Infant support pilot provides care packages in Piscataquis County

May 22, 2023

Every new baby in Piscataquis County will receive four packages during their first year of life — one for each three-month milestone — as part of a pilot project designed to support the health of parents and infants.

The project, called Bundle, has two main components: a website that directs parents to area services and resources as well as Bundle Boxes, which launched this month and will be distributed to families during their doctor’s visits.

Each box contains a book and toys appropriate for the child’s age and development, chosen to spark their curiosity and help in learning motor skills. Also included is something for the parent, like a Dunkin’ Donuts gift card, and printed resources.

Bundle is the work of Bangor-based Heart of Maine United Way and Helping Hands with Heart, a Piscataquis coalition that works to address food, emergency fuel and other needs of families.

The project, driven by health data specific to the region, aims to make families feel cared for while improving child and maternal health. The idea is to expose parents to area services in an inviting, warm way while also reducing shame associated with needing assistance, said Matt Donahue, Heart of Maine United Way chief impact officer.

Bundle focuses on the Maine Highlands region, which is primarily Piscataquis County but also includes nearby towns like Dexter. If the pilot is well-received, Donahue said organizers hope to expand to Somerset and Waldo counties.

“This was an ideal place to pilot this project due in large part to the demographics and challenges that people in Piscataquis County face,” Donahue said. “And although the county ranks very high for poverty and qualifying for services like SNAP, there aren’t as many families taking advantage of services.”

Among Maine’s 16 counties, Piscataquis has the highest rate of births among 15- to 19-year-olds and second highest infant mortality rate, according to data compiled by Heart of Maine United Way. It relied on 2019 data from the Maine Shared Community Health Needs Assessment and U.S. census figures, among other sources.

While some statistics have improved in recent years, the county still stands out for its health challenges and disadvantages. For example, 18.5 percent of individuals in Piscataquis live in poverty compared with 11.8 percent in Maine, according to the 2022 assessment. Of the county’s children, 23.8 percent live in poverty compared with 13.8 percent in the state.

Because there is a stigma associated with needing help — whether with child care, mental health of the parents or something else — the Bundle Boxes will go to all families with infants, regardless of their background, income and other factors, Donahue said.

“This normalizes the fact that parenting is difficult across the board,” he said. “There is no perfect handbook, and we want people to know there is support for them should they need it during this time of transition with a new baby.”

A team of doctors, parents, social workers and others helped create the project, Donahue said. Maine Families, Northern Light Mayo Hospital, Penquis and the state’s Office of Child and Family Services were some of the organizations involved.

The $225,000 funding needed to build and implement Bundle came from Heart of Maine United Way, the Maine Community Foundation and the Bingham Program, Donahue said. He expects the funding to cover boxes for the next two and a half years, or about 230 to 250 babies.

Bundle Boxes are distributed to area primary care practices, which give them to patients. They’re an incentive for parents to attend primary care and pediatric appointments, especially during the critical early stages of a child’s life, said Sue Mackey Andrews, a Helping Hands with Heart facilitator.

Students from area high schools recently gathered to package the boxes, and the first went to a Dover-Foxcroft family with a newborn.

Heart of Maine United Way is seeking $601,501 in congressionally directed spending to expand to Somerset and Waldo counties, which U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King have supported.

For more information, visit Bundle’s website.