Our Class Clash final numbers!
1998- won the most money raised- $1,650 winning the additional $1,000
2000- won the most unique donors- $745 winning the additional $1,000
Top 5:
1998- $1,650
1990- $950
2000- $745
1996- $400
1992- $220
WE ARE STILL TALLYING UP EVERYTHING AND WILL REPORT OUR WRAP UP SOON AS WELL AS OUR 2022 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS! WHEW! JUNE WAS A WHIRLWIND MONTH!
Residents of the 5 Mascoma towns are invited to stop by to shop with our friendly team from 3:00 to 5:30 pm on one of our two weekly pantry days:
Tuesday in Enfield at Huse Park on Route 4
Wednesday in Canaan in the MTD Building behind Canaan Hardware
This week look for:
fresh pineapples
oranges
Brussel sprouts
eggs
yogurt
beautiful greens from Open Woods mutual aid
sliced American cheese
low fat milk
First day back in our Enfield Pantry location for 2022. Many thanks to Lana for queuing up the transition an moving the items.
Frozen veggies and fruits await shoppers.
Eggs, cheese, etc.
Mable, one of our faithful volunteers, greets Enfield shoppers with Lana
Thank you to the Potters for volunteering on our first day back in Enfield for the season.
Lana has the freezer stocked.
Lana, our Pantry Manager [center] with Kate Plumley Stewart & Carol Cusick who stopped by to visit ahead of NH Gives last week during Enfield Pantry hours.
Mascoma Matters Project:
At our April meeting we discussed having an event for families with young children this summer. We heard from the NH Children’s Trust and brainstormed ways we could bring more resources and programming for families to the Mascoma Valley. We are looking for community members and stakeholders who can help our community with issues around isolation.
Our next meeting will be on June 16th from 12-1 PM.
Mascoma Matters Coalition Meeting (online) – Come and learn about opportunities to help your community thrive. Existing and new partners welcome. This meeting will focus on priority areas including supporting families with young children. If you have questions or would like more information please contact Sue Cagle.
Date: Thursday, June 16th, 2022
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 PM
Zoom Link: https://unh.zoom.us/j/95078708536
If you know of or are associated with an organization or town department that would like to present during our meetings, please let us know.
More information on our past meetings is available on the Padlet.
If you have any questions about our project or future and past meetings, please don't hesitate to reach out to Alyssa Lemmermann at Alyssa.Lemmermann@unh.edu.
We are excited to share that a $150k site-wide bonus pool, made possible by New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and its donors, will be offered during NH Gives. (There will also be a $15k pool of funds designated for organizations in the Upper Valley and a $20k pool for North Country organizations) A bonus pool is a proportionate match that is determined by the overall amount nonprofits raise online during NH Gives.
Friends of Mascoma has matching money to make your donations even greater!
$5000 Match from an Upper Valley Family Charitable Trust
$500 Match from Pellerin’s Bullring in Enfield
We have past scholarship recipients that are fundraising to earn more college scholarships money and for FOM. This year, past recipients can earn an additional $500 for either raising the most money or $500 for getting the most unique donors. There will also be two $250 raffles during the 24 hours.
Class Clash! Calling all Macoma Valley Regional School District Alumni! Sign up as your class champion and let’s see who becomes the first Class Clash winner! We have a Mascoma Valley business who will donate $1000 to the class that raises the most money and $1000 to the class that has the most unique donors. Be a fundraiser for your Mascoma class now!
Lots of fun and excitement!
Email to join us.
www.nhgives.org
One of our main programs is the Mini-grant program in which we allocate funding to creative ideas or additional resources to any staff member of the Mascoma Valley Regional School District. We have awarded $38,000 since inception.
We awarded personalized mementos to all past recipients created by our board members, Kate Stewart, Bridget Labrie, Matt Dow, and Holly West. The Friends of Mascoma board looks forward to receiving more requests in the future. To read more about this program check out our website. Want to see examples of some of the mini-grants awarded, take a look here.
Pictured are: Amanda Isabelle, Superintendent of the MVRSD, Kate Plumley Stewart- Vice President, Bridget Labrie- President, Carolyn Cusick- Founding Member, Holly West-Officer, Sadie Wells-Officer, and Matt Dow-Officer.
Learn more about the recall related to JIF Peanut Butter on the FDA website.
CANAAN PANTRY REMAINS THE SAME ON WEDNESDAYS FROM 3-5:30 PM.
Dear Mascoma Community,
As many of you may know by now, I have made the decision to leave my role as Executive Director of the Friends of Mascoma Foundation. This was not an easy decision, and I will greatly miss the FOM team and this community.
At every job, my goal is to leave an organization in a better place than before my arrival. The last three years have not been without challenges, but I firmly believe I, along with our Board and volunteers, achieved this goal. We weathered the pandemic, unprecedented shutdowns, and other changes to our local and global community. We expanded our donor base, strengthened existing partnerships and forged new relationships.
Not only did we survive these unusual times, but our organization thrived during this time. Friends of Mascoma has grown over the last three years and is poised for continued success in the years ahead. This organization has a lot of heart and I know that FOM, with its team of volunteers, staff, Board members, and loyal donors will, continue to do good work and achieve great things.
Thank you for allowing me to serve as FOM’s Executive Director these last three years. It has been an honor and privilege to play a small part in this wonderful organization’s story.
All my best,
Eula Lee Kozma
We are very excited to announce our first Mini-Grant Celebration will be held on Friday May 13th! We don't know about you, but we could use a little celebration right about now! Join us as we celebrate our past mini-grant recipients and their wonderful projects. This is also a great opportunity to learn more about our mini-grant program.
This year, our friends at the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits have added a new giving incentive: a bonus pool!
What's a Bonus Pool you ask?
A bonus pool is a proportionate match that is determined by the overall amount that you raise online. We believe that this will result in a more equitable distribution of funds. Site-wide matching dollars will be distributed as a bonus pool this year.
How does the Bonus Pool work?
Every organization that raises $300 or more between 5pm June 7 and 5pm June 8 will receive a proportionate amount of the bonus pool. FOM's portion of the bonus pool depends on a few things.
Final total of the bonus pool.
Final total of online donations by organization raising $300 or more
The amount that your organization raises online
The formula for the bonus pool is: (FOM’s Amount Raised online / Total Amount Raised online by all organizations raising $300 or more) x Total Amount in Bonus Pool = FOM's Share of Bonus Pool.
What does this mean for you, our loyal friends, and donors?
It means that every donation really counts this year. EVERY. SINGLE. DONATION. COUNTS. The higher FOM’s total online donations, the higher percentage of the bonus pool FOM will receive.
How you can help NOW: We are hard at work trying to secure internal matches, fundraising champions, and we’ve initiated a friendly rivalry amongst MVRHS alumni classes to raise money. If you are interested in providing a match, becoming a fundraising champion, or helping your class compete please email Info@friendsofmascoma.org
Join us on Friday May 13th from 3:00pm to 5:30pm as we recognize recipients from the first six years of our mini-grant program. We will host a short program to celebrate past mini-grants and to highlight past recipients. Light refreshments and food will be served.
What: Mini-Grant Celebration 2022
Where: Mascoma Valley Regional High School Cafeteria
When: Friday May 13th from 3:00pm to 5:30pm
Who: Past recipients, District staff, Community partners, friends of the organization
As you may know, the Friends of Mascoma Foundation is once again participating in NH Gives. NH Gives – an initiative of the NH Center for Nonprofits - is a powerful, statewide 24-hour online fundraising event that is designed to build community, connect donors to local nonprofits and generate excitement about the nonprofit sector.
Our friends at the NH Center for Nonprofits have changed things up once again. This year they are using a Bonus Pool incentive. A bonus pool is a proportionate match that is determined not by how fast your donors can click through the donation form, but by the overall amount that you raise online. Every organization that raises $300 or more between 5pm June 7 and 5pm June 8 will receive a proportionate amount of the bonus pool.
While we don’t know the size of the pool quite yet we do know that every donation matters! The higher our total online donations, the higher percentage of the pool FOM will receive!
WE NEED YOUR HELP NOW: We are hard at work trying to secure internal matches, fundraising champions, and we’ve initiated a friendly rivalry amongst MVRHS alumni classes to raise money. If you are interested in providing a match, becoming a fundraising champion or helping your class compete please email Bridget at bmlabrie@friendsofmascoma.org.
The Friends of Mascoma and the Mascoma Valley Regional School District have partnered to distribute food boxes for the April school break. Students from the high school will be volunteering to assemble and pack the boxes. We will also be partnering with our friends at Yankee Farmer’s Market to offer some special protein for spring holidays (or just because!). These items will be available during our regular pantries as well. This purchase was made possible in part by a NH Feeding NH Grant via the NH Food Bank.
We will have approximately 60 boxes to distribute on a first come, first served basis. No registration is required and boxes are available for all Mascoma Valley residents.
Pick up will be on MONDAY April 11th from 3:00pm to 5:30pm at
9 On The Common Way in Canaan
Right behind Canaan Hardware Store
QUESTIONS?
Reach out to Eula Lee Kozma at elkozma@friendsofmascoma.org
As you may know, Friends of Mascoma, has been working with UNH Extension to improve communication and address issues related to social isolation in the Mascoma region through our Mascoma Matters initiative. As a part of that work, we wanted to share with you a related opportunity being offered through UNH Extension, their Master Wellness Volunteer program. Have you ever wanted to take your volunteerism and community involvement to the next level? Would you like to improve your public speaking skills and learn more about building healthy communities? Are you looking to make connections and build on your professional development? If yes, this may be the learning opportunity for you.
Here is a link to the site and some information below. Link with complete description: https://extension.unh.edu/health-well-being/master-wellness-volunteers
Program Overview:
Are you interested in helping build a culture of health in your community? The UNH Extension Master Wellness Volunteer Program is an opportunity for adults to engage in learning sessions focused on creating community change for health.
First begun as part of the UNH Extension Well Connected Communities initiative, this unique program will allow you to connect with others as you build your toolbox for impacting individual and community health factors, environments, and systems.
Topics covered include:
nutrition
physical activity
disease prevention
health equity
public speaking skills
and so much more!
The next training series will begin on March 8, 2022. The program will consist of:
Six general training sessions held over Zoom on Tuesday evenings from 6-7:15 p.m. with independent learning requirements (time commitment: 20 hours)
Specialized training and volunteer service in one of three areas: nutrition education with food pantries, building community resilience or older adults and movement (time commitment: 10-20 hours)
We are currently seeking applications from adults from across New Hampshire. If you are interested in becoming a Master Wellness Volunteer, please apply below!
Questions? Please contact Zeanny Egea at (603) 600-8237 ext. 208 or zeanny.egea@unh.edu
Adults who want to volunteer in New Hampshire are invited to apply. Volunteers will undergo a standard background screening before admission. For persons with disabilities requiring accommodations, please contact Zeanny Egea. Given ample time, we will make any reasonable effort to make accommodations.
We had our Mascoma Matters meeting on Thursday 2/17 and discussed ways we can continue to address the key issue we've identified, 'Social Isolation', in the Mascoma Valley region. We also heard from Bridget Labrie about the Enfield Recreation Department and the Mascoma Lake Skating Association. One of our goals for these meetings is to network and share information about existing programming in the region. If you know of or are associated with an organization or town department that would like to present during our meetings, please let us know. Our March meeting will be on Thursday March 24th at 6:00pm. The zoom link is below. We are still crafting the agenda for this meeting, but we will have a short visit from Nadine at Unite Us (more info here: https://uniteus.com/how-it-works/) and will be discussing the recently released data from the Community Health Needs Assessment. More information on our past meetings is available on the Padlet.
If you have any questions about our project or future and past meetings, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Zoom link for Thursday March 24th is here: https://unh.zoom.us/j/95353842053
We are pleased to report that we have once again signed up to participate in NH Gives!
NH Gives – an initiative of the NH Center for Nonprofits - is a powerful, statewide 24-hour online fundraising event that is designed to build community, connect donors to local nonprofits and generate excitement about the nonprofit sector.
The Friends of Mascoma Foundation is excited to participate in this day of giving. Funds raised during NH Gives support our scholarship program and general operations. If you are interested in being a fundraising champion, helping us secure matching dollars, or participating in other ways please reach out to us at info@friendsofmascoma.org.
Did you know our mini-grants are considered on a rolling basis? 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. Visit https://www.friendsofmascoma.org/fom-minigrants to learn more about our mini-grant program.
At our January meeting Beth Wheeler facilitated a wonderful session. Thank you, Beth, for leading us through the impact and feasibility discussion. It was a very productive approach to considering what this group can accomplish. Beth’s slides and more detailed info are available on the Padlet. If you were not able to attend last month but are interested in serving on a subcommittee please let me know. The subcommittees are:
Addressing Communication and Connections Subcommittee
Addressing Social Isolation Subcommittee
Save the Date for February: We are planning for our February meeting now on Thursday 2/17/22 at 6pm. The zoom link is here: https://unh.zoom.us/j/96632763240
Here is a link to some upcoming training sessions provided by UNH: https://unh.app.box.com/s/hvzrj97r0mr5cco3bcl43l76wwvrq0fi
The guiding principle of FOM’s scholarship program is to support both traditional four-year applicants as well as trade school and certificate program applicants. Friends of Mascoma celebrates the pursuit of all forms of higher education.
The number of scholarships and dollar amount awarded is dependent on available funds each year.
The Friends of Mascoma Foundation scholarship application period is from January 1st through April 15th 2022. Applications are ONLY accepted through this website.
A successful applicant will be/display the following:
· A student in the MVRSD
· Demonstrate authenticity and sincerity (Mean what you say, say what you mean. Be honest.)
· Use clear and concise language (Simple, easy to read)
· Craft focused and relevant answers (Straightforward answers)
· Submit a compelling application (Shows passion or excitement for your next chapter)
· Be service minded or show a love of community (Has demonstrated commitment to their community through volunteerism or other relevant activities. Community can mean Mascoma, the school community, a faith-based community, a sports community, etc.…)
· Your application will reflect that you’ve considered, identified, and worked towards your long-term educational and/or career goals and that you’ve begun to incorporate them into your educational and/or extracurricular activities either in or outside of school.
Please share with anyone you know who may be interested in applying. If you have questions reach out to Eula at elkozma@friendsofmascoma.org.
Enfield Residents Gary and Annette Hutchins helping sort, weigh, and bag potatoes for our holiday food boxes.
On Wednesday, December 22nd we distributed nearly 100 holiday food boxes. These boxes included items for a holiday feast, pantry staples for the week in between Christmas and New Year’s, and a ham from our friends at Green Mountain Smoke House. After owning and operating Green Mountain Smokehouse for 21+ years, Jake and Koreen Henne, announced their plans to retire at the end of 2021. We are happy to have partnered with them and are pleased that we were able to distribute their hams one last time.
A crew from the Canaan Fire Department helped pack the final boxes.
This season’s food box distribution would not have been possible without our team of regular volunteers and the crew from the Canaan Fire Department. Thank you all! Happy New Year from everyone at FOM!
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