As of January 1, 2024, Jeffrey Ewing del Rio has joined the Mission as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Jeff, a certified public accountant, comes to the Mission with more than 10 years of experience working with nonprofits in various financial positions. He ran his own firm that offered business advisory, tax, and bookkeeping services.
Mission President John Zavodny shares, “We’re very excited to welcome Jeff to the Mission. With CPA and CFO experience, he brings the financial leadership we need, and his clear commitment to Downeast Maine will make him a great partner in this work.”
Jeff has worked extensively in the nonprofit sector and was responsible for the accounting and finance, human resources, and information technology departments.
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As a consultant, he worked as a transitional CFO and Controller for nonprofits including Riverside Community Health Foundation, Homeownership Council of America, Greater Sacramento Urban League, Prison Yoga Project, and the Historical Society of La Jolla.
Jeff, who recently moved to the area with his spouse, says he was looking for a role that connected him to the community. With his background in nonprofit finance, the CFO position at the Mission was a natural fit. “I am looking forward to continuing the excellent work being done and learning more about the programs being offered for our community.” After consulting with multiple nonprofits over the past few years, “I am ready to focus solely on the Mission and developing partnerships in new ways.”
The pantry stocks a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, and shelf-stable products received from partner organizations like Good Shepherd Food Bank. However, there are items often not donated, or the Mission cannot source or purchase from its partners. Many of these items are requested by community members and are often common items found in most homes. However, they become highly sought-after items in the pantry.
To help fill this gap, Megan along with Downeast Director Jenny Jones came up with a “Donation of the Month” initiative to receive some of these items. In 2024, each month will feature a new item to donate to the pantry. These items include:
Jenny explains, “When people ask me what to donate to the food pantry, I often tell them to donate something they like or often pick up because someone else probably wants or needs the same thing.” At a grocery store, the requested items tend to be more expensive and customers pass them over for cheaper items or ones that are seen as “more essential.”
The Mission is also working on different ways community members can make donations to the pantry. Earlier this year, boxes were set up at local stores, including Bayside Market in Cherryfield. With these new boxes shoppers can easily donate right in the store. This Donation of the Month initiative is another way for community members to think differently about what could benefit the pantry.
Learn more about the Mission’s Food Security program which includes the food pantry.
This summer, the Mission held a health fair on Isle au Haut where island residents could learn more about the resources that were available to them in their community. Afterward, Director of Island Services Douglas Cornman and Sunbeam Nurse Simone Babineaux knew they wanted to offer a way for more islanders to learn more about resources available to them. Together with Island Services Program Coordinator Margaret Snell, they created the Inter-Island Health Connections webinars.
The series of talks started in October and will run for six months. Simone explains, “Islanders frequently talk about wanting to connect with other people living on other islands. We thought this would be a good place to start. The topics were chosen to introduce islanders to the Mission partner organizations who offer healthcare services and assistance.”
The first talk highlighted the Mission’s partnership with the MDI Biological Laboratory. The Mission is collaborating with Jane E. Disney, Associate Professor of Environmental Health, and the Island Institute as part of the MDI Bio Lab’s “Healthy Water, Healthy Aging” initiative. Jane talked more about the well water testing program and how islanders could participate. She also explained more about the connection between the heavy metals found in well water and overall health.
The second talk focused on “medication puzzles” with Elizabeth (Beth) C. Sylvia, RPh, MBA, BCGP. Beth is a retired pharmacist who volunteers for the Mission. She shared how medication may be affecting people in ways they might not realize. The last talk in 2023 featured information on mental health around the holidays. Ashley Pesek, LCSW, who works with Aroostook Mental Health Center (AMHC) and the Opiate Free Island Project, shared different tips to help manage stress during the holiday season.
The next talk in January will be led by Ruth Feldman, Program Director of Coastal Enterprises, Inc (CEI) Women’s Business Center Northeast. In the session, business owners can check in with questions and Ruth will share information on CEI’s services. In February, Jaye Martin, JD, from Legal Services for the Elderly (LSE) will talk about the different types of legal problems the organization can help with. She will also provide information on how to request LSE’s help. The final workshop will be in March with Maryellen Dube from Healthy Living for ME. Maryellen will share strategies attendees can implement to improve their health. Healthy Living for ME is a Community Care Hub which coordinates and integrates healthcare with community-based organizations. Currently they are working to increase access to health and social services and reduce health disparities within Maine’s rural communities.
Recordings of previous talks are on our YouTube channel. If you are an island resident interested in learning more about or attending the talks, contact Margaret at msnell@seacoastmission.org. Learn more about the Mission and the Island Health program as it serves Maine’s 15 unbridged islands.
Current Davis Maine Scholars pose at the University of New England
Earlier this fall, Davis Maine Scholarship Program Director Ace Barrera posed a question to Davis Maine Scholars currently attending college. What would have helped them better transition from high school to college? Their answers helped Ace and EdGE Secondary and Post-Secondary Program Director Christy Oliveri create a series of workshops to provide high school students with tips and guidance.
The workshop will cover a wide range of topics including being away from home for the first time to matching career and major. This series is meant to be a supplement to what students are learning about in school. The first workshop in December focused on how to move away from home and find “your people” at college. Christy explains, “Most students in Downeast Maine are moving at least one to two hours away from home which can be a hard transition for many students. Students who find a support network at school often have an easier transition.”
The second workshop in January will help students prepare for the difference between high school and college classes. Davis Maine Scholars have said that their college classes are often a challenge for them. They had to learn new study skills and figure out how to navigate things like faculty office hours and study groups. Mission President John Zavodny, who was previously Chief of Staff at Unity College, will share his insights from working with students throughout their college journeys.
The next workshop on in February will cover finances around college including budgeting and saving, as well as working while attending college. Mission Board President Matt Skaves, who served as Birchbrook’s former Chief Investment Officer, will provide guidance on different ways to budget.
The remaining three workshops focus on exploring careers and how students can match their college studies and major to a possible career path. The first workshop looks at how to turn an interest, ability, or talent into a career. The second talk explores tools and resources students can use to develop a career path during college. The last workshop will cover how to connect college majors to a future career path. Christy explains these talks came from students’ desires to learn more about careers parths when they are deciding on colleges and majors.
The workshops on January 18 and February 15 will be held virtually on Zoom and the workshops on March 21, April 25, and May 16 will be held at the Mission’s Weald Bethel Community Center, 39 Weald Bethel Lane, Cherryfield. These workshops are free and are open to students in eastern Hancock and Washington County. For more information or for a link to the virtual talks contact Ace at abarrera@seacoastmission.org or (207) 478-4334.
Jillian in the ‘Sunbeam V’ galley. (Photo by Tristan Spinski)
2,238. It is often hard to quantify the impact someone has had on a community, but one number the Mission reports each year is the number of cookies Jillian bakes. While this number might seem insignificant, it carries a lot of meaning. Islanders will stop on the Sunbeam to grab a few cookies and chat with the crew. Director of Island Services Douglas Cornman and Sunbeam Nurse Simone Babineaux often bring a few small bags of Jillian’s cookies to give to residents who cannot make it to the boat. As Captain Mike Johnson explains, “The Sunbeam is not all about cookies, but the jars at the end of the counter are emblematic of our philosophy. As is Jillian. Her part in making the boat a welcoming spot is beyond compare.” Jillian will bake her last cookie for the Sunbeam on a Christmas trip this month and will officially leave the Mission at the end of year.
Jillian says, “I am grateful for my time aboard the beloved Sunbeam. It has been a wonderful experience and my honor to represent the Maine Seacoast Mission.” She adds, “Islanders have been so good to me. I will miss them.”
Jillian was a well-known fixture at the Mission’s Downeast campus in Cherryfield before joining the Sunbeam’s crew in 2014. For many years Jillian had both attended and cooked for the Downeast Table of Plenty (DETOP) at the Weald Bethel Community Center. She eventually was referred to the Sunbeam when they were looking for a new steward for the crew. Now, nine years later, her welcoming smile and calls of “Hello, matey” will be missed by both islanders and fellow crew members.
“Jillian was effortlessly welcoming and a great addition from the day she started,” Mike says. She was committed to a “farm-to-table” cooking style and cared about the food she served. She sourced many of the ingredients for her meals from her own garden or from farmers in Cherryfield.
Douglas says this care and compassion helped made the boat feel like a home. “Her meals are frequently served family style with all the food being passed from person to person. Like a ‘mom,’ she is the last person to sit down because she is making certain that everyone has what they need. I cannot think of anyone who has ever stepped on to the Sunbeam that has not been spoiled by Jillian.”
In addition to being a welcoming presence on the Sunbeam, Jillian wrote about her time on the water for the Mission. She shared everything from her experience during the first round of Covid vaccinations on the islands to her new knowledge of nautical terminology (see her articles on list and fo’c’s’le), to how she was a steward without a galley. She also shared her love of art with her creating signs on the Downeast campus, including the iconic DETOP sign, as well as countless collages. Earlier this year, she shared her collection of photographs of the marquee sign in Cherryfield that she has updated for more than six years. The marquee shared everything from inspiration messages to important town information.
These varied interests and knowledge helped her on the Sunbeam. Sunbeam Engineer Storey King says “Jillian has a unique way of connecting and communicating with people. She has always focused on community.” Mike adds, “Jillian can comfortably chat with anyone. Her infectious smile and ease with conversation transformed the Sunbeam into the hospitality model it is today.”
And for one last time, here is Jillian’s famous cookie recipe as seen in The Bulletin from Winter 2020.
The Mission’s Christmas elves are checking their lists and want to make sure that you do not miss upcoming deadlines for the Christmas Program.
The last day parents and caregivers can sign up for the Christmas Program is Friday, December 15. The program provides gifts to children living in Addison, Beals Island, Cherryfield, Columbia, Columbia Falls, Deblois, Harrington, Jonesboro, Jonesport, Milbridge, Steuben, and on Mount Desert Island and the unbridged islands the Mission serves. Families can sign up on our website or call the Downeast campus in Cherryfield at (207) 546-4466.
Once families register their child or children to receive gifts, a parent or guardian can either shop at the North Pole on the Cherryfield campus or pick gifts up in-person at a Mission site in Cherryfield or Northeast Harbor. The last day for shopping in-person is Friday, December 22. The last day for pick-up is Saturday, December 23.
For those who wish to donate new items to the Christmas Program, the Mission still is accepting gifts for this year’s program through Friday, December 22. Gifts can be delivered or shipped to:
7 Weald Bethel Lane
PO Box 428
Cherryfield, Maine 04622
The Program needs items for all ages but has the greatest need for gifts for teens (such as gift cards, beauty products, and books young adult and science fiction books, are popular!) and toys from children (such as building blocks, dolls, and cars). A full wish list can be seen on our website and there is also an Amazon wish list to browse. The Mission also accepts gift cards and financial gifts for the program as well.
“The Christmas program deeply matters to our Downeast communities,” says Jenny Jones, Downeast Director. “Many parents or guardians ask for such simple items such as a new winter coat, or new boots, and with the support of the community we can provide those necessities as well as an unexpected but treasure, that really makes the holiday memorable.”
Each year, the Mission provides gifts to thousands of people living in Downeast and coastal Maine and on unbridged islands including children, families, elders, prisoners, and nursing home residents. Learn more about the program and its history on our website.
