Kennebunk Savings is working to make an impact in the fight against the opioid crisis and substance use disorder by giving away prescription drug disposal bags as part of its annual Spotlight Fund program.
“The opioid crisis is having such a devastating effect on our communities,” said Bradford Paige, President and CEO of Kennebunk Savings. “We hope that getting these medications out of medicine cabinets when they are no longer needed will prevent them from getting into the wrong hands and being misused.”
Safe disposal of unwanted or old prescriptions is a key factor in preventing substance use disorder. In an effort to target this one aspect of a multi-faceted issue, Kennebunk Savings has purchased drug deactivation bags from Deterra. By simply placing unused/unneeded medication into the bag, the medication’s active ingredients are neutralized, allowing for safe disposal in household trash. The Deterra bags are available to bank customers and the public free of charge at any of the bank’s 17 branches in York County, Maine and Seacoast New Hampshire.
Through the Bank’s Spotlight Fund, Kennebunk Savings has committed $225,000 over the past two years in support of substance use disorder prevention and recovery efforts. This includes $125,000 in 2019, which is being donated to support programs at ten nonprofit organizations, including Northeast Passage, SOS Recovery Community Organization, Portland Recovery Community Center, York County Shelter Programs, Hope on Haven Hill, The Triangle Club, York Hospital: Choose to be Healthy Coalition, Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition: Project Alliance, United Way of the Greater Seacoast: Granite Youth Alliance and Dover Youth to Youth. For the past 25 years, Kennebunk Savings has contributed 10% of its annual after-tax earnings to the nonprofit community through its Community Promise program. This year alone, the bank’s contribution will surpass the $1 million milestone!
Kennebunk Savings designates a portion of that Community Promise budget to its Spotlight Fund, an annual effort to direct grant money to a targeted issue affecting our communities. For a second year, the Spotlight Fund is focusing on efforts to combat substance use disorder.
