Eastern Tire and Auto Service, an employee-owned tire and auto service company in Rockland and Rockport, gave $10,000 to the MidCoast Regional Housing Trust, citing the region's housing shortage as a factor affecting local employers. The gift supports the trust's Erickson Homestead project in Rockport.

"The people who keep our community running struggle to find affordable year-round housing, and this impacts our ability, as well as other local businesses, to find and retain qualified workers," said Alvin Chase, president of Eastern Tire and Auto Service, in a Nov. 10 news release. "Our employee owners wanted to do something about it and are excited to be a sponsor of this project."

A recent estimate from the Midcoast Council of Governments indicates that Knox County needs more than 1,200 new housing units by 2030, the release said. The MidCoast Regional Housing Trust focuses on the "missing middle": workers who earn too much to qualify for subsidized housing but not enough to afford housing in Knox County.

"When a longtime local employer like Eastern Tire and Auto Service steps up, it shows that workforce housing is an important issue that is affecting the businesses that keep Midcoast Maine running," said Jonathan Goss, president of the MidCoast Regional Housing Trust.