December 2009: Downeast Energy in Hallowell Brings Holiday Cheer to a Family in Need
HALLOWELL, MAINE, December 18, 2009 –Downeast Energy’s Hallowell office traditionally gets into the holiday spirit by holding a Yankee swap with employees. This year they decided to extend their generosity to a family in the community.

Santa Claus visited the Hallowell office with gifts for the Burk family of Jefferson. April and Rob Burk have had a tough year. April is a nurse and has been battling cancer and Rob is a volunteer firefighter but he recently lost his job due to a disability. They have three children, Sean age 12, Samantha age 11, and Jonathan age, 8.

The employees at Downeast, along with help from a little elf, the captain of the Whitefield Fire Department, put together a wish list of toys that the children wanted for Christmas. Gift tags, each listing a toy, hung on the office Christmas tree so employees could pick a tag and get a gift for the Burk children.

“Everyone feels blessed that they have a good job with a good company. There are people out there that are hurting this year and we wanted to share the holiday spirit of giving with a family in the community that needs a little help,” said Jim Pietkiewicz, Hallowell manager.

The children received close to 100 gifts from the company and Downeast employees also gave the family a $100 gift certificate to Hannafords to help with their Christmas dinner.