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Thrive penobscot
899 Central Street
Millinocket, Maine 04462
Phone: 207-723-5288
Fax: 207-723-7435
Email: jdanforth@mrhme.org
Millinocket’s library is leading the Katahdin region’s response to COVID-19
“After a year of planning and securing grant funding, Mobilize Katahdin, a new nonprofit organization started by the Millinocket Public Library and social services nonprofit Thrive Penobscot, was set to launch in March 2020. Its goal: to address the lack of access to consistent, affordable transportation for many people in the Katahdin region.
Almost simultaneously as the group was preparing to launch, the coronavirus pandemic struck.
Matt DeLaney, executive director of the library, was faced with a big decision. Either stick with the original transportation-focused plan for the organization, try to postpone the launch altogether, or shift focus to the immediate pandemic-related need in front of the new group.
DeLaney and his team knew what the answer had to be.
“We had a huge problem right in front of us. Until we get to tackle the transportation problem, we need to be leading the regional response to COVID,” DeLaney said. “We had the funding. It would have seemed kind of wrong to just freeze the funding for the original plan, when we could use it to directly help people.”