"Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone." -Zechariah 10:1

Spring has sprung fully in Maine and our housing season is well underway as we diligently prepare for welcoming our volunteers back to deliver help, hope, and connection to a growing number of our neighbors!

Keep reading for information on:

• May "Golden Hammer" Award Recipient: Damian Mooar
• Review of the Site Assessment Process
• Spring Fundraiser Update & Need for Support
• Calling All Volunteer Videos!
• MATE's Need for a 2nd Work Vehicle

Meet Damian Mooar - May's Golden Hammer Award Recipient

By: Dan Flint

Damian Mooar is a local volunteer from the Farmington area. Damian has volunteered with the MATE Housing Ministry since 2020. During that time he has worked on numerous home repair projects, and the Tiny House construction in 2023. Damian has worked on the rehabilitation of the McCleary House from the start of the project through the current ongoing work.

In 2020 when lumber was scarce and costly, MATE used a supply of lumber that had been harvested from Camp at the Eastward. Damian helped make this possible by spending many hours running rough-cut boards through a planer to get them suitable for use on home repair projects.

Damian likes to “work in the woods” whenever he has the opportunity, and looks forward to deer hunting season every year. He follows sports, in particular the Pittsburgh Steelers and college wrestling.

Damian serves with a big heart and is always willing to help with whatever work he is asked to do.

Thank you so much for all of your dedicated help, Damian!

To nominate someone you know for the Golden Hammer Award, please email us by clicking the button below. In the subject line, state "MATE Golden Hammer Award Nomination", include at least one photo that we could use for the story (the more the merrier!), and a brief write-up, such as the one above, about why this person deserves the award. We can't wait to see all the wonderful stories from our incredible volunteers!

This year, site assessments were done a little differently than in years past. Our Operations Manager and Assistant Operations Manager were joined by two knowledgable local independent contractors, Millard and Tom, who assisted in collecting the notes, measurements, and photographs needed to draft a material estimate to submit to local building suppliers to develop a quote.

These skilled staff members and independent contractors were joined by our Executive Director and three volunteers, Cindy from our local church partner Fairbanks Union Church, retired pastor MaryEllen, and Father Paul from another local church partner, St. Joseph's & Rose of Lima parishes. These individuals connected with the homeowners while conducting the site assessments, verifying that the information on their application was correct, and getting to know their story a little better. This information was then communicated with MATE's staff to help us continue to develop deeper relationships with our homeowner partners when we return to their homes.

Working together in three teams of two, we were able to finish site assessments much quicker this year, completing 63 in a mere week! After the assessments were completed, we sat down together to review the notes, measurements, and photographs to ensure that we had the proper information to draft accurate material estimates.

These estimates have now been completed and we are awaiting receiving our quotes back from the local building suppliers. We will be meeting as a committee later in May to determine which projects we are able to take on and to what capacity.

One step closer to changing lives this summer!

Current MATE Work Truck

Example of a Future MATE Work Van

As our readers know, MATE repairs homes in a 5-county area of Central Western Maine. That’s a lot of driving for our volunteer work teams and operations staff. Staff drive to deliver materials to work sites prior to groups arriving, get teams started on the work site, answer questions and make sure supplies are where they are needed throughout the week, and often pick-up the work sites after the volunteer group has departed.

MATE has one 10-year-old truck to transport supplies to job sites; otherwise, staff use their own vehicles, which makes it difficult to deliver and pick-up materials and tools when the truck is busy.

Dan Flint, our Operations Manager for the past 3 seasons, used his own work van to make those trips. He also stocked the van with special tools that made a repair job easier and faster for volunteers. It’s MATE’s goal in the future to add a work van to our fleet and stock it with those unique tools.

This season, however, we don’t have a second vehicle and are in need of one. If you, or someone you know, have a work truck or van that you would be willing to lend or rent to us for the season, or simply donate to MATE, it would be greatly appreciated and put to incredible use as we change a growing number of lives through volunteer home repairs. Please contact our Executive Director, Chris DeLisle, by clicking the button below.

We've already surpassed 10% of our total fundraising goal for this spring campaign!

Please help us reach our goal of $20,000 by June 15th to help us launch this year’s housing repair season, fund the ongoing transitional housing program at the McCleary House, and complete our first tiny home build-out!

We have faith in the seeds we’ve already planted together, and we expect great wonders, so please bless more lives with your gifts today!

Thank you so much!

MAIL CHECK TO

Mission at the Eastward

PO Box 206

Farmington, Maine. 04938

On a recent trip to one of our church partners, Allentown Presbyterian Church in New Jersey, our Executive Director had the honor of meeting Lorian James Delman, a parishioner who also makes and produces videos for National Geographic.

Lorian generously offered up his time and talents to create MATE a promotional video that will help draw attention to and garner more support for our mission of fostering lives of hope, security and dignity in Central Western Maine through volunteer home repairs and transitional housing.

That being said, in order to create said video, we need to fortify our media library and we are seeking videos and photographs from our volunteers to help us make this awesome promotional material! In particular, if you have a photograph or video from a long ago MATE service trip, we would love to incorporate that into this video to show how long the program has been running.

Any and all submissions are greatly encouraged! To submit your content to be included in this MATE promotional video, please click on the button below.

Thanks so much, and we can't wait to see the memories that you all have!

• Become a homeowner partner (click button below for application)
• Volunteer to work (click button below to contact us)
• Donate time, talent or goods in support of our cause to build lives in Central Western Maine

We look forward to providing quality content to our followers to keep you all engaged and knowledgeable about the exciting things happening at MATE because of loyal supporters like you. Give us a follow!

We are extremely grateful and very excited for the future!

Mission Partner Grantors and Donors

• Presbyterian Women
• Betterment Foundation

Mission Partner Community Members

• Western Maine Community Action
• Center for Entrepreneurial Services

Mission Partner Churches

• Central Square Congregational Church
• St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church
• Supplee Presbyterian Church
• St. Joseph & Rose of Lima Parishes
• Pilgrim Church of Duxbury
• Supplee Presbyterian Church
• Stratford Street United Church
• Allentown Presbyterian Church
• Presbyterian Church of Sudbury

Memorial and Honoring Gifts

• In memory of Bob Beauregard
• In memory of Joyce Shatto
• In honor of Cathy & David Myer's children who both helped MATE

Individual & Family Donors

• Thank you to our many individual and family donors who make up the bulk of our donor base. We are so blessed to have you all behind the work we're doing in rural Central Western Maine!

**for the purpose of confidentiality, we will no longer reveal the names of our individual and family donors**