Dover, Berwick libraries receive grants, Rochester Elks makes donations: Community news update

Dover library receives State Library ARPA grant

DOVER — The Dover Public Library is pleased to announce that it has been awarded $22,370 in funding through the Institute for Museum and Library Services’ “Grants to States” program. The grant program is part of the American Rescue Act Plan of 2021 and is being facilitated by the N.H. State Library. The Dover Public Library will use this grant award to do a complete redesign of their website and to also design a new logo.

In the grant application, the Dover Public Library, detailed that it would meet these needs by using grant funds to hire a firm to complete the redesign. In the redesign the Library is looking to increase functionality and eliminate barriers to accessibility. The redesigned site would be 508/ADA compliant and be mobile responsive.

“We are very excited to have our website redesigned. Our current site is approximately 9 years old and no longer meets the needs of our users. We would like to update the look and feel of the website, as well as greatly improve the user experience” said Dover Public Library Director Denise LaFrance. “We are very fortunate to have received this grant that will allow us to better serve the members of our community.”

The Dover Public Library’s goal is to have the new website up and running by July of 2022.

Part of the N.H. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the N.H. State Library promotes excellence in libraries and library services to all New Hampshire residents, by assisting libraries and the people of New Hampshire with rapid access to library and informational resources through the development and coordination of a statewide library/information system; by meeting the informational needs of New Hampshire’s state, county and municipal governments and its libraries; and by serving as a resource for New Hampshire. For more information, visit nh.gov/nhsl.

Rochester Elks donates $5k to the SHARE Fund

ROCHESTER — On Wednesday, Jan. 5, representatives from the Rochester, N.H. Elks presented SHARE Fund Executive Director Skip Smith and Treasurer Jerry Rainville with a check in the amount of $5,000. The donation was made possible through an Elks National Foundation Beacon and Spotlight Grant. The SHARE Fund is a registered 501©(3) local nonprofit charitable outreach agency within our community, which provides various types of material and financial support to families and individuals in need during emergencies or times of severe hardship. They are located at 150 Wakefield St., Rochester, NH. ., Website: http://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/KENsCzp4WKH84QVrBt4wpxn?domain=sharefund.org, telephone: 603-335-0011.

From Jan. 1 until Dec. 15, 2021, the SHARE Fund delivered groceries to 3,576 adults, 1,727 children and 2,171 other household residents. They also provided over $74,000 dollars in emergency financial assistance to 390 clients, which included medical expenses, car repairs and housing assistance. Their efforts included pop-up pantries at six senior housing developments, delivering personal care items to 50-plus households and providing over 300 Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets to families in need.

Making the presentation to the SHARE Fund were Rochester Elks Exalted Ruler Jerry Skidds and Lodge Secretary and Elks National Foundation Chair & Grants Coordinator, Norman Gervais.

For more information about the Elks, please visit: http://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/P7P_CADXvPfrELqRou8LSvA?domain=elks.org.

Christmas Eve service at Stratham Hill Park a great success

STRATHAM — The Stratham Community Church held its Christmas Eve service in the pavilion at Stratham Hill Park. There were hymns sung, candles lighted, scriptures read and much more.

There were chairs set up and plenty of standing space as well. This was their only service for the evening with over 100 people in attendance.

The Stratham Community Church was established in 1716 on the very spot it now resides in the heart of Stratham. It is a member of the New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ (UCC). The church has been an integral and active part of the Stratham community for over 300 years. Wherever you are on your life journey, you are welcome at Stratham Community Church. Find them at www.strathamchurch.org.

Berwick library awarded Humanities Council grant to produce documentary

BERWICK, Maine - The Berwick Public Library has been awarded a grant from the Maine Humanities Council to look into these questions: What is the role of an informed citizen in the democratic process? With the demise of newspaper coverage in towns across Maine, how do citizens get information about local affairs?

Normally, Humanities Council grants are used to fund lectures, performances or exhibits by local non-profit organizations and municipalities. But Berwick Library Director Sharon Kelly asked Berwick Community Media, “Why don’t we create a documentary?” BCM Director Terri Wright immediately signed on.

The humanities council grant will help fund a video documentary about “Democracy, Journalism and the Informed Citizen.” The documentary will examine Berwick, but the topics are relevant statewide and nationwide, as news-gathering and news dissemination has shifted from the reporting process to social media. The documentary is expected to be released in May.

Berwick Community Media will make in-kind donations of time and equipment to the project.

Library Director Kelly said, “We want to explore what we all know is happening across our country - the damage to our democracy when people are not seeking out trusted news sources to get their information and instead turn to social media. We will also explore the flip side of this issue as well - what happens to a community when trusted news sources no longer cover their local events and activities?”

Kelly continued, “We want to ask Maine journalists about what they think are the most important aspects of journalism and informed community, as they relate to current events here in Maine, and how important is journalism to protect our democracy?”

Berwick Community Media Director Terri Wright said, “We will be interviewing Berwick officials, local journalists and Berwick citizens to ask, ‘Where do you get your information?’ There is a concern that local journalism, coverage by local newspapers, is going away, so where are people getting their information about local elections, select board meetings and decisions by the local school board?”

Wright adds that the situation in Berwick is reflective of what is happening all over the country.

Berwick Community Media began the project by asking voters during last November’s town election, “Where do you get your information?” Interviews have already begun, with former Foster’s Daily Democrat journalist Judi Currie, Portland Press Herald columnist Bill Nemitz and Library Director Kelly.

The producers of the documentary, Kelly and Wright, are planning interviews with Berwick residents, journalism professors, non-profit community news outlets and a constitutional scholar.

BCM Assistant Director Ralph Morang is directing the documentary, and Paul Gould of Rock Maple Productions is doing principal videography. Journalist Susan Morse, formerly of Seacoast Media Group, is the principal interviewer.

For more information, contact Berwick Public Library Director Sharon Kelly, at skelly@berwickpubliclibrary.org, www.berwick.lib.me.us, or Berwick Community Media Director Terri Wright, at bctvch22@gmail.com, www.berwickmaine.org.

MVSB Fund announces grants to local nonprofits

The MVSB (Meredith Village Savings Bank) Fund at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation has awarded $121,000 in grant funding to 30 local nonprofit organizations. This includes $99,000 awarded to 19 local agencies and $22,000 donated to 11 area food pantries. The grants are in addition to MVSB’s contributions throughout the year in the form of donations, sponsorships, scholarships and volunteer efforts by employees.

“Each year, grants from the MVSB Fund help our local nonprofit organizations make meaningful improvements, add programming and simply keep up with demand,” said Rick Wyman, president of MVSB. “It is our pleasure to help them continue to provide such meaningful services and support to local individuals and families, especially during a time that has been so challenging for so many.”

This year’s MVSB Fund grant recipients on the Seacoast include:

Exeter Area Charitable Foundation, Exeter: Awarded $5,000 to support Children's Fund clothing vouchers for children in need in the Seacoast area.

Gather, Portsmouth: Awarded $4,000 to expand the reach of mobile food delivery and strengthen the regional food system.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Inc., Rochester: Awarded $3,000 to enable the Rochester Chapter to purchase lumber, hardware and bedding materials to build and provide 11 fully furnished beds to bedless children within their service area. Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Inc. is a volunteer organization that builds beds for kids who are sleeping on the floor.

Step Up Parents, Portsmouth: Awarded $5,000 to provide financial assistance to New Hampshire Kinship caregivers and to expand outreach. Step Up Parents supports caregivers in New Hampshire who are raising the children of parents with substance use disorder. Kinship caregivers are relatives or close family friends who step up to care for, nurture and protect children who find themselves without a responsible parent or a safe place to live.

The Homeless Center for Strafford County, Rochester: Awarded $15,000 to meet the temporary housing needs of members of the Seacoast community. The center provides community members and families with shelter, case management and educational programs that lead to self-sufficiency and permanent housing.

Food Pantries: Eleven local food pantries that serve the same communities as MVSB will also share a donation of $22,000.

The Meredith Village Savings Bank Fund was established in 1997 under the leadership of John Starrett, then President and CEO of the Bank. Since then, 447 grants totaling $1,804,248 have been awarded to a wide range of environmental, social, educational and historic projects throughout the Greater Lakes Region, Plymouth and NH Seacoast areas. The deadline for consideration in the next grant cycle is Oct. 15, 2022. Applications are available at mvsb.com.

Rochester Elks donates headphones to N.H. Veterans Home

ROCHESTER — On Tuesday, Jan. 11, representatives from Rochester Elks Lodge No. 1393 presented the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton, N.H., with 51 sets of headphones for use by the residents. The monetary value of these items is $509. The donation was made possible by an Elks National Foundation Beacon/Spotlight Grant.

The Home normally provides the residents with headphones, used for listening to music or television outside of authorized hours. However, due to additional expenses created by the pandemic, they no longer had the funds to purchase these items. This donation will allow the residents to enjoy their favorite programs at their leisure without disturbing others in the home.

Making the presentation was Exalted Ruler, Past Exalted Ruler, Past District Deputy Jerry Skidds and Elks National Foundation Chair, Lodge Secretary and Past Exalted Ruler, Norman Gervais from Rochester, Elks Lodge No. 1393. On hand to accept the headsets were N.H. Vets Home Commandant Margaret “Peggy” LaBrecque; Norman Sanborn, Merchant Marine and Navy veteran, home resident and a member of Rochester Elks Lodge and Matthew “Matt” Henry, N.H. Vets Home Administrative Services Director.

Rochester Lodge No. 1393 has been supportive of the N.H. Veterans Home and its residents for decades with monetary donations and volunteers involved in activities such as bingo, cookouts and an annual Christmas Party for the residents.

To learn more about the Elks and their programs, visit: http://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/3qB7CxkzRvCmROv3Xf8-6xC?domain=elks.org.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Dover NH, Rochester NH library, Rochester Elks, MVSB Fund, Stratham NH