There is still time to apply for an FOM Mini-Grant in 2020!

For better or worse we are down to the end of 2020. That means there is just over one month left to apply for FOM mini grants in 2020! Don't miss out on this opportunity to get support. Past mini-grants include wool socks so students can go on weekly hikes, logic games for math class, a washer and dryer, art installations and much more! The application should take no more than 30 minutes.

If you need assistance please ask! We want to help our educators, but we know you are juggling a lot in these unusual times. If you need assistance with the application please email Eula Lee Kozma at elkozma@friendsofmascoma.org If you are ready to submit you can apply here: http://friendsofmascoma.org/mini-grants

FOM fund approximately $10,000 in mini-grants every year.

Cardigan Mountain School Tasty To-Go Meals are Back!

The Friends of Mascoma Foundation is pleased to partner once again with our neighbors and friends at Cardigan Mountain School. As their Fall term came to a close the food service staff at CMS prepared 85 frozen-to-go meals for our Friends Feeding Friends program. This partnership cuts down on food waste for CMS and gives our shoppers an exciting and easy dinner option! We miss seeing the CMS staff and students volunteer in person, but we know brighter days are still to come. For now, we are grateful for their support through the to-go meal partnership!

Thank you Cardigan Mountain School!

One of several varieties FOM received from Cardigan Mountain School . The offerings this time included pork and rice with vegetables as well as beef, pasta and vegetables.

FOM Pleased to Partner with the Mascoma Valley Ecumenical Council

2020 Annual Thanksgiving Ingathering

The Friends of Mascoma Foundation will once again partner with the Mascoma Valley Ecumenical Council as a resource provider for their Thanksgiving Ingathering. Each year area churches, in combination with local youth organizations, hold an Annual Thanksgiving Ingathering. The Council puts together food boxes for members of the community who need some help with their Thanksgiving celebration. FOM is pleased to work with the Ecumenical Council on this event. Click here to download the sign up form.

If you would like to receive a Thanksgiving Turkey/rotisserie chicken and food box on Sunday, November 22nd, please fill out the form and turn it no later than Friday November 13th. Boxes must be picked up by the recipient or their representative on November 22nd at St Mary’s Church Hall, Canaan between Noon and 3 pm. 

Enfield Mascoma Lions Club to Hosts a Food Collection to Benefit FOM

Our friends at the Enfield Mascoma Lions Club are graciously hosting a Fall Food Collection to benefit the Friends of Mascoma Foundation Friend Feeding Friends Food pantries.

The Lions have set up collection boxes at several Enfield &  Canaan local convenience stores. The boxes will be in place from September 25th to October 3rd and only at Huse Memorial Park from 10 - 2 on Saturday October 3rd.

At this time we are requesting “Snacks and Sides”. We are always in need of snack items for the schools and households.  Snack items: fruit cups, applesauce cups, pretzels, popcorn, fruit leather, granola bars, cheese & cracker packs, and veggie straws.

“Side dishes” are also quite popular and help round out our weekly offerings when paired with a protein and fresh produce. Side items include: seasoned rice, pasta, and noodle packs or other items for a one pot meals.  Knorr, Zataran’s and each chain store has their own line of them.

All items must be sealed and unexpired. Thank you to the Enfield Mascoma Lions Club for putting this event together!

Friends of Mascoma 2019 Annual Report

Cover of our 2019 Annual Report

We are Happy to Share our 2019 Annual Report

The wait is over! Our 2019 Annual Report is finally here! 2019 was a banner year for Friends of Mascoma, but when it came time to write about our achievements working through the emerging COVID-19 Pandemic came first. We hope you enjoy this delayed, but wonderful look at our past year. Click here to view the full 2019 Annual Report.

Friends of Mascoma Selected for NH Feeding NH Program

FOM Awarded Grant via the NH Food Bank to Support Local Farms and Markets

The Friends of Mascoma Foundation is pleased to cooperate with the the NH Food Bank on a new program called “NH Feeding NH”. This program allows NH Food Bank agencies to receive mini grants for the purchase of food items from local NH farms. This encourages shopping locally and provides additional support to local NH farmers.

FOM was selected as a partner in this pilot program. Funds can be used for produce, meats, milk, prepared foods and any items found at your local farm. So far FOM has purchased peppers, tomatoes, squash and much more from Spring Ledge Farm in New London, Edgewater Farm in Plainfield and Sunset Harvest Farm in Enfield. If you know of a farm or market that would like to participate please email Eula at elkozma@friendsofmascoma.org

FOM Receives NH Nonprofit Emergency Relief Fund Award

Friends of Mascoma Receives a Small GOFERR Award

On Thursday, August 13, the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR) announced the New Hampshire Nonprofit Emergency Relief Fund awards. The Friends of Mascoma Foundation is pleased to announce that we’ve received $2,966.25 through the NH Nonprofit Emergency Relief Fund.

There were 496 awards granted to New Hampshire nonprofit, 501 (c) (3) organizations totaling $39,792,601.

Information on the fund, including a full list of organizations who received awards, is available on the GOFERR website.

The New Hampshire Nonprofit Emergency Relief Fund was established by Governor Chris Sununu through the GOFERR. The State of New Hampshire awarded grants from the allocated $60 million to help nonprofit organizations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, and the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority, have partnered to administer this program.

Following intensive review by the three partners, in addition to review and adjustments by GOFERR, the Governor approved the final grants at 75 percent of the recommended eligible amount, up to a maximum of $1 million per award. In a press release, GOFERR explained that the award amount is designed to ensure nonprofits awards have parity when compared to other GOFERR programs that have only covered a percentage of eligible requests, while also retaining part of the overall allocation for future needs.

FOM is Ready for "Back to School"!

As Back to School Time Approaches, Don’t Forget FOM’s Mini-Grant Program

The Board and staff of the Friends of Mascoma Foundation wishes all students, families, teachers, staff and administrators a positive start to the 2020-2021 school year. This year may look different, but we know our little community will rise to occasion for the year ahead.

We also want to remind teachers and staff that we are here to help! As staff assess their approach to the new year and their needs shift please consider applying to FOM’s Mini-Grant program! FOM Mini-Grants are modest awards that help educators make a positive difference in the learning experience of their students. Mini-grants support, encourage, and facilitate great teaching ideas that would not be possible within the existing school budget.

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.  FOM organizes a Mini-Grant Committee that reviews and select recipients.  

Good news! Mini-Grants are now considered on a rolling basis. For full details on the program visit: http://friendsofmascoma.org/mini-grants.

Another Successful Pennies for Change Month with the Co-op Food Stores

FOM Participates in Co-op Food Stores Pennies for Change

The Friends of Mascoma Foundation was pleased to participate in the Co-op Pennies for Change program this summer. The Pennies for Change program is one of the Co-op’s many giving programs. Customers can donate their change to our community partners by rounding at the registers to the next full dollar amount.

The Friends of Mascoma Foundation was selected as a community partner for the month of July 2020. We are happy to report $1,157.63 was raised on our behalf. In addition to supporting its food access partners, Listen, the Haven and Willing Hands, every month, the Co-op selects 4 other local nonprofits to receive a portion of the monthly “round-up” total. Other July beneficiaries include Twin Pines Housing Trust, Headrest, and West Central Behavioral Health. Thank you Co-op Food Stores and participating customers!

To learn more about this program visit: http://coopfoodstore.coop/penniesforchange

FOM Receives a Grant from the Saul O Sidore Memorial Foundation

We are pleased to announce that our Friends Feeding Friends program has received a $4,000 from the Saul O Sidore Memorial Foundation.

A first-generation American, Sidore was born in New York City in 1907. After losing his job during the Great Depression, Sidore and his future wife May Blum joined her parents in founding the Juvenile Knitting Mills. The family’s enterprises moved to New Hampshire in 1940, and by 1955 Sidore was president of Brookshire Mills and Pandora Industries of Manchester.

Sidore’s business practices reflected his ethical principles and his interest in providing security for his employees. He pioneered a profit-sharing plan, instituted a pension plan, founded a scholarship loan fund to help his employees send their children to college, and he was the first employer in New Hampshire to hire an industrial psychologist and institute insured hospitalization benefits for employees. Sidore, who encouraged employees of all levels to participate in business decisions, created a joint committee of executives and employees to discuss their issues, and held quarterly meetings with all employees to discuss the company and its future.

Sidore was the owner of the Manchester Free Press, a member of the New Hampshire Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights, active in Manchester’s Jewish community, and was a driving force in support of the ideals of humanity and brotherhood throughout New Hampshire.

We are very excited for this new partnership!

Enfield Mascoma Lions Club to Host Snack Drive for FOM

We are happy to announce that the Enfield Mascoma Lions Club will be hosting a Snack Drive to benefit the Friends of Mascoma Foundation this Saturday August 1st from 10am-2pm in Huse Park. Here is a list of donation ideas: fruit cups, applesauce cups, granola bars, cheese & cracker packs, trail mix, pretzels or popcorn bags, Goldfish packs, fruit leathers, and veggie straws. Thank you Lions!

FOM Using Curbside Food Distribution

The Friends of Mascoma Foundation just completed our 4th week of curbside food distribution efforts. We have learned a few things each week and we make improvements to our systems as we go. Thank you so much to all of our behind the scenes and shift volunteers. Getting a new model of distribution up and running is not easy and our team has been great at making adjustments.  We know this is hard work on these hot days and we truly appreciate each and every one of you!  

We’ve been able to offer items from Willing Hands and the NH Food Bank.  Community members with gardens as well as Open Woods Farm and Shaker Gardens have been donating produce to us as well. We also have an exciting opportunity from the NH Food Bank to support local farms that will be starting in August.  Stay tuned for more details on that!

We will continue with the curbside model for the foreseeable future. Here is the schedule:

Enfield: Tuesdays from 4pm-6pm behind the Enfield Police Department

Canaan: Wednesdays from 4pm-6pm out of the FOM and MTD Garage Bays

For more details please visit: http://friendsofmascoma.org/friends-feeding-friends

Pennies for Change at the Co-op Food Stores

We are pleased to announce that Friends of Mascoma Foundation will be one of the Co-op Food Stores Pennies for Change organizations for the month of July 2020. When you check out, be sure to ask if you can "Round up!" for FOM.

Thank you!

Friends of Mascoma Awards 15 Scholarships to the Class of 2020

We had a lot of fun notifying our 2020 scholarship recipients in the beginning of June. We wanted to try to make the distribution a little fun since so many events have been canceled or shifted in these last few months. We went with a Covid-safe “big check” distribution!

Congratulations to this year's recipients! We are wishing you all good things as you embark on this next chapter of your lives!

Here is a complete list of this year’s recipients:

Mackenzie Labrie    $1,000.00          Friends of Mascoma Scholarship

Hawk Shawn      $1,000.00          Friends of Mascoma Scholarship

Hayden J Cook   $1,000.00          Friends of Mascoma Scholarship

Tallis Diehn        $1,000.00          Friends of Mascoma Scholarship

Nicole Williams $1,000.00          Friends of Mascoma Scholarship

Cassady B Putnam          $1,000.00          Friends of Mascoma Scholarship

Peter Michelson              $1,000.00          Friends of Mascoma Scholarship

Alek M Connolly              $1,000.00          Friends of Mascoma Scholarship

Michaela Dowd               $1,000.00          Friends of Mascoma Scholarship

Jaida Michetti    $1,000.00          Friends of Mascoma Scholarship

Cassidi A Timlake       $1,500.00          Carolyn A. Cusick Trust Teaching Scholarship

Liam T Hemmerling        $1,000.00          Malformity Labs STEM Scholarship Awarded

Olivia Bean  $1,500.00 Roberta Hines & Jerry Liebrand Science Scholarship in Memory of Velma Hines

Amelia Wilson   $1,500.00          Roberta Hines and Jerry Liebrand Healthcare Scholarship in Memory of Sadie Seamans

Kayleigh Thurston           $1,500.00          Roberta Hines and Jerry Liebrand Science Scholarship in Memory of Velma Hines

Another successful year for Friends of Mascoma and NH Gives!

We are pleased to announce that Friends of Mascoma knocked NH Gives out of the park again this year! We were unsure how successful our NH Gives bid would be this year. Our donors have been very generous over the last few months. We figured we’d give it a try and see how it went. Little did we know we would surpass our goal in the first few hours of the event. There were two exciting match opportunities so we thought we’d dream big and set a goal to raise $32,000: $16,000 for our Scholarship program and the remainder for general operating support. We asked and our community answered! We absolutely smashed our goal and nabbed big portions of both match opportunities. Many thanks to our donors, fundraising champions, fans, and team who make each year a wild adventure! We can’t wait to do it again next year. Here are our NH Gives results by the numbers:

Update: New Pantry Operations Effective July 7th 2020

An Update on Friends Feeding Friends Food Distribution

June 16, 2020

Next week, June 23rd will be the LAST week the Friends of Mascoma is distributing food through the pre-registration system with local law enforcement and emergency services we have had in place since March.  We will close all food distribution operations for one week and REOPEN on Tuesday July 7th in Enfield and Wednesday July 8th in Canaan.  Here is what the new set up will look like:

·       Walk up only.  No pre-registration is required.

·       All shoppers and volunteers must have a mask.  If you do not have one, one will be provided to you.

·       All shoppers are to practice appropriate social distance guidelines.

·       Enfield Pantry: Tuesdays from 4pm-6pm behind the Enfield Police Station out of the EPD garage bay

·       Canaan Pantry: Wednesdays from 4pm-6pm at the FOM and MTD garage bays

·       Who are these pantries for?: Our pantries are open to anyone in need of a 3-day supply of groceries that lives in one of the 5 Mascoma Valley Towns: Canaan, Dorchester, Grafton, Enfield and Orange.

·       How often can someone visit the curbside pantries: Once a week at either location.  If you cannot make it to either location during those hours and don’t have a family member or friend who can pick up for you, please call 603.632.4542 or email elkozma@friendsofmascoma.org our Executive Director Eula Lee Kozma. 

·       If you are not able to physically get to the either location due to health reasons or other serious matters please call 603.632.4542 or email elkozma@friendsofmascoma.org our Executive Director Eula Lee Kozma.  Special arrangements will be made on a case by case basis. 

·       What information is required: If you are a new pantry shopper, for statistical tracking purposes, we ask many questions. They are simple questions that do not require any paperwork on your part. Please come prepared to verbally let us know the name of your head of household, date of birth, relationship to head of household, and town and state of residence for each member of the household, as well as the number of and ages of all people in the household. If you are an existing pantry shopper we may confirm a few details, but you will not have to answer all questions again.

·       A note on safety: The Friends of Mascoma Foundation is following guidelines from the CDC as well as normal food handling and safety procedures. All staff and volunteers are practicing physical distancing of six feet or more, and signage encourages all pantry shoppers to do the same. All staff and volunteers are participating in mandatory health checks upon entering the building each day; anyone who presents with symptoms of COVID-19 or who has been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 is asked to self-quarantine before returning to the pantry. Pantry volunteers are wearing gloves when handling food, and they are wearing cloth masks when in the same room with other people or when stocking the pantry. We have set up hand sanitation stations inside our regular pantry and practice proper hand washing. Per the CDC and the FDA: “Currently there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19.”

ALL PANTRY BUILDINGS WILL REMAIN CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

NH Gives 2020 Starts in T-minus 10 Days!

NH GIVES

Friends of Mascoma joined the NH Gives fun in 2016 and we have participated ever since. In 2020, NH Gives will help FOM raise money for our scholarship fund and our operations. Thanks to the generosity of our donors our scholarship program and operations have grown rapidly over the years.

This year our goal is to raise $32,000 in 24 hours and we need your support! HUGE NEWS has been announced by the NH Center for Nonprofits! There are statewide matching grants of $250,000 and Upper Valley matching grants of $10,000. This means your donation can be TRIPLED (until the matching funds run out). We are encouraging donors to give right at 6 pm on June 9th so we can maximize the amount of matching funds we receive. Please join us on this wild 24 hour ride from 6 pm on June 9th to 6 pm on June 10th.

Want to be more involved? Here are a few ways you can help our campaign be successful:

• Become a fundraising champion. Go to our NH Gives profile, click the "Fundraise" button, and follow the prompts to set up your profile. We are asking our fundraising champions to ask five friends and family members to donate during NH Gives.

• Be socially active. Online days of giving are successful because of our social networks. Help us grow our social network by inviting your friends and family to like our Facebook page. Share our posts on Facebook, tweet about the NH Gives, and share your love for Friends of Mascoma. Ask others to do the same!

• Show your unselfie pride. Download the PDF sign, print it, write why you are supporting Friends of Mascoma, and post it to our Facebook page with the hashtags #unselfie #nhgives and #friendsofmascoma.

• Past scholarship recipients can "renew” their scholarship through NH Gives. Past recipients must be currently enrolled in a higher education program. Past recipients must sign up to be a fundraising champion for FOM during NH Gives. Past recipients who wish to renew their scholarship are required to email scholarships@friendsofmascoma.org before NH Gives to notify FOM of intent to renew and provide current contact information. Fundraising champions will receive 50% of the amount they have raised as a scholarship

Below are a few commonly requested links.

• NH Gives Profile

• Unselfie Challenge

• Prizes

• Leaderboard

Scholarship 2020 Update

The pandemic as been especially disruptive for our kids and the Class of 2020. We see you Class of 2020 and we are grieving the loss of class trips, field days, graduation celebrations and the typical end of year fanfare right along with you! The Friends of Mascoma is committed to doing our part to honor and celebrate the Class of 2020 as they close one chapter of their lives and open another. The FOM Board of Trustees met two weeks ago and selected our scholarship recipients for 2020. We will be distributing $17,000 in scholarships to 15 students. And the winners are—-Actually, you’ll have to wait until later this summer to find out! Let’s just say we are planning a special way to announce the winners!

Friends Feeding Friends Update

Friends Feeding Friends Enters Week Eleven of Alternative Food Distribution Efforts

These unusual times have thrown us all for a loop. Switching to a different format of food distribution for the last 11 weeks has been no easy feat. We could not be more grateful for our loyal team of volunteers who, in cooperation with local law enforcement and emergency services has been providing approximately 70 households (150 Mascoma residents) with fresh and shelf-stable food every week. Thank you to our team, Canaan FD, Enfield PD, Grafton PD and other onsite volunteers. We couldn’t do it without your help!

In addition to our standard offerings we’ve managed to have a little fun along the way. We even pulled off a Pandemic Pizza Party! Two weeks ago, Friend of Mascoma treated all of our shoppers and behind the scenes volunteers to pizza from Canaan Village Pizza, Enfield House of Pizza, and Mickey's Roadside Cafe & Tavern Room. We wanted to support some of our wonderful local businesses and treat our shoppers to a special dinner. Mission accomplished!

Last week, with the help of the Evans Group Incorporated who donated several cases of ham and turkey cold cuts we were able to do a sandwich themed distribution. With bread kindly donated by King Arthur Flour Baking School At the Bread Lab, tomatoes from the New Hampshire Food Bank and lovely LEF lettuce from Willing Hands we were able to provide some healthful non-cooking alternatives for the hot spell this week.

Lori Bliss Hill and the team from Enfield House of Pizza are ready for our Pandemic Pizza Party!

Scholarship Deadline is May 1st!

Money, money, money!

The deadline for applying for the Friends of Mascoma Foundation scholarship program is Friday, May 1st. Last year we awarded $16,000 in scholarships to Class of 2019. We are planning to award a similar amount to the Class of 2020.

Please help us spread the word so we get more applications before the deadline. Late or incomplete applications are not accepted. If students have already applied for post-secondary educational opportunities and other scholarships, they should have all the information needed to apply already.

Thank you for your help and support!