The United Way of Aroostook believes closing Loring Air Force Base would have a devastating impact on Aroostook County’s ability to cope with the basic human needs of our most disadvantaged citizens….

United Way of Aroostook currently provides approximately $165,000 to 28 health and human care agencies and programs that served more than 16,500 County citizens this past year. That’s one of every five Aroostook people.

The programs and services funded by our United Way range from subsidized day care for low-income employees and students, to personal communication devices that enable elderly and disabled individuals to continue living independently, to shelters for the homeless and women and their children in danger, and a number of programs that provide training and services for people with disabilities and handicaps.

This threatened loss of Loring AFB comes at a time when the health and human service providers of our community are faced with dramatic reductions in federal funding. Compounding this is the fact that Aroostook is already one of the most economically depressed areas of a state struggling with a devastating financial picture that is seriously threatening our state’s ability to honor its commitment to the disadvantaged people of the County.

As if this is not enough, Aroostook is just beginning to come to grips with its worst natural disaster of this century. Even with the Allagash flood area declared a federal disaster, addressing the immediate needs of the devastation inflicted on the people there is straining the limited resources of our health and human care programs.

The effects of losing Loring on our member agencies would be traumatic. The most direct financial loss in donor support from Loring personnel is estimated to be about $30,000 a year. Yet this would be only the tip of the iceberg. Loring personnel are generous not only with their financial support, but also provide volunteer time, resources and talents which are critically important to United Way’s non-profit agencies.

There would be a significant loss of financial and volunteer supprt from the surrounding business community that would be adversely affected.

Even with Loring remaining a full-fledged part of our Aroostook community, the financial challenges to United Way of Aroostook and its member agencies for the next several years are formidable. If Loring is closed the impact could be more than many non-profit health and human care organizations could sustain. Without the resources and commitment of Loring and its people, these providers face a very bleak future indeed…. Susanne W. Sandusky Executive Director United Way of Aroostook, Presque Isle