WHAT'S

GOVERNOR LYNCH PROCLAIMS MAY 2008 TO BE COMMUNITY ACTION MONTH

"NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOHN H. LYNCH, GOVERNOR of the State of New Hampshire, and the Executive Council, do hereby proclaim MAY 2008 as COMMUNITY ACTION MONTH in New Hampshire and honor the continued contributions of New Hampshire's community action agencies."

Receiving the Governor's Proclamation are Michael Scarpone, Executive Director, Rockingham Community Action; Richard Hayes, Executive Director, Strafford County Community Action Committee, Inc.; Governor John H. Lynch; Ralph Littlefield, Executive Director, Community Action Program Belknap-Merrimack Counties, Inc.; Peter Highbee, Deputy Director, Tri-County Community Action Program; Deborah Gosselin, Program Operations Director, Southern New Hampshire Services; Gale Hennessey, Executive Director, Southern New Hampshire Services; William Marcello, Executive Director, Southwestern Community Services


The Fixit Program is sponsored by Community Action Program Belknap-Merrimack Counties, Inc. in Belknap and Merrimack Counties and now with Strafford County Community Action Committee, Inc. in Strafford County.

Mission: help senior and disabled persons remain independent and in their own homes.

Program provides: minor maintenance and repair to the homes of persons living in Strafford County.

Service provided by: volunteers from local communities.

Cost: homeowners are charged a set amount for materials used. There is no set charge for the labor but homeowners are expected to make a donation in accordance with their ability to pay. The donation enables the program to provide services to additional individuals in the community.

Who is eligible? Citizens 60 years of age or older or any disabled persons regardless of age whose disabilities hinder their ability to maintain their homes.

Income eligibility requirements: none

For information or assistance call:


Dover................................ (603) 516-8144

Farmington.......................(603) 755-9305

Milton...............................(603) 652-9893

Rochester......................... (603) 332-3963

Examples of Services Provided by the Volunteer:

Plumbing: repair dripping faucets, leaky drains, running toilets.

Carpentry: install handrails, grab bars, curtains, drapes, weather-stripping. Replace porch steps, rotted deck boards, etc.

Electrical: repair switches, outlets or sockets, light fixtures, cords/plugs or, lamps, or small appliances, replace lights and light bulbs, etc.

Painting: priming and painting of window and door trim, doors, thresholds and ceilings, etc.

Other: install AC's, raise screens, lower storms, trim shrubs, replace smoke detector batteries, etc. Build/assemble modular wheelchair ramps (some requirements and restrictions apply).

Click here to read the February 2008 issue of The Fixit Program Newsletter.

to the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Piscataqua Region, for providing a grant of $5,000 to assist in the start-up of The Fixit Program, and to United Way of the Greater Seacoast, which will be providing significant program funding for the next three years!

Executive Director Richard Hayes presented Jack with tokens of appreciation.

Jack LaBonte announced his retirement from the Board last March. At the June 20th Board meeting, Jack was thanked by all for his tireless years of service and commitment to the Board and to the community.

Taste of the Nation Donates $18,320 to SCCAC

The 12th annual Taste of the Nation featured about 40 restaurants and 20 wine and beer vendors showing off their culinary treats on the grounds of the Strawbery Banke Museum. Close to 800 people attended the sold-out event last June 21 to raise money for the Share Our Strength hunger relief organization.

The event raised a record-breaking $70,000. Portsmouth raises more money per capita than any other city in the country for Share Our Strength. Local and state recipients of this year's proceeds, besides SCCAC, are Footprints Food Pantry, York County Shelters, Rockingham Community Action, The Children's Alliance of New Hampshire, and Nesenkeag Cooperative Farm.

National sponsorship is provided by American Express and Jenn-Air, with local sponsorship coming from Liberty Mutual, Timberland, Hammer Construction, Yoga East, Bottomline Technologies, Idea Outfitters, Strawbery Banke, RAM Printing Inc., Seacoast Media Group, Smuttynose Brewing Company, Blue Water Mortgage Corporation, GreenPages, Pax World, Marshall Tent and Event Rental, ADM, Portsmouth Sign Company and Mahalo's Catering.

Participating restaurants include The Green Monkey, Jumpin'Jay's Fish Cafe, The Wellington Room, Bob's Clam Hut, The Dolphin Striker, Edible Arrangements Portsmouth, Saunders at Rye Harbor, Anneke Jans, Pesce Blue, Bonta Restaurant, La Familiar, Orchard Street Chop Shop, Beach Pea Baking Co., Caceo, Harbor's Edge at the Sheraton Harborside, Lindbergh's Crossing, Poco's Bow Street Cantina, Philbrick's Fresh Market, Squamscot Beverages, Wentworth by the Sea, Victory 96 State Street, The One Hundred Club, Capt. Simeons, Frisbee's Super Market, Robert's Maine Grill, Me & Ollie's Honest Bread, The Governor's Inn, Dante's Pasta and Vino, The Metro, The Library, The Portsmouth Brewery, The Portsmouth Gaslight Co., Blue Latitudes, The Carriage House, The Blue Mermaid Island Grill ,Zampa, The Stockpot, Isis on Penhallow, The Dunaway Restaurant, Radici, Spasso Foods LLC, Enoteca Italiana, Anthony Alberto's Ristorante Italiano, and Molly Malone's Irish Restaurant and Pub.



The Otto Fund Donates $10,000 to SCCAC

For a second year, the Otto Fund, a charitable giving partnership with Greater Piscataqua Community Foundation, has donated $10,000 to SCCAC to support the Low-Income Home Emergency Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). This assistance helped SCCAC to meet LIHEAP funding shortfalls, and allows WAP staff to provide flexibility of funding sources to complete jobs economically with maximum repair or rehabilitation of housing units.

Agnes Lindsay Trust Donates $5,000 to Support SCCAC Elderly Transportation Program

The Agnes M. Lindsay Trust supports many colleges, universities, and private secondary schools through scholarship funds annually.  These funds are administered by the colleges, universities and schools to the deserving students from rural communities. In addition, The Agnes M. Lindsay Trust awards grants for capital campaigns, capital items, renovation needs and equipment.  Occasionally, the Trustees will approve a grant for the start-up of a new project, if in their opinion the project appears fundamentally sound. The Agnes M. Lindsay Trust supports a number of health and welfare organizations, health projects, special needs, including the blind, deaf and learning disabled, the elderly, children's hospitals, children's homes, youth organizations, youth/family services and summer camperships/summer enrichment programs. 

Since 1974, the SCCAC Elderly Transportation Program has made transportation available for elderly (55 or older) and handicapped transportation-underserved residents of Strafford County. A fixed route, lift-equipped van provides transportation for shopping, banking, attendance at congregate meal sites, and other essential services which would otherwise be denied our ridership.

New equipment is needed so that we may continue this service. SCCAC has successfully applied for funding to purchase a replacement vehicle through the Elderly and Disabled Mobility Program under Section 5310 of the Federal Transit Act. The NH Department of Transportation will provide 80% of necessary funding. The Agnes M. Lindsay Trust donation will provide major assistance in providing needed matching funds.

Cogswell Benevolent Trust Also Donates $5,000 to Support SCCAC Elderly Transportation Program - Federal Match Requirements Are Met

The Cogswell Family has been prominent in Henniker since Deacon Nathaniel Cogswell arrived in 1800. Leander A. Cogswell (1864-1928), who owned a shoe factory in Manchester, left numerous bequests to the Town of Henniker and various individuals, with the balance of his estate left to set up the Cogswell Benevolent Trust, which has been providing funds for charitable and educational purposes in New Hampshire ever since.