Blog
National Alcohol Awareness Month – April
April being Alcohol Awareness Month is a great opportunity to highlight the harmful effects of drinking alcohol at a young age. Underage drinking can have serious consequences, both in the short and long term. Here are some harmful effects of underage drinking:...
We All Have a Role: Setting the Community Stage so Youth Know they Matter
Who has a role in making our children, youth, families and community thrive? I think we all do. We cannot ask most people if they feel they matter to other people in their communities. But it is a question asked of middle and high school youth on the Maine Integrated...
Free Family Fun for Fans of Reading!
Part of living your healthiest life is enjoying fresh air and exercise. Two great, free ways to do that in Kennebec County are StoryWalks® and Little Free Libraries! What is a StoryWalk®? StoryWalk® is an innovative and delightful way for children — and adults! — to...
Cony Key Club Educates 7th, 8th Grade
Summary Augusta's Cony High School students saw the concerning amount of vaping among their peers, and called in Healthy Communities of the Capital Area (HCCA) to help do something about it. The students, members of Key Club, gathered 350 seventh and eighth grade...
Declutter
Spring is right around the corner! In just a few short days the sun will be shining, birds chirping, and plants sprouting. Spring is a great time to tackle some of those projects shelved during the winter. It’s also a great time to clean, declutter, and refresh your...
Launching the First Annual Maine Farm & Sea to School Institute!
School nutrition programs across Maine will soon sustainably incorporate local foods into their school meals, thanks to a new Farm & Sea to School Institute hosted by Healthy Communities of the Capital Area. HCCA, the fiscal home of Maine Farm to School,...
Maine Farmer’s Markets: Find Yourself in the Local Produce
What better way to spend a cold winter day than at your local farmer’s market? The farmers market is the perfect place to get fresh seasonal produce and locally crafted products any time of year. While not every market is open during the winter time there are several...
Overcoming the Winter Woes
January can feel like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, the busyness, anticipation and excitement of the holiday season has now faded into a possible return to some normalcy that may be somehow tainted with a hint of disappointment or perhaps...
One Community Working Together, Thriving Together
Creating Communities where Youth Thrive Gardiner Thrives includes the communities of Gardiner, Pittston, Randolph, & West Gardiner Funded by a Drug Free Communities grant, the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program is the nation’s leading effort to mobilize...
May You Thrive
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The month of May gives people and organizations an opportunity to shine a light on awareness around mental health and the added impact of stigma that surrounds mental health issues. This article focuses on resources available to...
Growing Goodness
by Rachael Reynolds Spring has sprung and many of us find our thoughts turning to outdoor activities and gardening. Gardening is a great way to get yourself outdoors and interacting with nature. It’s also an amazing way to show children how things grow and where some...
March Madness in Maine: Celebrate the Coming of Spring With This Healthy Recipe
March could make anyone feel like they may be going mad with its fluctuating weather and temperatures. On the bright side, it also marks the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring!By the way:1. Change Your Clocks on Sunday, March 14th!In Spring we spring our clocks...
6 Useful Tips to Break Cabin Fever
While winter can be a wonderful time of year for outdoor activities like sledding, snowshoeing, ice fishing, and skiing, it can also seem to drag on for many of us that aren’t able to participate in these types of activities. For some the season can mean days on end...
Winter Wonderland
Winter can be a wonderful time of year, but it can also leave you wondering why you live in a region where it can be so cold and snowy. If you are or you have found yourself becoming, a person who likes winter less and less, do not despair. There are so many things...
Six Sensational Soups
Soup has to be the most versatile of all the mealtime menu ideas. Soup is a fantastic way to use up leftover veggies, they are filling, full of fiber, nutrients and will warm you through and through. There seems to be a million ways to make it and you’ll find a few of...
Savor the Season with Squash & Root Veggies
What better way to spend a cool fall day than cooking up some seasonal delights? Hearty squash varieties and root vegetables (fresh, frozen or canned) are flavorful all on their own or can serve as a backdrop for sweet, savory or spicy stocks and sauces. Winter squash...
5 Fantastic Fall Activities for Families
Fall Leaves Finger Painting This activity is great for pre-k and elementary age children. You will need a piece of brown construction paper (or white paper, brown paint/ markers/crayons), scissors, a glue stick and red, green, orange and yellow non-toxic finger...
Why HCCA is so passionate about serving LGBTQ+ Youth in Maine
12JUNE, 2020Initiatives Community Care SocietyNewsflash: HCCA is about to launch a brand new LGBTQ+-focused effort in partnership with OutMaine! Read on to learn more…It’s June, and HCCA is joining LGBTQ+ people and allies in celebrating Pride 2020! Given the current...
Home with the family for the month of April: what better time to start conversations about underage drinking and drugs?
April is National Alcohol Awareness Month. This is a time that the nation takes a look at alcohol use rates, and how we can all help underage drinking rates to continue to lower. Alcohol is the most used substance by American youth. In Kennebec County, 35% of youth...
Why the COVID-19 Crisis might be the Best Time to Quit Tobacco
These past weeks have been stressful for all of us, and quitting tobacco might seem impossible in such a challenging time. However, we know that compromising your lungs can put you at greater risk for COVID-19 – and we know it is possible to quit if you are motivated...