Allen Insurance and Financial has helped Waldo Community Action Partners kick off a fundraising drive to replace the commercial kitchen stove used by the WCAP Head Start program

The stove, which has been repaired numerous times until it could be repaired no more, is used daily to prepare nutritious meals for almost 50 children and parents. Dan Bookham of Allen Insurance and Financial's business insurance division recently presented a check to WCAP Head Start Director Jessie Francis.

WCAP Head Start serves children ages three to five, four days a week, for 128 days per year. WCAP Head Start offers part-time (four hours a day) and full-times (six hours a day) options depending on the needs of the family. Placement is based on a number of criteria; the primary one is family income. There is no fee for WCAP Head Start programs. More information is online at waldocap.org.

Head Start was created in 1964 to give preschool children a “head start” in formal education. Throughout the decades, Head Start has expanded their services to involve the whole family. Head Start supports families in give different component areas: health, nutrition, education, social services, and parent involvement.

Serving clients in Midcoast Maine and around the world since 1866, Allen Insurance and Financial is an employee-owned financial services, insurance and employee benefits company with offices in Portland, Rockland, Camden, Belfast, Southwest Harbor and Waterville. Call 800-439-4311. Online: AllenIF.com and on Facebook.