Many of you in the Searsmont-Belmont-Union area may know Mary Glidden as your rural mail carrier. What you may not know is that she is fighting breast cancer and she has no medical insurance.

To assist Glidden and her extended family through this difficult time, her friends in the community plan a fundraiser from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 3, at the Searsmont Community Building.

Carrie Boland reports the event will feature a live auction that begins at 1 p.m., as well as raffles, a book sale, a bake sale and an Avon table.

Beverages also will be available, she added.

If you cannot attend, or participate, but would like to help Glidden and her family, monetary donations can be made in her name or to the Mary Glidden Fund and mailed to Boland at 90 Magog Road, Searsmont 04973.

If you have questions, or want more information about how you can help Glidden, you can call Boland at 322-1325 or e-mail her at clbavon@yahoo.com.

Some tickets still remain of the 225 available for the Families and Children Together Longaberger Basket Bingo 1-4 p.m., Saturday, March 3, at Bangor Parks and Recreation Center, at 647 Main St.

Doors open at 11:30 a.m. and tickets are just $10 each.

To purchase your tickets, call FACT at 941-2347.

The fundraiser offers 13 games of bingo, two special blackout games and two raffles. For your information, no one under 16 is eligible to attend.

Longaberger baskets and prizes, including limited edition offerings, furniture, thank-you gifts and a variety of refreshments will be available to those attending.

All proceeds benefit programs of FACT, a family-focused agency founded by foster parents and social workers to assist children facing emotional and behavioral challenges.

For more information, or to view the baskets, visit www.familiesandchildren.org.

All Souls Students in Service to Jesus Christ invite you to enjoy a Lobster Stew Dinner with two seatings, at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, March 3, at All Souls Congregational Church, 10 Broadway in Bangor.

Tickets are $12.50 and can be obtained by calling All Souls at 942-7354.

The meal features homemade lobster stew, breads, salad and an assortment of pies for dessert. And, if you’ve not yet seen it, attending the benefit will offer you an opportunity to view the new renovations and construction at All Souls.

Proceeds from this delicious fundraiser will help assist the students with their mission trip to Honduras in June.

Do you have serious concerns about the possibility of a worldwide flu pandemic?

If so, you are invited to attend one or all of the sessions of a three-part series, Bird Flu: An Ounce of Prevention.

The first session is 6 p.m. Monday, March 5, and the second at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 8, at the Bangor Public Library, 145 Harlow St.

The final session, in the form of a follow-up meeting, is 3 p.m. Sunday, March 11, at the Greater Bangor Seventh-day Adventist Church on Route 2 in Hermon.

The free series features Dr. John G. Clark, who will address all aspects of the flu, answer questions you may have, and help you understand what you can do to prepare for such an eventuality.

For more information about this presentation, call 941-1146.

People in our readership area who go to Waterville for medical appointments might like to consider working with Hospice Volunteers of Waterville area.

That volunteer-based, community-funded, nonprofit organization has openings available for its evening training sessions, which are planned from 5 to 8 p.m. March 5-May 5 at the Hospice Community Center, 304 Main St. in Waterville.

Community outreach and education coordinator Deb Thurston reports the classes will meet Mondays and Wednesdays for the first three weeks, and on Wednesdays thereafter.

A hospice volunteer needs to be able to share two to four hours a week with individuals and family members facing a life-threatening illness.

Your nonmedical support can include companionship, letter writing, life review, reading, compassionate listening, respite for the caregiver or bereavement support for family members.

To participate in this most helpful program, a pre-training interview and registration is required.

For more information and to obtain an application form, write HVWA, 304 Main St., Waterville 04901; call 873-3615, ext. 15, or e-mail dthurston@hvwa.org.

Applications and a syllabus also are available at www.hvwa.org/help-hospice.

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