Suicide prevention training, Community Circle: Community news update

Fabulous Find donates to Cornerstone VNA

ROCHESTER – Cornerstone VNA, a local nonprofit home health and hospice care organization, recently received a donation of over $8,500 from The Fabulous Find, a boutique style resale shop at 139 State Rd (Route One) in Kittery.

This unique resale boutique partners with different worthy, local nonprofit organizations each month, as determined by their Board of Directors, and Cornerstone VNA was selected as one of four nonprofit recipients for the month of October, alongside the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, Triangle Club and Pro Portsmouth. All four nonprofits received a check for over $8,500 each, which represents the total profits from the month of October.

Marcye Philbrook, Board President of The Fabulous Find said, “The Fabulous Find is so happy to be able to partner with Cornerstone VNA. Most of us have had family members or people we know who have benefitted from the amazing care of visiting nurses. Cornerstone VNA is one of those quiet organizations that do so much good in our community.”

Erika Lee, MHA, Director of Advancement said, “Cornerstone VNA was so honored to have been chosen by this wonderfully resourceful store that gives so much to local nonprofits.” Lee added, “The generous funds they awarded us will be used to support underfunded programs such as Palliative Care, non-reimbursable specialty training, such as lymphedema, as well as access to care for those in need.”

Founded in 2010 by a small group of Seacoast Maine and New Hampshire women, The Fabulous Find has given over $2.3 million to well over 150 area nonprofits. In addition to their monthly partners, there are schools and other organizations that they give smaller gifts to. To learn more about The Fabulous Find and how you can help, visit www.thefabulousfind.org or call (207) 439-8669.

Cornerstone VNA currently serves Rockingham, Strafford, Belknap and Carroll Counties in New Hampshire and York County in Maine. The team at Cornerstone VNA provides award-winning care and support through five distinct programs: Home Care, Hospice Care, Palliative Care, Life Care-Private Duty, and Community Care. For 109 years, Cornerstone VNA has been committed to bringing services to people of all ages so that families can stay together at home, even when facing the challenges of aging, surgical recovery, chronic or life-threatening illnesses or end-of-life care. To learn more about Cornerstone VNA, visit www.cornerstonevna.org or call 800-691-1133.

Stratham Verizon Wireless Zone raises funds for Children's Community Fund

STRATHAM - Verizon Wireless Zone raised $1,055 in November in its Stratham store located at 5 Portsmouth Avenue for the Children's Community Fund. The store sold 211 qualifying devices with a donation of $5 each device.

A check presentation took place Dec. 13 at the store.

Owner and Director of Sales Ryan Archie said, “We are so honored to be part of such a supportive community that helped us raise funds for this amazing organization! For those not familiar with the Community Children’s Fund, they raise money to support children in need in the seacoast area during the winter months by providing them with warm winter clothing and bedding. We know this donation will be put to good use and will directly impact the lives of so many deserving children in the community. With the cost of everything rapidly rising these days, we are truly proud to be able to support this organization and the amazing things they do for children in our area. We want to give a huge ‘Thank You’ to The Community Children's Fund for supporting so many local families in need, and to our valued customers that make donations like this possible. When you shop with us, you are helping us better our community one device at a time.”

New England dairy farmers donate milk to Gather

ROCHESTER – New England dairy farmers brought holiday cheer to the Greater Seacoast area. In partnership with New England Dairy, local dairy farmers and Oakhurst Dairy donated 200 gallons of milk to Gather of Portsmouth to distribute to families in need.

Many local families continue to feel the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Feeding America, 94,450 people in New Hampshire are struggling with hunger – and 24,360 of them are children. That’s 1 in 11 kids struggling with hunger. Holidays can be especially difficult for families facing hunger, which is why this dairy donation was critical in providing a nutritious product for local families.

For over 200 years, Gather has been serving seacoast residents facing hunger by providing nutritious food through innovative distribution programs. Tuesday’s milk donation was distributed through the Mobile Market Program, a free farmer’s market style shopping experience that distributes food to families in several locations throughout the Greater Seacoast area.

“Gather is very grateful for this collaborative opportunity,” said Seneca Bernard, Director of External Partnerships at Gather. “Milk is often requested by our members across the Greater Seacoast, and a great source of protein. With this donation, we are able to ensure hundreds of kids and families will receive this much sought-after item.”

Milk remains one of the most requested, yet least donated items at American food banks according to Feeding America. Providing a unique package of 13 essential nutrients, milk is a nutritional powerhouse for individuals, families, and children in need. This milk donation is made possible by New Hampshire dairy farm families and local dairy processors who strive to support their communities.

“At Oakhurst, our longstanding commitment to giving back to the communities we service has led us to focus on ending hunger,” explained Mark Page, general manager of Oakhurst Dairy. “Access to nutritious, healthy meals is so important in positioning children for greater success. We are glad to have the opportunity to partner with these great organizations to make milk available to these families.”

Lions Club donates bench from recycled plastics to school

ROLLINSFORD - The Lions Club of Dover, Rollinsford and South Berwick has donated a Trex bench made fromrecycled plastics to Rollinsford Grade School.

The bench is one of five donated throughout the community as part of a successful recycling effort in conjunction with the Trex “NexTrex” challenge. The benches are made from recycled plastics such as grocery, produce, ziplock and pellet bags, which are collected by Lions Club volunteers at area transfer stations and other locations. The collected plastics are weighed and delivered to a participating retailer and ultimately transformed into benches complete with bronze plaques.

The Lions Club thanks the local community who helped by recycling their plastics. The Lions Club of Dover, Rollinsford and South Berwick is a member of the Lions Club International, which began in 1917. Their mottois “We Serve.” The club gathers monthly to find ways to improve their community.For more information about the Dover, Rollinsford, South Berwick Lions Club, visit facebook.com/DRSBLionsClub.

Rye Driftwood Garden Club celebrates tradition

RYE - A table mounted with a yellow firefighter boot for donations and a space to drop pajamas greeted Rye Driftwood Garden Club members as they entered the Wentworth by the Sea Country Club. They came to continue their annual tradition of collecting pajamas.

Over the last 10 years, the Rye Driftwood Garden Club has donated hundreds of pajamas for distribution throughout the community. After five years, the club decided to give all donations directly to Lt. Chuck Gallant, head of the Rye Firefighters Toy Bank.

The club held its holiday luncheon where organizer Darleen Chadwick reported members provided 90 pairs of pajamas and $380 to the fund.

“It’s a misconception, but many people think that Rye doesn’t have families living in poverty,” Lt. Gallant said. “Twenty-four families qualify for assistance in Rye.” With the economy this year, many more need assistance. What is not distributed goes to surrounding communities through Gallant’s connections.“The Rye Driftwood Garden Club really steps up year after year to make this event a roaring success,” Chadwick said.The Rye Driftwood Garden Club held its fiftieth anniversary in 2019 and is open to anyone who is interested in gardening, flowers and vegetables, even wild mushrooms. They meet September to May. Information can be found at ryenhgardenclub.org.

Suicide Prevention Training offered to community for free

DOVER — The Dover Mental Health Alliance, in partnership with the Dover School District, is offering free suicide prevention trainings, monthly, at Dover High School. The suicide prevention trainers have been trained to deliver the NAMI NH Connect Suicide Prevention training, considered a National Best Practice and the gold standard for suicide prevention trainings.

The next community training will be held on Thursday, Jan. 5 from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Dover High School library.

The trainings are offered to anyone, ages 18 and above, who would like to learn more about the risk factors and warning signs for someone experiencing suicidal ideation. The curriculum dives into how anyone can play a role in helping to save a life from suicide when equipped with the knowledge of what to say to someone in distress and the resources available in our communities.

Registration is open by going to www.dovermentalhealthalliance.org>events>calendar. Classes are held with a minimum of 10 participants.  Members from any community are encouraged to attend.

The Community Circle to begin in January

DOVER — The Dover Mental Health Alliance is launching the Community Circle: a group to help people connect with others, especially those struggling with social isolation through fellowship, conversation, and peer to peer support. The Community Circle is open to adults ages 18 and over and is free. The first meeting will be on Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 5:30 p.m. in the McConnell Community Center/room 340, Dover, N.H. Enter through door #7 and take the elevator to the third floor to find room 340. Coffee and donuts will be offered free. Attendance in the Community Circle is free as well. To register for this group, please go to https://dovermentalhealthalliance.org/events/.

Seacoast Sons and Daughters of Italy in America donate to help the community

PORTSMOUTH — In the spirit of giving, Seacoast Sons and Daughters of Italy in America recently donated two checks for a thousand dollars each, to Families First and Gather. Both of these organizations are here to help our local communities. Upon presentation of the checks each organization gave a tour to Cynthia Semprini, Vice President and Sally McKenna, trustee, members of the Italian Lodge.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Suicide prevention training, Community Circle: Community news update