Page 7 - DEC2024

December 2024
NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM Page 7
Community NH's Boxes of Love for the Homeless
the homeless and contacted them
join their volunteer teams, and ways to make a tax-deductible to see about collaborating at some
donation to either of their wor- of their events. Now, the two non-
profit groups are pleased to team
thy causes can be found online at boxesofloveforthehomeless.com up throughout the year to provide
and riseagainoutreach.org.
for the needs of others. By visit-
ing their website, people can learn
Founder Stacy Bergeron (center) helped organize a Boxes of Love for the Homeless Community Outreach event at Ashland Community Church last Saturday. From left to right are some of the many volunteers and board members who made it possible- Debbie, Jeanne, Monique, Stacy, Paula, Kim, and Burt. Photo by Donna Rhodes
By Donna RhoDes
encampment. From there, the
durable medical goods for those who needed them.
ASHLAND — Ashland Com-
project grew as others joined her
munity Church hosted a Commu-
in the mission. Four years later,
Finally there were special nity Day of Caring for the Boxes
Boxes of Love is now a 501(c) 3
Boxes of Love at their Commu- of Love Homeless project last
nity Day event, each filled with nonprofit group helping not only
Saturday, offering food, goods,
the homeless but seniors and
every day items that are fun as and services to people in need of
communities across the state as
well as handy to have. Packs of support in their daily lives.
playing cards, markers, coloring well.
New Hampshire’s Boxes
Bergeron established a board
books, reading glasses and even of Love for the Homeless was
small flashlights were just a few of of directors and began to raise
founded by Stacy Bergeron of
the items the boxes contained. money through Community
Candia “by accident,” she said
Bingo Center in Manchester to
“They’re just some things to when she began to notice the
make people smile and know help solely with operations for the
homeless population in Man-
someone cares,” said Bergeron. project. From there she and the
chester. Taking her son to swim
board sought donations to pur-
That wasn’t all however. “3 lessons, she had to park her car
Shades of Gray” performed for chase food and other life necessi-
near a bridge where there was
everyone as they gathered their ties for those in need.
a homeless camp, and she con-
Last Saturday saw the sanc-
goods or simply sat in chairs to fessed that she was a bit nervous
enjoy the music and there was tuary of Ashland Community
and afraid of the people she saw
free lunch, courtesy of Village Church transformed into a virtual
there. After repeated encounters
market. Volunteers from Boxes of
Pizza.
with them, she began to turn that
In another section of the Love, along with church mem-
worry into concern for the people
bers, greeted people, handed out
church three professional hair- living there as the days and nights
shopping bags, and invited them
stylists were stationed to volun- grew colder, and she decided to
teer their services for the day, and to take anything they needed from
do something to help.
the overflowing tables assembled
as people signed up, they were Bergeron put together cel-
on one side of the large room.
taken into a bathroom where a shampooing station was set up. lophane bags containing hand
The choices were literally every-
warmers, a granola bar, and a
thing from soup to nuts. Boxed
Once their hair was washed, they couple of bottles of water to pass
and canned goods, condiments,
climbed into a chair to have it all cut and styled to their liking.
out to those she felt might need
snacks, and even some dairy
them. It was a man huddled and
products were available for peo-
“We want people to leave here shivering in a blue sleeping bag,
ple to select.
feeling awesome,” Bergeron said. Besides Boxes of Love upstairs, though, that changed her life.
On the other side of the room
“I went and asked if he’d like
were hygiene items, feminine
downstairs, the Rise Again Out- one of the bags. He said yes, and
products, diapers, razors, shaving
reach organization brought their when he looked up at me in the
mobile clothes closet to the event cream, toothbrushes, and tooth-
eyes, I realized this was a real
paste, to name a few. Books and
so people could browse through human being, and I wasn’t afraid
crafting supplies were set out on
a large inventory of clothing to of him and the others anymore,”
find things that fit their sizes and another table for people to choose
said Bergeron.
from. There were even household
needs.
It was then that she decided to
items such as coffee pots and sin-
Bergeron said Boxes of Love make 20 Boxes of Love to hand
gle-burner electric cooking ap-
learned about the Rise Again Outreach mission to help clothe out to the people living in the
pliances stacked up, along with
about upcoming dates for more free shopping at the Rise Again Outreach Clothing Warehouse in Loudon.
As a faith-based organization, Bergeron and her volunteers feel it was God who actually started them on this mission to help oth- ers. While that mission began with the homeless, they have ex- panded it by reaching out to com- munities like Ashland as well as seniors across the state. On Valen- tine’s Day this coming February, the volunteers will be assembling 1,100 special Boxes of Love, which will then be distributed to seniors living in New Hampshire’s eight-county nursing facilities.
More information on these two nonprofit organizations and their upcoming events, ways to
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