Building a Cohesive and Healthy Community - Maine Coast NOW - A Courier Publications Information Source

Building a Cohesive and Healthy Community - Maine Coast NOW - A Courier Publications Information Source: "No other country in the world has a culture of charitable giving like the United States. Eighty-nine percent of households in America contribute to charities and the average contribution per household is $1,620. Total giving in the U.S. reached an estimated $260.2 billion in 2005 and the Boston College Social Welfare Research Institute estimates that between 1998 and 2052 Americans will contribute somewhere between $21.2 and $55.4 trillion to charities in the U.S.

The generosity of Americans is remarkably evident in Midcoast Maine through the work of a local foundation — United Mid-Coast Charities, Inc. (UMCC). Many people are not aware of the extraordinary support that UMCC has provided for more than 64 years to nonprofit, charitable organizations in Waldo and Knox counties. Last year 60 nonprofit organizations were recipients of grants from the foundation and, for many of these organizations, the funds they receive are critical for their long-term operation and survival."