1 E. & J. Gallo Winery, Pine State Beverage and the New Hampshire Liquor Commission recently collaborated to fight food insecurity across the Granite State. E. & J. raised $80,000 in November – December 2023 for the New Hampshire Food Bank. The money was generated from selling its wine at NH Liquor & Wine Outlets, where the winery contributed 50 cents per bottle of wine sold during the two months.
2. Bar Harbor Bank & Trust has made two pledges totaling $40,000 to Colby-Sawyer College in New London. One pledge is a five-year commitment to support the athletics program. The other, to occur over three years, will withdraw income from the college’s scholarship fund to award a student needing financial aid to pursue a degree who lives in the bank’s New Hampshire footprint.
3. After Portsmouth food insecurity nonprofit Gather’s truck was totaled in a nonfatal vehicle crash last spring, area community members made donations for a replacement to Gather’s food access program running again. The program delivers fresh pallets of food from the New Hampshire Food Bank to several Seacoast communities. A new truck began running in August after an official fundraiser, with a matching $25,000 from Seabrook casino The Brook.
4. Meredith Valley Savings Bank provided the upcoming fourth-annual Sweepstakes Social fundraiser in Laconia with a $5,000 sponsorship. The event will be held onboard the M/S Mount Washington at Weirs Beach, scheduled for Sept. 13 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Proceeds will go to the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction. Pictured from left are MVSB’s Jessica Ruel and Becky Reposa with GLRCA’s Jennifer Beetle in front of the ship.
5. California-based fitness center chain StretchLab recently opened its second New Hampshire location in Salem at 236 North Broadway, following its first location in Bedford. In recognition, the Southern NH Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony with StretchLab staff. The center offers patrons wellness sessions focused on assisted stretching exercises, addressing physical tightness and imbalances.
6. Meredith Valley Savings Bank supported Rochester nonprofit Hope on Haven Hill with a $10,000 tax credit through the Community Development Finance Authority and a $1,500 Hope Springs Eternal Fundraising Gala sponsorship. The money will fund Hope’s next construction phase of its future Center for Hope and Wellness, an 8,000-square-foot facility for the recovery, health and well-being of pregnant and parenting women experiencing substance use disorder.
7. Regional brunch and bar chain The Friendly Toast opened its fourth New Hampshire location on Monday, Aug. 26, at Tuscan Village in Salem. As part of the launch, the company donated proceeds from beverage sales during a soft opening weekend, totaling $4,644.50, to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem. The new 4,500-square-foot restaurant is the company’s 13th in New England. On opening day, staff celebrated with an egg-cracking ceremony.
