturing, food branding and merchandising, and agritourism.
“We are so grateful for this generous grant from Bangor Savings Bank,” said Saint Joseph’s College Vice President and Chief Advancement Officer Joanne Bean. “Bangor Savings Bank is an exceptional leader in supporting collaborative initiatives to help those most in need, and we are thrilled to partner with them toward our common goal of creating healthy communities and economic growth in Maine.”
Learn more about the Institute at https://www.sjcme.edu/local-food-systems/.
About Saint Joseph’s College of Maine
Founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy in Portland, Maine, Saint Joseph’s College is Maine’s Catholic liberal arts College with a commitment to sustainability and wellness. The 474-acre campus, located on the shore of Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine offers more than 40 undergraduate programs and a nationally renown Division III athletic program to a population of approximately 1,000 on-campus students. The College provides certificates and undergraduate and advanced degrees for thousands more working adults who reside throughout the United States and in more than 20 other countries through an online learning program. In 2015 the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching recognized the College’s focus on community service through its mission and daily interactions with local, regional, and global communities with the Community Engagement Classification.
