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AUGUSTA — Two of the leading philanthropic foundations in Maine have donated money to support MaineGeneral Health and its employees on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Harold Alfond Foundation and the Bill & Joan Alfond Foundation have teamed up to cover all MaineGeneral costs of providing child care for its employees during the pandemic, in the amount of $350,000.
Early in the COVID-19 crisis in Maine, leaders of both the Harold Alfond Foundation and the Bill & Joan Alfond Foundation contacted MaineGeneral Health president & CEO Chuck Hays.
“They reached out to us to see how they could help,” Hays said. “They especially wanted to know what our staff needed to be safe, healthy and supported through this crisis.”
In late March, schools and some daycare businesses closed, leaving some MaineGeneral employees without childcare options. MaineGeneral quickly partnered with licensed day care centers and assumed the costs of care for MaineGeneral employees who applied for the help. Since March 23, care for children of MaineGeneral employees has been provided at the Alfond Youth & Community Center in Waterville; The Children’s Center in Augusta, Kennebec Valley YMCA in Augusta and MaineGeneral’s own Early Learning Center in Augusta.
“We worked with local child care providers to find slots to meet staff need, finding a geographic balance between Augusta and Waterville,” Hays said. “More than 150 children of our staff have safe and reliable care with these new partnerships. This is just one of the many ways we are supporting our staff at this critical time. We know our community relies on us – now more than ever – and our staff are facing the same hardships as many others. Helping to care for children of our staff is very important to us.”
