Mini-Grant Applications are Due April 30th

Any member of the Mascoma Valley Regional School District’s instructional or professional staff (i.e., teachers, counselors, librarians, paraprofessionals, or nurses) is eligible to apply for a mini-grant through FOM. Mini-grants support, encourage, and facilitate great teaching ideas that would not be possible within the existing school budget.

If you know someone with an exciting idea for a project that works for the MVRSD please send them the following link and let them know the next deadline is April 30th: http://friendsofmascoma.org/mini-grants/!

Scholarship Applications are Due May 1st

Are you graduating from Mascoma this year or do you know someone who is? Our scholarship application deadline is May 1st. For more information and to apply please visit http://friendsofmascoma.org/scholarship/.

Come and Join us! Thursday, February 15! 6:00-8:00 PM

Ever wondered what the inner workings of the Friends Feeding Friends Food pantries looks like? 

Curious about joining our amazing team of volunteers?

Wondering what type of resources we have to offer our community?

Please JOIN US for a casual evening of community conversation and see our food insecurity efforts to help our Mascoma Valley. TOUR our Canaan Food Pantry, ASK your questions., CELEBRATE volunteers, and LEARN MORE about what you can do to help access our resources or contribute.  

Treats and punch will be served throughout the evening and tours will be given regularly. Our first MVRHS intern, Kat, will offer a brief welcome and introductions at about 6:15 followed by CAKE CUTTING. 

Call for Garden Volunteers

Calling all gardeners! Do you have 1-2 hours a week for volunteering in a garden? Friends of Mascoma is looking for volunteers to help plant and tend small raised garden beds at EVS and MVRHS this spring and summer. Vegetables and herbs grown in the gardens will be enjoyed by students and families in our school district. Promoting gardening is another way we are working to reduce food insecurity in our district. If you are interested in volunteering please email hspwest@friendsofmascoma.org.

Have you been curious about the gardens at Enfield Shaker Museum? If so, this is another opportunity to be a volunteer gardener. For the 2018 season, the Enfield Shaker Museum is looking for volunteers for both its Village and Children’s Garden programs. These programs run from May through October. Village Gardeners help maintain and harvest the Museum’s herb gardens and production beds. The Children’s Garden program gives a chance for local youth groups to learn the basics of organic gardening from experienced volunteers.  If you are interested in either of these programs or would like more information, please contact the Museum at (603) 632-4346 or email education@shakermuseum.org. 

2018 Food Pantries Hours and Info for YOU!

Friends Feeding Friends

Closures & Cancellations

JANUARY 2018 TO MARCH 2018

During the winter months it is possible the pantries will be closed on short notice due to inclement weather or illness. Please be sure to follow us on Facebook and subscribe to the Mascoma ListServ for updates.

Please email info@friendsofmascoma.org with questions or for more information. In case of emergency please call 802.276.0189. You may also contact the Mascoma Area Food Pantry at 603.523.4333 extension 106.

Locations & Hours 

Please note NEW HOURS below.

CANAAN FOOD PANTRY

9 Mechanic Street (behind Canaan Hardware in the MTD building)

Canaan, NH 03741

Open Wednesdays from 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm

ENFIELD FOOD PANTRY

23 Main Street (Whitney Hall  and the Enfield Town Office)

Enfield, NH 03748

Open Thursdays from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm

Food Emergency Contact Information

In case of a food emergency please call our hotline at 802.276.0189. Upon calling you will hear a detailed message and be asked to leave a message with your name and contact information. Please be sure to repeat your name and phone number twice in your message. Please also make sure your phone is able to accept phone calls from caller ID blocked numbers.

For all other emergencies please call 911.

Volunteers

If you are interested in volunteering for our Friends Feeding Friends program please email food@friendsofmascoma.org or call 802.276.0189. Please note that all volunteers are required to read and sign a liability waiver before volunteering.

@Hannafords Cause Bag Program at their Manchester Store has picked Friends Feeding Friends Food Insecurity Program for the month of January!

So, if you are in the Manchester area and need to food shop, think of us!  For every bag sold $.25 goes to us!  We were the recent recipient at their West Lebanon store and received $32.25. (129 bags sold).  That can buy 60 meals at the @New Hampshire Food Bank.

@Cardigan Mountain School donates $984.00 to Friends of Mascoma Foundation

On most Sundays you can see the Cardigan Mountain School Van at our "Friends Feeding Friends" Canaan Food Pantry and Distribution Site.  Volunteer students from the school help with anything from unpacking food boxes and shelving food to grinding coffee beans for pantry set-up.  The boys had a fundraiser called , "Pennies War" and pictured above is a CMS student and CMS staff member, Corey Lawson, awarding their collection amount to Carolyn Cusick, Board Member.  We are so honored to have such great community partners!

Friends of Mascoma Participates in Christmas in Canaan, December 15.

Board members, Matt Dow and Theresa Sabol, set up our site in a donated space from @MTD Property.  We were happy to join the festive night by serving hot soup and treats.

Pictures are Carolyn Cusick , Kat Mc Dermott, our 10th Grade MVRHS student intern, Kate Stewart and Theresa Sabol.   A fun community event!

Friends of Mascoma Foundation Partners with the Mascoma Valley Firefighters and Fast Squads Toy and Food Giveaway In December

Pictured are Phil Neily, Canaan, Alton Hennessey, Canaan, Ed Carroll, Dorchester, Drew Burse, Canaan, Steve Kudlik, Grafton and John Nugent, Enfield----great community representation.

FOM helped fill 150 food boxes available to families with children.  Event took place December 9.

Holiday Food Pantry Closures

Please be advised that the Canaan and Enfield food pantries are closed the following dates for the holidays:

• November 23rd and 24th
• December 27th and 28th
• January 3rd and 4th

Please email info@friendsofmascoma.org with questions or for more information. In case of emergency please call 802.276.0189. You may also contact the Mascoma area food pantry at 603.523.4333 extension 106.

Gift tip! Don't forget about our Take A Seat Initiative! Great Holiday Gift.

GO TO: www.friendsofmascoma/takeaseat

Friends of Mascoma Foundation Participates In Giving Tuesday, November 28

We entered the special facebook Giving Tuesday Fundraiser which was supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation matching grants.  We thank all of you who supported us by donating a total of $1068.00.  That can add a scholarship, support an exciting teacher mini-grant or buy 2000 meals at the New Hampshire Food Bank.

Margarita's Fundraiser 2017

Doug and Shay Plumley have a date night while also supporting us by having dinner at Margarita's Lebanon which donates 20% of their proceeds to the charity. $700.00 was a welcome donation!  Thanks to all who came out!

Pictured is Kat McDermott of Canaan and MVRHS student, our very first official intern.  She was a big help to board member , Carolyn Cusick with our fundraising event.

News from Our Friends Feeding Friends Program

We partnered with our schools to help fill Thanksgiving boxes for 85 School families. This is Peg Vincent from Indian River School who spearheads Helping Hands. The MVRHS National Honor Society and Making A Difference also fulfilled boxes. Thanks to the @New Hampshire Food Bank, we were able to add 85 frozen turkeys.  We also partnered with the Mascoma Ecumenical Council to provide 50 turkeys for their Thanksgiving boxes. Look at all that squash donated from Blue Ox Farm!

Pictured is Dan Kiley of Enfield, an all-around awesome volunteer and Sonja Blair of the Mascoma Community Health Center who sponsored a great food drive for us.  Thank you!

It's official!  We now have a SUPER Canaan Pantry Distribution Center thanks to Matt and Becky Dow of MTD Property Maintenance and Construction.  Pictured here is Ryan Porter, a volunteer from Enfield who just finished operating our new forklift, thanks to a generous donor.  Come and visit us!  We would love to show you our new space.  

We are excited to add that we received a surprise grant of $1500 from The New Hampshire Electric Cooperative Foundation that placed this amount directly into our NH Food Bank accounts. Thanks so much!  That certainly is helping us as we partner with the Mascoma Valley Firefighters and Fast Squads Annual Toy and Food Giveaway on December 9.   

Cardigan Mountain School in Canaan enters a Partnership with Friends of Mascoma Foundation

We are honored to form a partnership with @Cardigan Mountain School's Community Service Program.  Every Sunday morning volunteer students and a staff member come to the Friends Feeding Friends Canaan Pantry and Distribution Center to assist with "behind the scenes" tasks.  Pictured is teacher, Morgan Wilkinson, with two awesome students. Thank you!  

Friends Feeding Friends Celebrates Selection as Hannaford Cause Bag program Beneficiary

Friends of Mascoma Foundation's Friends Feeding Friends, an initiative committed to fighting Food Scarcity in the Mascoma Valley, has been selected as a beneficiary of the Hannaford Cause Bag program for the month of November.

The Hannaford Cause Bag program launched in October 2015 and is designed to support local hunger relief organizations through the sale of the reusable Fight Hunger bag. 

FOM Friends Feeding Friends was selected by Hannaford store leadership as the November beneficiary of the program at the west Lebanon, NH Hannaford store. For every reusable Fight Hunger bag with the message “This bag has helped feed someone in need” purchased at the West Lebanon Hannaford during November, Friends of Mascoma Friends Feeding Friends will receive a $.25 donation. 

FOM is thrilled to have been chosen by Hannaford and has a goal of raising more than $200 during November, which is equivalent to 800 bags bought in support of Friends Feeding Friends. FOM plans to use the projected funds to continue to bring fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen meats, and other nutritious food options to Mascoma Valley residents challenged by food scarcity.

Friends of Mascoma Foundation is a nonprofit based in Enfield, NH with offices in Canaan, NH. Founded in 2014, FOM provides support to the Mascoma Valley Regional School District on initiatives that foster educational development for our students. The Friends Feeding Friends Food Pantries Initiative began when teachers and staff in the District called attention to the impacts of food scarcity on student learning and achievement. Our two pantry locations in Canaan and Enfield are run solely by volunteers thanks to generous donations from our wider community. Pantries are open to residents of Canaan, Dorchester, Enfield, Grafton, and Orange as well as teachers and staff who often provide snacks to their students. We also provide food to the Mascoma Valley Regional High School Pantry through our partnership with the school district. Learn more about us by visiting friendsofmascoma.org.

For more information on the Hannaford Cause Bag program, visit hannaford.bags4mycause.com or facebook.com/hhbagprogram
 

Lake Sunapee Bank Food Drive to Benefit Friends Feeding Friends

Many thanks to Lake Sunapee Bank, a division of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, for making our Friends Feeding Friends Food Pantries a recipient of a portion of the proceeds from their Food Drive.

Learn more about the Lake Sunapee Bank Food for Good Drive [here].

2017 Warm Winter Coat & Clothing Giveaway a Success

Lead by Beth Felix who oversees Community Outreach for FOM, the Warm Winter Clothing Drive collected and distributed a wide range of coats and clothing to families in need throughout our District.

Message from Beth: What amazing community I live in, I cannot thank everyone enough for donating to the warm clothing give away.  We were able to help so many families today. And thank you Canaan Fire Department for allowing us to use your meeting room. Thank you to all my volunteers Elizabeth J Rizzo, Sara Dunkerton, Kate Plumley Stewart, Jerusha Nelson Howard, Kaylee Felix, Ariana and Kat our new FOM intern. I could not have pulled this off without all of you. Seeing a child walk out of the station with the biggest smile on his face excited to go to school Monday and show his friends his new sneakers and jeans makes it all worthwhile.

The 2017 Drive and Giveaway has ended, but it is never too soon to plan for next year!

Donations were down significantly this year due to unseasonably warm weather. We realize it is hard to pull out and sort winter clothing when it is still 80 degrees some days. As our area cools down and you have a moment to sort your warm winter clothing and coats, please consider setting aside unneeded, modern items in gently used or like new condition for our Annual Warm Winter Clothing & Coat Drive to be held in 2018. Coats are often on sale for as low as $5.00 new in stores as Spring approaches; if you would like to give, but have already generously cleaned out your closets, this is another great way to donate to a family in need. The need is always greatest for warm children's clothing and coats.

Remaining items were passed on to other local organizations who serve our wider community including Claremont School District and the Canaan United Methodist Church's Coats Plus.

Art All Around!

Rebecca Powell, left, speaks to MVRHS Students during the tapestry cutting ceremony while her co-weaver, June Marshall of Enfield, looks on from the right

Rebecca Powell, Enfield tapestry weaver, celebrated the completion of a 2 year long art project sponsored by Friends of Mascoma Foundation.  We partnered with the MVRHS Experiencing the Arts and students from the art design class of 2015 picked a nature theme and Rebecca incorporated their designs into a woven collage. Students from Industrial arts designed and built the loom. The end product is an absolutely beautiful 4'by 6' tapestry that will hang in the Library. Next up is an official hanging ceremony in January!  

Friends Feeding Friends Chosen as Charitable Recipients of Co-op Annual Case-Lot Sale

The Lebanon Co-op Food Store designated the Friends Feeding Friends Food Pantries as one of the charitable recipients of their popular October Case-Lot Sale.

We were thrilled to receive about 60 cases of food including veggies, bananas, apple sauce cups and more! Many thanks to the Co-op and all who donated toward this great cause!

This follows closely upon the heels of a generous donation of almost $6,000 from funds raised in July through the Co-op's charitable Pennies for Change Program.