From Eastern Agency on Aging comes a request for “some dedicated people” to help with home delivery and serve noontime meals to

seniors in community dining rooms, reports Carol Higgins, EAA director of communications.

Meal delivery drivers are needed for the Bangor area and in Ellsworth, Lincoln, Newport, Milo, Sedgwick and Calais.

And she wants you to know, especially now with the high cost of gasoline, that drivers can get mileage reimbursement.

Your help is also needed to set, clear and serve in the EAA dining rooms in Ellsworth, Lincoln, Greenville, Newport and the Bangor House.

In addition to needing volunteers for those tasks, Higgins wrote that someone who is willing to accept responsibility might “consider overseeing” one of the dining rooms.

Hampden needs someone once a week and the Meadows site in Ellsworth needs someone twice a week, as does the Holden site.

“You are not in this alone,” Higgins wrote. “There is a great group of volunteers there to help. Time commitment is up to the volunteer.”

She wants you to know that if you volunteer every day, once a week, “even once a month, it would be a big help.

“Every hour makes a difference in the lives of those who attend the dining rooms, and those receiving meals in their homes.”

People willing to volunteer for any of these positions are asked to call Roberta Macko, (800) 432-7812.

Joyce Schoppe sent along information to let readers know that Maine Coast Memorial Hospital volunteers are holding their fifth annual Craft Fair & Chinese Auction from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, at MCMH, 50 Union St. in Ellsworth.

The fundraiser coincides with Autumn Gold Weekend, which is held by the Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce.

Last week, I spoke with Terri Swanson, MCMH director of Volunteer Services, Maine Coast Lifeline, who told me that 35 Maine crafters, up from 22 last year, will participate in the event.

And, due to the fact that the fundraiser “has outgrown its original site, it will be held outside the hospital, under a big white tent.”

Swanson also said there are more than 100 items in the Chinese auction, ranging from one-year fitness club memberships to a pink Maine tourmaline necklace.

“These are wonderful items for just a 50-cent ticket,” she added.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Maine Coast Lifeline Scholarship Program which, Swanson explained, “continues to allow folks the opportunity to remain safely and independently in their homes.”

You are invited to enjoy the Monroe Community Library second annual art exhibit from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday Sept. 30, at the library, which is located in Monroe Town Hall, 8 Swan Lake Ave. on Route 141.

The event features the work of many local artists, including Nancy Blatz, Kenny Cole, Squidge Davis, Forrest Hart, and Alison Rector.

Catered refreshments will be served for opening night on Friday.

For more information, call Blatz at 525-4410, or Sharon Smith at 525-3264.

The exhibit is a free community outreach program.

Tracy Strathdee and Greta Grant wrote recently to let readers know that franchisees at the H&R Block offices in Bangor and Brewer are available to assist people with the Maine Property Tax and Rent Refund Applications.

“We do not charge for this service,” they wrote of providing help with forms that “can be confusing. We try to take the stress out of it for people,” they added.

If you want to take advantage of this free service, you should call 947-0333 to schedule an appointment.

Plan to bring the application booklet you received in the mail or can pick up from your town office; a copy of your 2005 tax return, unless it was prepared at one of the H&R Block offices in Bangor or Brewer; and the amount of property tax or rent you paid.

Their office is at 15 Perkins St., Bangor.

Calista Hannigan, President of Orono-Old Town Kiwanis Club, reports its 59th annual auction in July was a record-setter.

The event raised more than $60,000 “to be returned to the communities during the coming year,” she wrote.

Thanks to your participation, the club will continue to assist “the children, elderly and needy of our two communities.”

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8288.