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February 15, 2024

A Valentine's Day gift: Veteran wins contest for home in Bangor development

couple hugging Courtesy / Dan Cashman U.S. Marine Corps veteran Daniel Farrow and his wife Marie share a hug in the kitchen of their new townhome. Farrow and his family won the townhome in an essay contest for veterans and received the keys on Valentine's Day.

It was no ordinary Valentine's Day for one Mainer. Daniel Farrow, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran from Bangor, won an essay contest whose prize was a home in the new Maine Woods Townhomes development. 

He and his wife received the keys on Valentine's Day.

“It is wholly appropriate to turn over the keys to this new townhome to Daniel and his family on Valentine’s Day because we have just fallen in love with them,” said Emily Ellis, owner of the Maine Woods subdivision.

“They are hard workers who are looking to get more involved in their community, and they are the perfect first residents of this neighborhood. Not only that, Daniel’s service and story make this family more than deserving of this home, and it’s an honor to present it to them.”

In addition to the prize from Ellis and her team, a number of businesses provided products or services, including Ron’s Moving & Storage, Dunnett Appliance and Hammond Lumber.

Courtesy / Dan Cashman
Emily Ellis, left, owner of Maine Woods Townhomes, with veteran Daniel Farrow and his wife Marie. Farrow and his family won the townhome in an essay contest for veterans and received the keys on Valentine's Day.

The essay contest Farrow entered was open to veterans and their immediate families. The objective was to write about why they wanted to make Maine Woods Townhomes their permanent home.

Dozens of entries were received and a committee chose Farrow. 

According to his essay, Farrow and his wife were married last September. They have a son and both work. Marie is actively pursuing an MBA through the University of Maine.

“Of all the blessings, mine would be the greatest of all; I would get to watch as my family’s dreams come true around me,” Farrow wrote in the essay.

On Valentine's Day, he called it a "once in a lifetime thing. I don’t even really know what to say.” 

“It’s life-changing,” said Marie Farrow.

Courtesy / North Woods Townhomes
The townhome won by veteran Daniel Farrow and his family.

Maine Woods development

The Maine Woods subdivision is off of Lancaster Avenue in Bangor. 

Once finished, it will have 60 townhouse units, each with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. 

The homes are opening at a critical time, when affordable housing is in short supply.

Maine will need an additional 38,500 homes by 2030 to meet demand, according to a report released in October by MaineHousing, the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, and the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.

“We are hearing more and more stories about the housing crisis not just in Bangor, but in Bar Harbor, Rockland, Belfast, western Maine — really, all over the state,” said Ellis.

“This subdivision is a small attempt to add housing to a market that needs it. The first resident of this subdivision is a very deserving family that has already done so much for this area and this country. It is a great way to bring new life and new residents into this subdivision. I know they are excited about their new townhouse and we really are honored to bring them home.”

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