Welcome to the Insider’s annual Guide to Gifts and Giving, a partnership with the Granite United Way.
There are so many organizations out there who are in need of volunteers, supplies and donations, especially around the holidays.
Earlier this month, the United Way put a call out to the service organizations for things they’re in need of and then pass it along to us, so we can print it for the masses.
As you will soon see, there are a lot of places that need your help. And don’t feel as though you have to break the bank to do your part, just do what you can do and that is more than enough.
Thanks in advance for your commitment to help; it means a lot.
Bow HumanServices
10 Grandview Road, Bow
Mission: To provide assistance for basic needs for those who do not have the resources to meet these needs and encourage community involvement.
Towns/Areas Served: Bow
Adopt a family/child/ adult program: Contact Bow Human Services for family information.
Children/Teen Items: We are seeking donations of current DVDs, video games, socks, hats, mittens, warm coats.
Adult/Senior Items: We are seeking warm pajamas, flannel shirts, socks, gloves and sweaters of all sizes.
Food Basket/Food Drive Needs: Non-Perishable food items.
Gift Certificates/Cards: Gift cards to local grocery stores, gas cards, Kohls, Payless Shoes, Target, Walmart.
Deadline to Receive Donations: Dec. 12.
Contact Information: Deb Bourbeau, 228-1187, ext. 119, creativebow@aol.com.
Concord Coalition to EndHomelessness
238 N. Main St., Concord
Mission: Working to eliminate the causes of homelessness in the greater Concord community through a coordinated, committed and active effort of our many stakeholders.
Towns/Areas Served: Statewide
Adult/Senior Items: For our guests – warm clothing for fall/winter weather, heavy socks, long underwear, heavy gloves, boots (men and women), hand warmers, heavy duty rain ponchos. For the Concord Homeless Resource Center – laundry detergent, travel-sized shampoo and toiletries, printer paper, cleaning products, ice melt, paper towels, toilet paper, individual microwave meals, ziplock baggies (sandwich, gallon and lager sizes).
Food Basket/Food Drive Needs: Individual microwave meals – soups, macaroni and cheese, ramen, etc. Snacks – fruit snacks, granola bars, microwave popcorn, hard candies, etc.
Gift Certificates/Cards: For our guests – $5 gift certificates to Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s, etc., minimal monetary value cards so our guests can get inside somewhere warm and have a small meal.
Other Needs: Winter shelter bins – Rubbermaid commercial products 20-gallon Brute tote. Gray, depth: 28 inches, width: 18 inches, height: 15 inches. Standard snap lid. Available at Lowe’s for $22.48 each. We need 45 for the winter shelter.
Deadline to Receive Donations: Ongoing
Contact Information: Kathy Armbricht, 290- 3375, Kathy@concordhomeless.org.
Concord Family YMCA
15 N. State St., Concord
Mission: Our mission is to strengthen the foundation of community through a focus on youth development, social responsibility and healthy living.
Towns/Areas Served: Capital area, including but not limited to Concord, Boscawen, Penacook, Loudon, Webster and Pittsfield.
Other Request: We will have a giving tree in our lobby where community members can choose an ornament. Each ornament will have specific gifts listed on them to benefit the children in need in our Child Development Center and in our Kydstop programs, which include Concord, Boscawen, Penacook, Loudon, Webster and Pittsfield.
Deadline to Receive Donations: Dec. 19.
Contact Information: Karen Wimpey, 228- 9622, ext. 154, kwimpey@concordymca.org.
CSFP – Community Action Program
2 Industrial Park Drive, Concord
Mission: Commodity Supplemental Food Program is a supplement nutrition program that provides a healthy food package to help improve the diets of low-income seniors. Provide information on healthy eating, and referrals to community social services.
Towns/Areas Served: Merrimack County
Adult/Senior Items: New hats and gloves for seniors would be appreciated. Personal care items.
Gift Certificates/Cards: Gas cards, supermarkets.
Deadline to Receive Donations: Items are needed throughout the winter.
Contact Information: Judy Alarie, 225-2050, jalarie@bm-cap.org.
Easter Seals Farnum Center
120 Queen City Ave., Manchester
Mission: Helping individuals and families find their way to a life free of the effects of alcohol and other drugs through comprehensive treatment and recovery services open to all.
Towns/Areas Served: Manchester, surrounding towns and most of New Hampshire.
Adult/Senior Items: Items needed for adults would include primarily clothing and basic hygiene items. Sizes can include a range for both males and females.
Contact Information: Amy Ferri, 263- 6313, aferri@eastersealsnh.org.
FirstCongregational Church
177 N. Main St., Concord
Mission: Serving, welcoming, growing in Christ.
Towns/Areas Served: Concord area
Children/Teen Items: Hats, gloves, coats, warm socks for the homeless.
Adult/Senior Items: Hats, gloves, coats, warm socks for the homeless.
Food Basket/Food Drive Needs: For our own pantry – canned foods, spaghetti, peanut butter, personal care items (toothpaste, deodorant and shampoo).
Other Needs: Christmas cards for the prisoners at the prison before Thanksgiving. Supplies for school kits and clean-up buckets used for disaster relief around the country.
Deadline to Receive Donations: Ongoing.
Contact Information: Kathy Akerman or Sara Nichols, 225- 5491, secretary@concordfirstchurch.org.
Friends Program
202 N. State St., Concord
Mission: For 43 years, the Friends Youth Mentoring Program has screened, trained and supported high-quality volunteers who provide meaningful one-on-one mentorships for boys and girls ages 6 to 17 who are in need; adding strength and putting kids on positive pathways toward success.
Towns/Areas Served: 27 cities and towns in Merrimack County.
Gift Certificates/Cards: Gift certificates for activities, school supplies, food, clothing for the Youth Mentoring Program.
Other Needs: Support for youth programming in the form of items to fill tote bags for children to use during match meetings with mentors like card games (math, science, language, history, geography, fish, recreational), art supplies, coloring books, colored pencils, skinny markers, sidewalk chalk, I-SPY books, Cats Cradle, embroidery thread, jump ropes, juggling balls, Frisbees, yoyos, paper airplane kits, origami, modeling clay, baking mixes, Legos, model car kits, percussion instruments, etc.
Deadline to Receive Donations: Dec. 5.
Contact Information: Terri Smith, 228-1193, tsmith@friendsprogram.org.
Hope for N.H.Recovery Concord
85 S. State St., Concord
Mission: Our mission is to support people impacted by addiction through lived experience on their path to well-being.
Towns/Areas Served: Greater Concord
Food Basket/Food Drive Needs: In support of the community members that utilize our free peer support services and resources, the Concord Recovery Community Center of Hope for New Hampshire Recovery will put to good use the following items: meal bars, coffee, non-dairy liquid creamer, colored pencils, chalk board paint, sidewalk chalk, paper products (tissue, paper plates, paper towels, napkins), snack food (popcorn, chips, nuts, fun size candy), copy paper, bottled water.
Gift Certificates/Cards: We are looking for grocery gift certificates, Goodwill, Walmart. Any gift cards that would support supplies for the center and for supporting our members with their job-searching efforts.
Deadline to Receive Donations: Dec. 15.
Contact Information: Leslee Hayes, 715-9893, leslee.hayes@recoverynh.org.
Merrimack Valley Day Care Service
19 N. Fruit St., Concord
Mission: MVDCS has prioritized care of those with greatest need for 50 years; children at risk of abuse/neglect, low income, and children with special needs.
Towns/Areas Served: Greater Concord
Gift Certificates/Cards: Many of our families are food insecure. Gift cards for grocery stores and Walmart are much appreciated. Gas cards to assist families in getting to daycare and work.
Deadline to Receive Donations: Ongoing.
Contact Information: Rachel Kelly, 224-1632, mcdonrachel@aol.com.
Northeast Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services
56 Old Suncook Road, Suite 6, Concord
Mission: Established in 2001, Northeast Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the New Hampshire deaf and hard of hearing community through empowerment, education and advocacy for equal access and opportunity.
Towns/Areas Served: Statewide
Gift Certificates/Cards: Grocery stores, gas cards, gift cards or vouchers to clothing stores.
Food Basket/Food Drive Needs: With the need even greater this year, our goal is to collect items for food baskets.
Deadline to Receive Donations: Dec. 15.
Contact Information: Dana Mozzoni, 224-1850, info@ndhhs.org.
Pope Memorial SPCA
94 Silk Farm Road, Concord
Mission: We are dedicated to caring for abandoned and homeless pets, protecting and advocating for pets in need, and promoting the humane treatment of all animals.
Towns/Areas Served: Merrimack County
Gift Certificates/Cards: Sandy’s Pet Food, Petco, Petsmart, Staples, Amazon.
Other Request: Fleece blankets, fleece baby blankets, Purina One pet food (dog, cat, kitten), Kong dog toys, soft cat toys.
Deadline to Receive Donations: Dec. 23.
Contact Information: Shannon Camara, 856- 8756, scamara@popememorialspca.org.
WIC Program –Community Action Program
2 Industrial Park Drive, Concord
Mission: To safeguard the health of low-income women, infants and children up to age 5 who are at nutrition risk by providing nutritious foods to supplement their diets, information on healthy eating, and referrals to health care.
Towns/Areas Served: Merrimack County
Children/Teen Items: New coats, hats and mittens for children 5 years and younger (including newborn babies). New books for infants and children, up to age 5.
Deadline to Receive Donations: Ongoing.
Contact Information: Judy Alarie, 225-2050, jalarie@bm-cap.org.
Community Bridges
70 Pembroke Road, Concord
Mission: Community Bridges advances the integration, growth and interdependence of people with disabilities in their home communities in ways that promote their ability to have positive control over the lives they have chosen for themselves.
Towns/Areas Served: Concord and surrounding towns.
Food Basket/Food Drive Needs: Easy-to-cook food (canned items, mac and cheese). Basic holiday food essentials. Food baskets. Any food for holiday meals (turkey, ham, potatoes, stuffing), breakfast items, canned goods.
Gift Certificates/Cards: Target, Walmart, Kohls, Hannaford, Market Basket, Goodwill, local hair salons, movies, gas cards, vouchers for taxi services, restaurant gift cards, weekend community activities, GameStop, Best Buy, Toys R Us, Concord Food Co-op, Steeplegate Mall gift card.
Children/Teen: Clothing– T-shirts, sweatpants, athletic wear, elastic-waist pants size 18. Boys clothing size10-12 (no buttons or zippers). Long-sleeve pajamas (14/16). Boys pants (10/12), pants (4T). Boys’ clothing size 12, sneakers/boots size 3. Girls’ shirts and pants sizes 7/8, shoes/snow boots size 13, mittens, hats, snow pants, winter clothing girls size 4/5T, girls size 10 shoes. Clothing for girls ages 5 and 11, boy age 9, girls’ clothing size 6, winter jacket, winter boots size 5.
Toys –Video games or Lego-related toys. Trains or truck toys, educational/ motor skill toys, gears and magna tiles, colored pencils, markers, crayons, Star Wars plush toys, cars, Power Rangers Dinocharge or Dragonzord, Lego Ninjago series, Little People, coloring books, action figures, dolls, learning toys/crafts for girls, Legos, learning toys/video games for boys, books, dolls and learning toys, Leapfrog device, Leap Start or learning tablet Play-Doh, anything that plays music, stuffed pandas, Wonder Woman doll, Lilo & Stitch, arts and crafts, baby dolls.
Adults/Seniors: Extra-large shirts, pants size 34×29, women’s size XL for shirts and pants (stretchy pants), sneakers/boots size 9, personal hygiene products, men’s boxers (large), socks (8/M), winter jacket (medium or large), wool socks (large 10/11), warm gloves (large), warm hats, women’s small (not junior) pullover-style tops, junior size 5 bottoms (no jeans).
Other Items: Commercial-grade food processor.
Volunteer Opportunities: We have two adults interested in serving meals during the holiday.
Contact Information: Sarah Aiken, 225-4153, saiken@communitybridgesnh.org
