Aroostook CA$H Coalition Has Successful Tax Preparation Season

It was another successful season of free tax preparation service for the Aroostook CA$H Coalition.

The Coalition is sponsored by The County Federal Credit Union and supported by 15 non- and for-profit partners

The program has existed as part of VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) and CA$H Maine programming for the last seven years and has grown substantially over the last three years under the leadership of United Way of Aroostook.

This season, volunteer preparers helped over 1,000 households file their 2018 Income Taxes.  The number of clients served reflects a 33% growth over the 807 clients served at last year’s program.

$1,152,443 were refunded to the clients taking part in the program.  One hundred seventy-two working families received nearly $200,000 in the Earned Income Tax Credit, helping some families move towards financial independence.

The program was possible due to the incredible team of 50 volunteers who dedicated almost 1,500 hours of their time to provide a high-quality experience to clients.  The team consisted of volunteer schedulers, greeters, preparers, and opportunity guides.

Athena Hallowell, Program and Volunteer Coordinator and Coalition Asset Organizer, had this to say about the volunteers. “These men and women who’ve devoted so much of their time and talent, do so in a friendly, highly-skilled way. They treat each client in a professional and courteous manner.  I’m humbled by their willingness to be a part of this valuable program and enjoyed working with them.”

Each and every tax return filed was prepared by a volunteer preparer and then checked for accuracy and quality by the Site Coordinators, Tim McMahon and Sandra Bartley.  Bartley has been part of the program since its inception, McMahon for three years.

If you’d like to volunteer for this program next year, please contact United Way of Aroostook at (207) 764-5197.