NH businesses, organizations do their part to support the community

Harvard Pilgrim Foundation, Great NH Restaurants team up on meals

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and Bedfordbased Great NH Restaurants have partnered in a Covid-19 Relief Meal Delivery Project, preparing and delivering more than 1,200 weekly meals for lower-income older adults and others in Manchester.

The foundation is contributing $52,000 to the effort, and Great NH is preparing the meals.

Through the project, meals will be delivered to the New Horizons Shelter and Soup Kitchen, Varney Street Apartments, The Family Place and Resource Center, Men’s Transitional Living Program and Women’s Transitional Living Program. As a result of the sponsorship of the meals program, at least eight Great NH employees will be back to work, the foundation said.

Harvard Pilgrim also recently announced support for three other Manchester organizations as part of its $3 million Covid-19 relief efforts: New Hampshire Food Bank received a $100,000 grant, Granite United Way received a $50,000 grant and Boys & Girls Club of Manchester received a $10,000 grant.

St. A’s housing for CMC workers

Saint Anselm College is providing housing for Catholic Medical Center healthcare workers who have been forced to self-quarantine due to exposure to Covid-19. The college and CMC signed an agreement April 7.

Doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and other health workers who are exposed to the coronavirus but have not tested positive will be able to stay in housing on the college’s campus. Thirty rooms have been prepared for CMC use. The college will provide three meals to each guest for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

$100k donation helps FIT-NH open temporary shelter

Families In Transition-New Horizons has received a $100,000 grant from a local charitable organization to respond to the various needs at the New Horizons Shelter and Soup Kitchen in Manchester during the Covid-19 pandemic. The funds will be used, in part, to pay for hiring an expanded staff in order to implement emergency response, 24/7 staffing needs and support a plan to provide safe surroundings for participants at the shelter.

FIT-NH is opening another shelter to temporarily open and operate a new location at St. Casimir School on Union “to better protect our participants, decreasing the numbers of people in one location and improving opportunities for social distancing,” said Cathy Kuhn, chief strategy officer for FIT-NH. “Frankly, I’m not sure how we would be able to move forward with this response plan if we didn’t have the funds to help us staff this temporary facility while we need aroundthe-clock presence. Our donor has gone above and beyond with a timely gift that gives us new opportunity to protect our most vulnerable population.”

‘Masks for New Hampshire’ continues deliveries to healthcare organizations

“Masks for New Hampshire,” a program created by SoClean Inc. of Peterborough and supported by several New Hampshire-based donors, has so far donated and distributed over 25,000 protective masks to more than 40 healthcare facilities across the state. SoClean employees served as couriers for most of the deliveries.

“We continue to hear from healthcare organizations across the state that have mask shortages and need a short-term supply. Our goal is to get these masks to organizations as soon as possible so they can help ensure the safety of those on the front lines who are working tirelessly to fight this pandemic,” said Robert Wilkins, CEO of SoClean.

New Hampshire YMCAs remain busy offering help

Despite their fitness and membership facilities being closed, YMCAs across New Hampshire continue to provide essential services in their communities during the Covid-19 pandemic, including child care, emergency food distribution, online wellness classes and check-ins on seniors:

• 3 YMCAs are providing child care for essential workers, serving an average of more than 150 children per day.

• 2 YMCAs are providing food assistance, distributing an average of more than 1,000 meals per day.

• 5 YMCAs are offering virtual fitness classes to more than 100 people per day.

• 5 YMCAs are offering special supports and services to seniors, including check-ins, virtual wellness classes, and meals.

Citizens funds to aid small businesses

Community organizations and small businesses in New Hampshire and Vermont will receive $330,000 in funding as part of an initiative through which Citizens Bank will direct more than $5 million to support relief and recovery across communities it serves, including $280,000 that will go directly to small businesses across New Hampshire and Vermont.

“We believe our approach strikes a strong balance between rapid aid to community partners addressing immediate needs and longer term support for small business recovery,” said Joe Carelli, New Hampshire and Vermont state president, Citizens Bank. “Our small business customers are a vital engine of the local economies so it is critical that we both give them an immediate leg up and bolster their longterm viability.”

Ink Factory Clothing Co. of Claremont, which makes custom T-shirts and embroidery, is producing a special line of T-shirts to highlight essential employees and is donating $4 for every T-shirt sold to the New Hampshire Food Bank. The T-shirts feature a silhouette of New Hampshire with “#Essential” stamped on the back and a company logo on the front. Companies placing an order receive 25 shirts for $240 and can purchase additional shirts for $9 each. The Food Bank receives $4 for every shirt sold, a minimum of $100 raised per order, through April. Order forms are available at inkfactoryclothing.com.

In New Hampshire, the support involves $100,000 for the Community Development Finance Authority to provide discretionary grants and technical assistance to small businesses; $180,000 in direct grants to Citizens Bank small business customers in New Hampshire and Vermont to help them continue operating and recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic; and $40,000 to the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Community Crisis Action Fund.

Bangor Savings targets food security

The Bangor Savings Bank Foundation has awarded $100,000 in grants to five New Hampshire and Maine nonprofits that are focusing on food security. The Foundation is also donating an additional $25,000 during an upcoming telethon for COVID-19 response.

In New Hampshire, the money was distributed to: the New Hampshire Food Bank ($25,000); Gather of Portsmouth ($7,500); and NEK Community Action, Colebrook ($7,500).

Martignetti aids restaurant workers

Martignetti Companies of Taunton, Mass., a distributor of fine wines and spirits, has committed $250,000 in charitable contributions to both local and national organizations to support and assist restaurant industry employees experiencing hardship during the coronavirus crisis.

Locally, Martignetti has donated $20,000 to The New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Foundations’ Hospitality Employee Relief Fund.

NH Food Bank receives $50k Easter Bank Foundation grant

The New Hampshire Food Bank also has received a $50,000 grant from Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation to help it purchase food to support the growing need due to the coronavirus pandemic. The grant is part of a $3 million commitment Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation is making to targeted nonprofits focused on Covid-19 relief, which is helping communities across New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island with grants supporting regional community organizations’ assistance.

Elliot nurses design, manufacture disposable and washable gowns for healthcare personnel

With a mix of talent and innovative spirit, some inspired nurses at Elliot Hospital in Manchester took on the challenge of enhancing supplies of personal protective equipment, or PPE, which has been in short supply in New Hampshire and across the country.

Registered nurse Heidi Kukla, who works in the intensive care unit at Elliot, developed a pattern for a disposable, detachable gown. Working with colleagues who volunteered their time, Kukla developed prototypes that went to infection prevention staff for testing and review. Once the teams landed on a design and material that met the necessary clinical standards, Kukla reached out to fellow ICU nurse Stephanie Joyce, who also owns AR Workshop on Elm Street in Manchester, for help.

AR Workshop, which closed because of the governor’s stay-at-home order, has been transformed into a gown-making shop.

SolutionHealth, parent company of the Elliot and Southern New Hampshire Health in Nashua, purchased materials for the group to create more gowns to be used at both facilities.