ISLAND FALLS – United Way of Aroostook County says some County residents will be warmer this winter because of the generosity of workers at the local unit of National Starch and Chemical Co.

Claudia Stevens, the County’s United Way executive director, said the area employees of the New Jersey-based company were recognized by UWA after some 80 percent of the 70 employees at the Island Falls plant donated $4,349 to the organization this year, setting a record for the plant.

The company’s funding arm, National Starch and Chemical Foundation, decided to match that amount, bringing the total to nearly $8,700.

“This money will help us get through the coming winter,” Stevens said in a news release, adding that the Island Falls contribution would be put into a pool of money that helps provide emergency fuel assistance to the needy.

United Way of Aroostook supports about 30 social service agencies in the County and last year helped some 30,000 people in the region.

Ryan Albert, quality manager and the United Way coordinator at NSC in Island Falls, said in a statement that the plant’s employees know how important their donations are to area organizations.

Over the past few years, the NSC foundation has funded scholarships and other projects at Katahdin Area High School and assisted the Sherman Library.

In July, the foundation contributed money to the Houlton Regional Health Services Foundation’s campaign to buy a nuclear medicine imaging machine for Houlton Regional Hospital.

National Starch and Chemical is a manufacturer of adhesives, food starches and other materials. The 110-year-old business allows its branch offices to choose grant and donation recipients each year.