Maine Credit Unions Seek $100,000 for Hunger Campaign in October

Maine's credit unions are trying to raise $100,000 for hunger relief during October through a joint challenge aimed at employees, members and the public, according to a column published by the Piscataquis Observer.

The column was written by Robichaud, who works as a teller at Sebasticook Valley Federal Credit Union, and was timed to International Credit Union Day on Oct. 15.

The drive is part of the Maine Credit Unions' Campaign for Ending Hunger, which the column said has brought in roughly $15 million since 1990 for food pantries, meal sites and schools around the state. The column described it as the largest fundraising effort of its kind by an organized group in Maine to address hunger.

The piece also laid out the sector's footprint: credit unions operate the state's largest branch network, with more than 170 locations, and count over 750,000 members, or close to half of Maine's population. Because members own the institutions, the column argued, the relationship differs from that at a bank.

Robichaud wrote that financial services should keep a local character even as technology, including artificial intelligence, changes how business is done, and that staff should look for ways to give back beyond their daily duties.

This story was first reported by Piscataquis Observer.