Holiday Food Boxes for Mascoma Valley Regional School District

Mascoma Valley River School District and Friends of Mascoma teamed up to make sure students facing food insecurity were fed during the two-week holiday break. Enfield Firemen’s Association and Knights of Columbus generously donated $750 each to supply hams for the holiday meals while the MVRHS Honor Society students packed the boxes. Our gratitude goes out to High School Pantry Coordinator Dawn Mardin and Social Worker Lyndsay Porreca for organizing the herculean effort for both the Thanksgiving and Holiday boxes. Thank you!

Christmas in Canaan Dec 7, 2024

A rousing Christmas in Canaan, a celebration of the holidays, took place on Saturday, December 14, 4pm - 7pm, in downtown Canaan, complete with family-friendly events, a contest, music, and food for purchase. Thanks to the efforts of Art Teacher Jason Jarvis and his band of merry food-makers, Friends of Mascoma was stationed in Canaan Elementary School’s gym to offer hot, healthy food (including our own Bridget Labrie’s famous Mac ‘N’ Cheese), card making, and picnic table painting (thanks to Canaan Hardware & Supply) while Mascoma Valley Regional High School band students perform for your musical enjoyment. The completed picnic tables will be placed at Williams Field for all to use. Thank you to all the painters, card-makers and donors!

Mascoma Boy Scout Troop 44 collected 193 lbs. of snacks for Mascoma Valley schools

Another rousing Hooray! goes to the Mascoma Boy Scout Troop 44, led by Joel King and William Rayno, who collected and managed to pack 193 lbs. of snacks for Mascoma Valley schools and $220 in cash donations into the trunk of a Honda Civic. They may be for hire if you need to pack your suitcase or a moving van…? Regardless, follow the link to their Facebook page for a fun peek at their collection event. Now that's dedication!

Stop by our 10th Anniversary Event on 11/1!

Help us celebrate our 10 Year Anniversary by joining us for an Open House and dinner celebration. We cannot thank our community, donors, staff, volunteers and supporters enough for helping us become the organization we are today.

We would love to see you on Friday, November 1st from 6-8pm at 9 On the Common Way, Canaan, NH.

Come by for some yummy food and great company to help us celebrate! There will be delicious food from some of our local favorites(Poor House BBQ, Canaan Village Pizza, Enfield House of Pizza, Jake’s, Yummy Cupcakes and Knot Just Pretzels) with gluten free options as well.

We will also be collecting donations during the event!

Examples of needed items are; individually packaged, nutritious snack items, rice & pasta side dishes, baking mixes, instant mashed potatoes, flavored rices, gluten free pasta and baking mixes, chicken, beef or vegetable broths, pie crusts, turkey gravy, pumpkin, and evaporated milk.

2nd Annual Future Opportunities Fair on 11/6

Last year we collaborated with the Mascoma School district to put on the first Future Opportunities Fair. We had over 30 vendors from businesses that offer on the job training, colleges, trade & tech schools, first responders, and military representatives. The goal of this event is to offer a look at the possible options during or after high school. Eighth through twelfth graders attend this event so they can start to plan for high school classes and beyond.

We hope this annual event generates excitement for the students as well as sparking conversations with family members and their guidance team as they explore their paths.

If you have a connection with or represent a learn/train on the job opportunity, internships, certification or education opportunity etc. please reach out to discuss being a part of this event!

Thrivent Feed the Northeast Food Drive Challenge Success

A big thank you to Community Lutheran Church of Enfield for organizing the Thrivent Feed the Northeast Food Drive challenge that helped collect 547 lbs of items for our Friends Feeding Friends food pantry. There will also be some additional money from achieving the item goal that we can use to purchase items hard to source from our partners as well as nutritious snacks for our students.

The power of community never ceases to amaze us and we are so happy to be able to keep supporting those who need it.

Hannaford's Fight Hunger Bag Program Partner- in November!

Friends of Mascoma’s, Friends Feeding Friends has been selected as a Hannaford Fight Hunger Bag Program Nonprofit Partner! This time, our organization will receive $1 for each $2.50 reusable Fight Hunger Bag sold during the month of November at the Hannaford in West Lebanon.

We appreciate our community partners and all of our wonderful supporters who help make these opportunities possible.

Scouting For Snacks 11/10-11/11

Please stop by and see the Mascoma Boy Scout Troop 44 for their annual snack collection event to aid our Friends Feeding Friends food pantry. We invite you to participate in this initiative by donating single-serving nutritional snacks that will be distributed to students in our various Mascoma schools.

Your kindness will genuinely make a significant impact on our Community by supporting those in need!

You can find Troop 44 at Huse Park in Enfield during these drop-off times:

  • Sunday, November 10th: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM

  • Monday, Veterans Day, November 11th: 7:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Welcome Heidi!

Please join the Friends of Mascoma, Board of Directors in giving a warm welcome to our new Executive Director, Heidi Reynolds.

Heidi has spent her entire professional and volunteer career advocating for and providing youth with growth opportunities. From working at Montshire Museum of Science, Northern Stage, and AVA Gallery and Art Center, to coaching sports and FIRST LEGO robotics teams, to pitching in at area non-profit organizations, she finds reward in broadening horizons and fostering self-exploration among students of all ages. A warm and welcoming Midwesterner by birth, Heidi has lived in every region of the U.S. and chooses to make her home in the Upper Valley. She and her partner live in Canaan with their Weimaraner, Hazel, and are always thrilled to have their three adult children home for a visit.

It’s Our 10th Anniversary! Come celebrate with us!

Help us celebrate our 10 Year Anniversary by joining us for an Open House and dinner celebration. We cannot thank our community, donors, staff, volunteers and supporters enough for helping us become the organization we are today.

We would love to see you on Friday, November 1st from 6-8pm at 9 On the Common Way, Canaan, NH.

We will be collecting donations during the event as well!

Examples of needed items are; individually packaged, nutritious snack items, rice & pasta side dishes, baking mixes, instant mashed potatoes, flavored rices, gluten free pasta and baking mixes, chicken, beef or vegetable broths, pie crusts, cranberry sauce, stuffing, turkey gravy, pumpkin, and evaporated milk.

Come by for some yummy food and great company to help us celebrate!

Food Drives

A big Thank You to the Enfield Public Library for hosting a snack drive for the whole month of September for Friends of Mascoma.

Our wonderful friends at Community Lutheran Church in Enfield are hosting a drive as part of Thrivent’s Feed the Northeast Challenge, starting October 1st until October 15th! This will benefit Friends of Mascoma Foundation and the Friends Feeding Friends pantry. Items can be dropped in the bin on the porch of CLC on 96 Main St, Enfield.

Examples of items would be; individually packaged, nutritious snack items, rice & pasta side dishes, baking mixes, instant mashed potatoes, flavored rices, gluten free pasta and baking mixes, chicken, beef or vegetable broths, pie crusts, cranberry sauce, stuffing, turkey gravy, pumpkin, and evaporated milk.

You can also always find pantry donation bins at Canaan Hardware, Canaan Village Pizza, and Enfield Village Pizza or drop items off directly at the pantry from 2-5:30 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Please be sure all items donated are within date.