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Web Based Matching System

On September 17th we launched the web based matching system! In partnership with Volunteer NH the Warmth from the Millyard is pleased and proud to offer it as a service and as a vehicle to further our community impact.

The web- matching system allows donor organizations to login in to our website and select a social service agency in need of clothing. This allows a personal relationship to be created between the two groups as well as a feeling of community involvement in a much fuller sense than traditional clothing drives allow.

Web- based matching is a more effective tool for social service agencies, as it allows them to request and have collected items that their clients need. Many times when clothing is donated that is not useable by the agency, they are left to make arrangements for its removal. This takes away time and resources that they could by using to fulfill their missions and assist those who need their services.

That matching tool also helps create a sustainable organizational structure for WFMY’s efforts in the community. By no longer having to collect, sort, and deliver clothing, that staff and volunteers at WFMY are able to apply our time and energy to furthering our mission of community collaboration, and our goal of bring WFMY to the entire state of New Hampshire.

Currently students in the UNH Community Leadership class is working very hard to get donor organizations to match up with recipient organizations.

Keeping Up to Keep Warm

By: Ashlee Lange with Paula Van De Werken

More than 1,000 young adults and adolescents live in New Hampshire without a stable, permanent home (Carsey Institute, 2010), and 25% of Manchester's children are living below the poverty level (Carsey Institute, 2009). These numbers do not include the needful parents, the elderly, or the veterans returning from war who have suffered debilitating injuries. And considering the realities of the need for warm clothing, in the course of our busy lives, we often put those needs onto the back burner or forget about them entirely.

Commonsense and science dictate that in order to withstand the harsh New England winter temperatures, proper attire must be worn. For the most part, we think that hats, gloves, jeans, socks, sweaters, long sleeves, heavy coats and boots are easily attainable. A young child may not have the proper attire to safely walk to school, or go outside to play at recess. And often times, the parent of that child will sacrifice their own needs to make sure the child is properly dressed for winter.

This is a common reality for many New Hampshire residents who cannot afford to purchase those necessities because the electric, heating, medical, or food bill takes precedence. Or, those bills have been paid and there is just enough leftover to put gas in the car to get the kids to school and you to work. These situations are happening in alarming numbers across New Hampshire, and more frequently than agencies can keep up with. In this economic reality, the numbers are only going to increase, at least in the short term.

And with the continuing downward spiral of the economy, ongoing job-loss and unemployment, and lowered state and federal assistance to social service agencies, this typically means a decreased availability of services to the needy. In 2009, the Warmth from the Millyard project was limited because the University (faculty, staff and students) geared up as soon as classes began in mid-September, but did not have the ability to distribute the needed warm clothing until November. Come November, the temperatures are unbearable while wearing inadequate clothing, and many of the partnering agencies needed clothing for their clients months before.

This realization didn't sit well in my ever curious mind to combat social justice issues by building partnerships. I needed to get to the bottom of when the need for warm clothing begins, besides the common answer of "when it gets cold", and how this fulfillment of the need for warm clothing is incorporated into the outreach of some Warmth from the Millyard partnering organizations.

To begin tackling this complex question, Paula Van De Werken [Warmth from the Millyard Recipient Outreach Coordinator] and I sat down with three non profits located on the I-93 corridor, serving the most populist regions of New Hampshire: Friends of Forgotten Children (Concord), SNHS Head Start and Early Head Start (Manchester area), and the Greater Nashua Mental Health Center. Each of these agencies displayed a thoughtful account of the way they see the need for warm clothing to enhance the success of their clients and how we can work together to make it easily attainable. We confirmed an eye opening, and harsh reality, for too many of our neighbors.

Friends of Forgotten Children (Concord)

This long-standing and respected non-profit serves 5,000 families in Concord and the surrounding towns of Penacook, Bow, and Boscawen. They strive to assist families with procuring the basic needs of food, clothing, furniture, household and holiday gifts. They fulfill this commitment through their food pantry and community meals, the clothing shop, and yearly holiday baskets during the Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter seasons.

In a letter to the community, Executive Director Andrew Barnes explained that in the first half of 2009 the need for their services had nearly tripled, and by the third quarter, the demand nearly forced them to close their doors. “We were serving five out of the ten counties in New Hampshire,” said Barnes. “We had to reign in and give other options, so we tried to subsidize people by offering alternative sources closer to them.”

In 2009, Friends of Forgotten Children served 107,000 meals and about 120,000 meals are expected to be served in 2010. Barnes explained that clients who utilize the food pantry and community meals are also clothing shoppers at their shop which distributes free clothing and clothing at less than yard sale prices to their clients. Barnes also noted that he not only sees the need for seasonal clothing year round, but also mentions that the need for warm clothing specifically begins during the middle of September.

SNHS Head Start and Early Head Start Program (Manchester and surrounding communities)

SNHS Head Start and Early Head Start work to better the lives of children and their families. In this program (which has different offices Statewide), serves 64 children six weeks to three years old and has two programs: center based and home based. The center based program allows childcare in one of their facilities so that parents can work, and the home based program provides for parenting education and parent-child bonding, providing a family worker visit once a week.

Out of the 317 students enrolled in their county wide Head Start program serving three to five year old children, 160 of them reside in Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city. In 2010, it is reported that one-third of its families are on public assistance or disability, and two-thirds of them are living below the poverty line but not on public assistance.

Pamela Lane, Family Services Manager, notes that many too often the cost of gasoline to transport their children to school, and/or the warm clothing their kids need cannot be met. Heat and other “over-riding” household necessities have to be met first. They have also noticed that parents and older siblings do without proper cold weather attire so that the younger children can be somewhat better prepared. A simple thing, such as having spare hats and mittens on hand in the classroom to distribute to those children who come to school without, is a great plus for this organization.

The Greater Nashua Mental Health Center

The Greater Nashua Mental Health Center offers a vast array of services for adults, adolescents and children, seniors and the Deaf population in Nashua and nine surrounding communities. Their services range from mental health care, drug and alcohol abuse, a supervised visitation center, a specialized court liaison project, a batterers intervention program 24-hour emergency service, homeless outreach, and more. In 2009, they served over 5,000 clients, children and families in the full range of their services.

Susan Mead, Homeless Outreach Coordinator, works to provide adequate resources for those to get into a shelter, and find and retain employment. Worst case is to provide adequate clothing protection for the homeless outside of the shelters. Mead mentions they begin their Winter Outreach to procure needed warm clothing in early October, when the need arises. Additionally, the GNMHC case workers typically inform their agency of the resources needed by their clients, including the need for warm clothing.

Warmth from the Millyard

Many people have to choose and sacrifice providing warm clothing for themselves or their families so that they can provide other necessities such as fuel to transport their children to school or themselves to work, or to fix a flat tire, or pay the car insurance. They also have to pay urgent utility bills and other household costs to keep the exigencies of their day to day lives met so that their family life can continue with some sort of continuity and security.

We can see in these three representative agency accounts that each say that the need for warm clothing begins in mid to late September. That is two months before the retched, bad snowy weather with ultra-cold temperatures hit us. No more do we have to wait until there’s a foot of snow on the ground to clean out the closets and give clothing to those who need it. We may have found the answer.

Warmth from the Millyard has worked effortlessly to launch a web-based donor-recipient matching service, provided by Volunteer New Hampshire. Utilizing this online tool will allow us to begin responding to this need for warm clothing before the temperatures begin to plunge and the snow arrives. The service officially launches on September 17th. Partnering with these and many other organizations is easily accessible in an online community setting and allows for the easy connection and partnership between donors and recipients to get the proper clothing to those who need it in a timely manner.

Warmth from the Millyard's Donors

By: Whitney Picco (UNH Manchester '10)

Have you ever wondered who our Warmth from the Millyard donors are?The most pressing question that immediately came to my mind was, “Who are they?” Are they all non-profit workers? Are they all from Manchester? Is there any common link between them?

If you look through the list of last year’s donors, you will be stunned by the diversity. If I didn’t know what I was looking at, I would never have guessed that these people came together to provide support to thousands of strangers in New Hampshire, just out of the kindness of their hearts.

When you simply say you have donated to Warmth from the Millyard, you may not be giving yourself the full credit you deserve. Our donors support our nonprofit, which in turn helps the University of New Hampshire and its students. The students who manage Warmth from the Millyard are gaining a wealth of experience with non-profit endeavors and community organizing. They are making connections that will undoubtedly serve them now and after they graduate. As community members who are passionate about serving others, they are at the top of their game when they’re involved with Warmth from the Millyard. I have been in Community Service and Leadership classes with people that I am certain will go on to do great things. I know this because they have already exceeded everyone’s expectations with the hard work and commitment they have dedicated to Warmth from the Millyard, and this incredible experience would not be possible without our donors, who keep our non-profit thriving.

So are you still wondering who our donors are? I cannot generalize them or put them into a box; they are a diverse group of people who hail from various New Hampshire cities and workplaces. Warmth from the Millyard donors include a yoga studio in Hollis; an elementary school in Goffstown; an office building in Salem; a fitness center, storage facility, and science center in Manchester; and so many more people who have given their time, energy, caring, and clothing to ensure that as many people in New Hampshire as possible were warm this winter and the next. They have succeeded admirably with their efforts; we have collected over 10,000 items of clothing in just a few short years. None of this would be possible without our donors holding up our non-profit from the very beginning. For that, we sincerely thank you.

Friends of Forgotten Children

Friends of Forgotten Children - 224 Bog Road, Concord NH 03303
http://www.fofc-nh.org/

“Where We Remember Everyone is Someone’s Child”

Pantry and Thrift Shop Hours:
Monday & Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Community Meals on Saturday or Sunday from 12 noon to 1 pm. Telephone for times.

Friends of Forgotten Children (a 501(c)3 serves the working poor of greater Concord, and nearby towns of Bow, Loudon, Canterbury, Penacook and Boscawen. 35 volunteers and 1 paid staff serve 5,000 client families who visit them during the year. The families have an average of five members, but some are extended families which may have very numerous children. The Community Action Programs (CAP) alert their clients about the services of FOFC.

Food Pantry
Non-perishable canned and dry foods are distributed to members once a month. Depending on the pantries available supplies, each person is given food supplies to feed them for five to seven days. Recipes and advice is also given freely on how to make the supplies go further. They also distribute non-food items (soap, shampoo, toothpaste, baby diapers, etc) , which may not be purchased with food stamps, when available. Bread and pastries are available as needed, on any day which the center is open. They also have a mobile food pantry which delivers to members in Senior Housing.

Thrift Shop/clothing distribution
The thrift shop has a large selection of seasonal clothing and shoes in all sizes, as available.
Members are given two items, free of charge, when they come to pick up their monthly food box.
People who would like to have more items, or who are not members but wish to thrift shop, are charged $5 per bag of clothing.
Holiday Baskets: back to school and Easter holiday baskets are distributed as well

Membership requirements
To be eligible for FOFC services, the client needs to provide documentation of the full names, social security numbers and birthdates for ALL members of their family. The client also needs to also provide proof of all family income and proof of current residence. If documentation is not available, then the client will be able to receive food for one day at that time. When all of the necessary papers are provided, the client may then get their food parcels every 30 days.

DONATIONS AND VOLUNTEERS ARE ALWAYS WELCOMED!

Child and Family Services

CFS Child and Family Services – Teen Resource Center

99 Hanover St., Manchester NH

The Child and Family Services Teen Resource Center is a “one stop shop” where homeless and runaway youth ages 12-22 can access many basic needs and survival aid. N 2009, this very welcoming youth drop-in center had over one thousand unduplicated youth take advantage of the services offered. The Teen Resource Center works by providing a safe place and trusting relationships that allow youth to access services with the least amount of barriers. More than showers and free clothes, the help the youth are offered is engagement by very friendly, trained staff; case management; and counseling to help them be successful in life. There are also many community organizations that are willing to come into the Teen Resource Center to assist in providing for the basic needs of the youth, such as medical care, educational services, and mental health services.

Besides the typical day at the Teen Resource Center, the program works to provide positive recreational activities for the youth served, including dinner and a conversation, art club, and game night. In short, they offer an oasis of safety from life on the streets.

They need seasonal clothing of adolescent and young adult styles. They will accept limited infant and children’s clothing up to size 2T for the children of their parenting youth.

The clothing from the Teen Resource Center’s closet may at times be distributed to youth in other parts of the state who are working with a program staff.

Child and Family Services can accept large donations of appropriate clothing.

Friends Emergency Housing Program

Friends Emergency Housing Program

30 Thompson St, Concord NH

http://www.friendsprogram.org/

This is a family homeless shelter which serves parents with children (including grandparents with custody of children, and women who are 7 ½ months pregnant otherwise without children.)

They are not affiliated with Friends, and are sponsored by the United Way, City of Concord, and individual donors. Their clients are mostly upper blue collar people who have been hit with job loss, illness, and/or divorce that has destroyed their previous stability and home. This is a 24/7 open shelter with many programs to encourage clients to move forward with their lives. Some of the regular programs offered are courses on parenting (working with “Building Blocks” and dinner is even included!), nutrition (more good food for less money with recipes and guidance a part of this program), and career development (writing effective resumes and job leads). Attendees of these courses are very positive about them.

The people who stay here do not pay any rent, but do buy their own food, though there is an emergency pantry. They are also required to pass criminal record checks.

This is an extremely clean, disabled access available, and welcoming “home,” especially when a home or home-base is needed after things have fallen apart. It serves 8 families, and up to 35 people at a time. Children up to 18 years old are accepted if they are still living with their parents.

Their clients are referred by Concord Welfare Office, or simply the phone book or 2-11. Walk-ins are accepted if there is space, and they, too, must pass the criminal check.

They need seasonal clothing for adults, and children, ages 0 to 18 years. The norm of sizes needed are:

Women 12 through 2x

Men 34-36

Children ages 0 to 18 years

They also are looking for donations of clothing seasonally suitable to wear going to job interviews. They also have a “Move Out” boxes program which gives a box of pots, pans, dishes, glasses and cutlery to people who leave the shelter for transitional housing or their own apartments.

They have working cooperation agreements with Friends for Forgotten Children and the McKenna House, sharing resources. They also share resources with PATH outreach, Riverbend (Concord), and Rise Again Ministries, Loudon.

Their storage space is somewhat limited. They ask that they be given one week’s notice prior to a major donation drop off of seasonal clothing.