United Midcoast Charities (UMC) has announced a partnership with Maine artist Eric Hopkins. Hopkins has donated an original framed and matted watercolor entitled “Big Sun Big Sun Across the Bay #2” whose proceeds will benefit UMC’s new Rapid Response Fund (RRF), which provides stopgap support for local nonprofits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m always looking for ways to help out and give back to my community,” said Hopkins, in a UMC news release. “I love the idea of the Rapid Response Fund as a safety net to help so many nonprofits working to meet basic needs in our area right now.”

According to UMC, Hopkins heard about UMC’s new responsive grantmaking fund and wanted to contribute “a piece of Maine for a piece of mind” – knowing his donation and the winning bidder will be helping those in dire need. The painting will be included in the upcoming Thomaston Place Auction Galleries’ “Summer’s Bounty-Part 2” auction.

The auction is a live virtual event taking place over two days, August 29 and 30. (The piece to benefit UMC is item #2157 and will be auctioned on Sunday, Aug. 30.) Interested bidders may go to live.thomastonauction.com to register to bid and follow along on one of three virtual auction platforms.

For more information about the RRF, recent RRF grantees and to make a donation, please visit unitedmidcoastcharities.org/rrf. 

United Midcoast Charities, founded in 1942, is a 501c3 community-supported nonprofit whose mission is to energize Midcoast Maine nonprofit agencies through finance and guidance, supporting a network of resources stronger than any single organization. 

UMC’s primary areas of focus are food, housing, health and safety, and economic security. In the last five years, UMC has awarded grants totaling $2.4 million to more than 50 agencies as part of their community-led competitive grants program.

For more information, visit www.unitedmidcoastcharities.org.