Humane Society receives Sewall Foundation grant

THOMASTON — The Pope Memorial Humane Society of Knox County (PMHSKC) has received a major grant from the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation. The $100,000 award will support PMHSKC's $2.2 million capital campaign.

The vision of the organization includes the construction of a new 10,075 square foot facility.

"We are honored to have been chosen to receive this generous financial support from the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation," said Executive Director Tracy Sala. "This gift from the Foundation is a considerable step forward toward realizing our goal of constructing a new, safer, more comfortable facility for the animals and all who need its services."

On any given day the Pope Memorial Humane Society of Knox County experiences a high volume of visitors and inquiries, including those viewing adoptable animals and those who have a need for services.

The current building floor plan provides an overcrowded facility that is not conducive to meeting the animal welfare needs of towns in Knox and Waldo Counties that PMHSKC's serves through contracted services. In addition there are towns that are provided services that are not contracted.

PMHSKC will construct a new facility on land owned by the organization that is adjacent to the existing facility on Buttermilk Lane in Thomaston. The new building will feature a state of the art air exchange system to provide a healthier environment for staff and resident animals, separate dog and cat wings with segregated quarantine/isolation areas for sick and injured animals and a large room dedicated to educational programs to reinforce humane values and animal care knowledge.

For more information about PMHSKC visit www.hskcme.org.

The Elmina B. Sewall Foundation supports work in Maine to improve the well-being of people, animals and the environment while fostering relationships that strive for social equity and community resilience. For more information about the Sewall Foundation, visit www.sewallfoundation.org.

Belfast Garden Club delivers new titles in annual library book donation

BELFAST — The Belfast Garden Club has donated 10 new garden and horticulture books to the Belfast Free Library. The books were purchased with funds raised at the Green Thumb Plant Sale held in May.

Selections for the donation include books for both adults and children. Topics include writers describing their gardening experiences; growing fruits and berries holistically; natural garden style; insider secrets from Maine gardeners; gardening lab experiments for kids; as well as other subjects.

The library displays the new books for public perusal before placing them on the shelves for circulation. The list of new books can be found on the Belfast Garden’s website.

The Belfast Garden Club fosters the acquisition of knowledge of gardening and protection of native flora and fauna. The club has promoted civic beautification since 1929. The club welcomes new members and volunteers year round and extends a warm welcome to all. For more information, visit belfastgardenclub.org.

Thomaston Public Library creates "Writers' Corner" with $400 Rudman Grant

THOMASTON — Thomaston Public Library received a $400 grant this year from the Rose and Samuel Rudman Library Trust of the Maine Community Foundation. The purpose of the grant was to enhance the library's collection in support of its 2014 youth and adult writers' series, a program that brought writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and children's literature to the library to read from their works and discuss the writing process.

The series was intended to promote writing as enthusiastically as libraries traditionally promote reading.

Before applying for the grant, Head Librarian Ann Harris assessed the library's existing collection of resources for writers:

"I found that we already had a fair number of the so-called writing classics, books on the craft, such If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland, Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, and Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott,” she said. "We had a few titles on grammar, usage, and punctuation, as well as some older titles on the more psychological or spiritual aspects of writing, topics like inspiration, imagination, and the demons of doubt that afflict so many writers. We had nothing current on editing, marketing one's work, or the publication process start to finish. It seemed to me that with a small investment, we could create a writer's-resource collection that would be outstanding."

Receiving the Rudman Library Grant allowed the library to enhance all areas of its writing collection.

"We drew up a list of titles to purchase and solicited suggestions from local writers and teachers. The result is that we now have a fine collection of highly-regarded books on just about every aspect of the writing life, including brand-new 2015 guides to finding agents and editors and marketing your work.

"We have books on everything from editing and formatting to writing memoirs, breaking through writer's block, and writing in the 21st century. Midcoast Maine is home to so many writers of all sorts and we want to be a first-rate resource for them."

With offices in Ellsworth and Portland, the Maine Community Foundation works with donors and other partners to improve the quality of life for all Maine people. To learn more about the foundation, visit www.mainecf.org.