The Friends of Mascoma Foundation has been invited to participate in the pilot round of a community crowdfunding project with The Local Crowd Upper Valley (TLC) and Vital Communities! We are a part of an amazing group of social enterprises that are building community and economy in the Upper Valley. We are excited to use TLC to increase community engagement and local investment.
As you may know, the Friends of Mascoma Foundation is committed to combating food insecurity in the Mascoma Valley Regional School District (MVRSD) through the Friends Feeding Friends program. The program operates two food pantries in Canaan and in Enfield, plus is the primary source of food and personal hygiene items for the pantry located inside Mascoma Valley Regional High School. Pantry shoppers can come once a week for a three-day supply of food. We have refrigeration, so we focus on fresh produce, meats and dairy products as well as non-perishables. We also supply food for snacks, backpacks, family food boxes as needed and other pantry items to the elementary and middle schools.
For the past several years a generous private donor has allowed us to use their vehicles, including a van and trailer, for food distribution. Earlier this year the private supporter donated both the van and trailer to Friends of Mascoma Foundation, but we will now assume the costs associated with both vehicles. Use of these vehicles is essential to our Friends Feeding Friends program. The van has become a beloved part of our work and has been dubbed 'Foodie' by everyone familiar with our work. Our Volunteers and Foodie travel to the New Hampshire Food Bank once a week. Foodie also travels to Price Chopper and Shaw’s in West Lebanon and transports food to three different locations on a weekly basis. Foodie also helps transport food for school families during school breaks.
This donor has also provided financial assistance for our Friends Feeding Friends program in other ways and while we are extremely grateful for their support, we are interested in both our organization’s financial diversity and long-term sustainability. In other words: Use of these vehicles is essential to our Friends Feeding Friends program and it’s time for us to get our own wheels! Participation in the TLC Upper Valley initiative through Vital Communities is an exciting opportunity for the Friends of Mascoma Foundation as we become more financially independent and continue to deliver our services to the community.
Our campaign will officially launch in mid-November, but if you are interested in pledging your support NOW please email Eula Lee Kozma at elkozma@friendsofmascoma.org. No gift is too small and we will be giving away rewards! Stay tuned for more details. We hope you’ll consider supporting our Friends Feeding Foodie Campaign!
