Friendship House News.
Good things are happening here.
Vol. 2 Issue 9
Pantry Visits Increasing
Families in our communities continue to turn to the Friendship House Food Pantry for help. Over the past month, both the number of visits and the number of families served increased to the highest this year.
Anyone having trouble making ends meet and finding it hard to put food on their table can visit the Food Pantry. During this past month, there were more people in need who found us. We registered 59 new families in the month of October; the highest number since we’ve been keeping track.
All together, the Pantry saw 664 visits by 303 families during October.
Our volunteers and staff are here to manage food donations, keep the shelves stocked, and welcome those who visit.
Thanksgiving Meal Box
For all those who signed up to receive a Thanksgiving Meal Box either in the Food Pantry or online, the pick up is scheduled for Saturday, November 19th between 11am - 1pm. Just drive up to Friendship House, stay in your car and our team will load the meal box and all the trimmings into your trunk. It will help if you let the volunteers know if you signed up in the Pantry or online; they’ll be able to check lists quicker.
The entire team at Friendship House wishes everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!
Important Dates
November and December are busy months for our team. There are several events and closure dates to keep in mind.
11/19: Thanksgiving Meal Pick Up (Pantry & Shop closed)
11/19: Bread Shed closed until 3pm
11/22 - 11/ 24: Food Pantry & Thrift Shop closed
11/27: Santa Sunday!
12/10: Last day Thrift Shop open until January
12/21: Christmas Program Pick Up
12/22: Food Pantry & Thrift Shop Closed (re-open in January)
Bread Shed will be stocked and open when Pantry is closed.
Santa Sunday Planned
On Sunday, November 27th, the Thrift Shop will be transformed into a children’s holiday shopping bazaar. Kids are invited to shop for their two most important adults while our team help with shopping assistance and gift wrapping.
Registration is required and there is a $2 fee for each child participating. Learn more and sign up on our website.
We’re Here to Help
Keep us in mind if you know of someone needing Emergency Help. Our staff and volunteers can pull together everything from food to clothing and housewares in an emergency and everything is given free. Keep our number handy just in case:
585-554-6056
Welcome
Friendship House warmly welcomes our new volunteers! This month we have two new faces joining our volunteer ranks.
Please join us in welcoming:
Mike Carey
Kyle Frye
Help us Feed Families
Since our founding in 1969 through the pandemic to today, we are proud to have continuously provided food and resources for those in need. Now, in 2022, our Food Pantry has seen an unprecedented explosion of need. Over 230 new families have sought food assistance over the past six months. Visits to the Food Pantry have increased 23% and now regularly top 625 visits per month.
We need your help. Providing an important, needed service comes at a price. Friendship House relies solely on grants and donations to keep our doors open. In the upcoming months, there are some challenges ahead of us. We must:
purchase increasing amounts of food to assure we are providing those items rarely donated, such as meat and dairy.
meet our operating costs which average $5000 each month.
repay a $10,000 loan used to complete the purchase of a much needed new delivery truck. The majority of the purchase price was generously donated.
fix an awful parking lot and driveway. Even with the Town of Middlesex’s help to regrade the area, our expenses include $8000 for surveying work and building gutters.
Will you help? Your donation not only provides for food. Your donation helps keep our lights on, our truck filled with gas to pick up food donations, and will help people access our building in a safe manner. Most important of all, your donations help Friendship House to continue our 53 year legacy of helping families.
Donations can be made by mail, through our website, or on our Facebook page. We greatly appreciate your donation. None of our efforts would be possible without the help of generous donors, like you.
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Coat Drive
Our friends at Sloth Electric, Inc. in Stanley are once again sponsoring a Coat Drive for Friendship House. They're looking for adult and children's gently used coats, snowpants and boots. The collection boxes will be up from December 1st to December 15th. On top of managing the coat drive, Sloth Electric has pledged a donation to Friendship House of $5 for every coat collected!
Locations are:
Marcus Whitman Schools (Valley, Gorham, High School, District Office), Gorham Town Hall, Gorham Free Library and the Sloth Electric office.
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Suitcase Sale
Visiting family for the holidays? Looking for a gift idea? Getting away for the weekend? Check out our Suitcase Sale. There are more than a dozen brand new beautiful roller bags and 3 piece sets to choose from. Find a detailed list of the available suitcases on our website and then make it over to the Thrift Shop to get one (or two) before they’re gone. All priced at $20 or $30.
Happy and safe travels!
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Christmas Tree Sale
Coming soon! We will again have a Christmas Tree Sale this season. These are artificial trees, new in the box. A selection of 12 trees sizes 3ft to 7.5 ft tall will be available. The sale will be announced on Facebook and the detailed list of trees available will be on our website. All prices between $15 - $75.
Improvements Coming
Over the coming weeks, you may notice some construction around Friendship House. Work will be done to prepare for parking lot upgrades. “The driveway really is in rough shape and it makes it hard for people to come to Friendship House for food and shopping.” comments Board Member, Jim Loomis.
This past week gutters have been installed along with underground drainage. All this is in anticipation of grading the parking lot and greatly improving the current drainage problems.
Earlier in the summer, Friendship House received a grant from Foodlink to install a walk-in freezer. Electrical upgrades are underway and we are anticipating the installation by the end of the year.
Improvements help us to better serve families who rely on Friendship House.
Please use caution and care near the construction areas.
Shown here: Jim Loomis and Dick Savage
Christmas Program Supporters
It takes a great team of dedicated volunteers to plan, prepare and organize the Christmas Program. Even so, there is a great need for supporters to help. Is there something needed? Sure! We could use stocking stuffers, new jigsaw puzzles and family games. The more items we have donated, the less we have to shop for - and this is a great help.
Keep an eye out for our Giving Trees at various establishments in the community. Each Giving Tree has tags describing a gift needed for a specific aged child. Choose a tag and return that gift of your choosing to place under the tree to be donated to Friendship House Christmas Program.
The Giving Trees will be out during Thanksgiving week and the locations will be announced on Facebook.
Christmas Program
The Friendship House team is already preparing for the Annual Christmas Program. The Program supports families in need over the holidays by providing a family meal and preparing Christmas gifts for children. The registration is open for families in the Marcus Whitman School District.
This year, in addition to matching Christmas wishes to gifts provided, the team is working to keep kids warm and families cozy. Sweatshirts, hats, mittens, and socks will be included for kids. Family games, jigsaw puzzles and blankets we hope will be the ingredients of cozy family nights.
The Thrift Shop will be closed from December 14th through January to make space for preparations.
““The holiday season is a perfect time to reflect on our blessings and seek out ways to make life better for those around us.”
