SCARBOROUGH, ME – Hannaford Supermarkets and the Hannaford Charitable Foundation on Jan. 25 jointly announced $75,000 in donations to support full-day and afterschool programs for New Hampshire families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The donation includes $20,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Manchester, $20,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Central New Hampshire in Concord, $17,500 to the Dover Teen Center in Dover, and $17,500 to the Seacoast Youth Services in Seabrook. The organizations will use the funding to support full-day and afterschool programming in healthy and safe environments for local children.
The New Hampshire funding is one component of an overall $400,000 commitment from Hannaford to support child development with non-profit organizations providing expanded childcare and virtual learning programs for working families across New York and New England.
“As our schedules, commitments and priorities have shifted over the last 10 months, so have the needs of working families in our community,” said Hannaford Charitable Foundation Board Chair Peter Forester, who also serves as senior vice president of merchandising for the grocery retailer. “The organizations benefiting from this donation provide parents and caregivers with the peace of mind and security that their children are being cared for in a safe, healthy and supportive environment. We applaud these organizations for their ability to pivot their services to meet the needs of families during this challenging time.”
The Boys & Girls Club of Manchester will use the $20,000 in funds to help support a temporary shift to full-day programming supporting members with schoolwork and classroom meetings, while continuing to provide enrichment activities that bring a little fun and relief to members’ busy weekdays. Currently, there are a total of 130 members in kindergarten through grade 5 participating in the COVID Care Program from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. The Club continues to run programs for 50 teens Monday through Saturday. Additionally, breakfast, lunch and daily snacks are provided to members on site as well as supporting Club families with grab-and-go meals and more than 80 families receive bags of groceries on Fridays to help sustain over the weekend.
“Our meal program and weekly grocery bags have brought much-needed relief to already-stressed families. Since the start of the pandemic, we have served over 36,000 meals and snacks and provided over 1,100 bags of groceries to supplement weekend meals,” said Diane Fitzpatrick, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester. “Community partners like Hannaford have made this possible, and we are extremely grateful for their generous support.”
The Boys & Girls Club of Manchester is one of the 53 founding organizations of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The Manchester Club was incorporated in 1907 and currently has an annual membership of more than 2,600 boys and girls. The organization operates programs at three sites throughout the greater Manchester area. For more information visit, www.BeGreatManchester.org.
The $20,000 grant to the Boys and Girls Club of Central New Hampshire in Concord will be used to allow the Club to stay open all day to accommodate distance and hybrid learning models and help kids stay on track in school. Additionally, the funds will help cover additional sanitization and cleaning expenses and help struggling families by supporting the Club’s evening meal programs in three communities.
“When I think of community partners, Hannaford absolutely jumps to mind. Hannaford has been a wonderful Club friend for as long as I can remember and they have truly stepped up even more since COVID,” said Jon Clay, Development Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Central New Hampshire. “On top of the incredible financial support, Hannaford has also helped us with in-kind donations such as food and to-go plastic and re-usable bags so we are able to hand out fully cooked meals to community members in need in a safe and convenient way.”
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central New Hampshire’s mission is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens. More information about the Club can be found www.centralnhclubs.org/
The Seacoast Youth Services in Seabrook will use its $17,500 grant to purchase equipment necessary to continue delivering high quality outdoor adventure programming such as fishing, sledding, snowshoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding, and archery as well as many others.
“COVID-19 has been a huge challenge in maintaining program integrity and has pushed our creativity in service delivery of programming to include higher levels of outdoor programming,” said Forrest E Carter Jr, Program Director for Seabrook Adventure Zone. “Hannaford has been incredibly supportive and plays an essential role in purchasing and obtaining outdoor equipment and supplies. We would not be able to facilitate the outdoor adventure programming this year without their support and partnership.”
The Seabrook Adventure Zone (SAZ) is a NH Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Center in partnership with Seacoast Youth Services and the Seabrook Middle School that provides free afterschool and out of school time programming to middle school youth in Seabrook, NH. SAZ has been in operation since 2011 and offers youth and families opportunities in academic support, social-emotional learning, along with leadership skill development and summer adventure programming. SAZ works diligently to build and maintain strong community partnerships to ensure that every opportunity is available to Seacoast youth and families for both in-person and virtual programming landscapes. More information about the Seabrook Adventure Zone can be found www.seacoastyouthservices.org/seabrook-adventure-zone-for-kids-after-school-and-summer-programs
The $17,500 grant to the Dover Teen Center in Dover will help teens with academic and social/emotional support and provide basic needs such as food and clothing as well as school supplies and technological support. Additionally, the Center will provide new enrichment programing that promotes creativity and self-esteem for youth participants. More information about the Dover Teen Center can be found on www.facebook.com/DoverTeenCenter/
The New Hampshire organizations are four of 20 organizations benefitting from the grant in Hannaford’s five-state footprint across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York and Massachusetts.
New Hampshire organizations will receive a total of $75,000, including:
- $20,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Central New Hampshire in Concord
- $20,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Manchester
- $17,500 to Seacoast Youth Services in Seabrook
- $17,500 to the Dover Teen Center in Dover
Maine organizations will receive a total of $100,000, including:
- $30,000 to the Alford Youth Center in Waterville
- $50,000 to the Bangor Region YMCA in Bangor
- $20,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Bangor
New York organizations will receive a total of $100,000, including:
- $10,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Kingston
- $10,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Newburgh
- $10,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Wallkill
- $20,000 to Healthy Kids Programs in Poughkeepsie
- $25,000 to Safe Schools Mohawk Valley in Utica
- $25,000 to the YMCA of the Greater Tri-Valley in Oneida
Vermont organizations will receive a total of $80,000, including:
- $20,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Brattleboro
- $20,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Burlington
- $20,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Vergennes
- $20,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Rutland County
Massachusetts organizations will receive a total of $50,000, including:
- $10,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lowell
- $20,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Metro South in Taunton
- $20,000 to the Rainbow Child Development Center in Worcester
About Hannaford Supermarkets
Hannaford Supermarkets, based in Scarborough, Maine, operates 184 stores in the Northeast. Stores are located in Maine, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Hannaford employs nearly 30,000 associates. Additional information can be found at Hannaford.com.
About the Hannaford Charitable Foundation
The mission of the Hannaford Charitable Foundation is to invest in creating and sustaining healthy communities through providing support to non-profit programs that focus on the improvement of the root causes impacting the quality of life for our neighbors, customers and associates. Founded in 1994, the Foundation has given over $14 million to organizations in the New England region.
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