A New Hampshire organization that helps Granite Staters struggling with hunger or homelessness is getting additional support from billionaire Jeff Bezos. The Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter has received a $1.25 million grant from the Day 1 Families Fund, and workers said it will help them even more families. Nashua’s Jennifer Dustin said she can get a cart full of turkey, cranberries and just about anything she needs for her Thanksgiving dinner because of the soup kitchen. “I’m in a situation right now. My husband is a disabled veteran, a diabetic at St. Joe’s at the moment. He had to be partially amputated,” she said. “If they didn’t have this program, I wouldn’t be celebrating Thanksgiving.” On Tuesday, volunteers distributed holiday shopping to families in need across Granite State for the Soup Kitchen’s annual Thanksgiving box giveaway. “Everyone here is so helpful for anything I’m I’ve ever needed toiletries and stuff like that and they’ve always helped us,” said Dustin. The soup kitchen not only helps during the holidays. It’s open 365 days a year, and workers said the grant from the Day 1 Families Fund, which funds groups working to end homelessness, will help them do more,” said Erika Cross MacDonald, project manager for Spring Street Forward, the organization’s emergency shelter help support staffing and programming, and it comes as the organization prepares to open its new emergency shelter It’s always looking for volunteers or donations to support its mission.
A New Hampshire organization that helps Granite Staters battle hunger or homelessness is getting additional support from billionaire Jeff Bezos.
The Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter received a $1.25 million grant from the Day 1 Families Fund, and employees said it will allow them to serve even more families.
Nashua’s Jennifer Dustin said that because of the soup kitchen, she was able to get a cart full of turkey, cranberries and just about anything else she needed for her Thanksgiving dinner.
“I’m in a situation right now. My husband is a disabled veteran, a diabetic at St. Joe’s at the moment. He had to be partially amputated,” she said. “If they didn’t have this program, I wouldn’t be celebrating Thanksgiving.”
On Tuesday, volunteers distributed Christmas shopping to needy families in Granite state for the soup kitchen’s annual Thanksgiving box giveaway.
“Everyone here is so helpful with anything I’ve ever needed, toiletries, stuff like that and they’ve always helped us,” Dustin said.
The soup kitchen not only helps around the holidays. It’s open 365 days a year, and workers said the grant from the Day 1 Families Fund, which funds groups working to end homelessness, will help them do more.
“I think it’s just beyond anything we can dream of,” said Erika Cross MacDonald, project manager for Spring Street Forward, the organization’s emergency shelter.
She said the scholarship will be a game changer for the team.
“It will definitely more than double our capacity for family housing,” she said.
The funding will help support staffing and programming, and it comes as the organization prepares to open its new emergency shelter.
“It will allow us to expand our services to families and to help people get started,” MacDonald said.
The organization said it is always looking for volunteers or donations to support its mission.