Editor's note: Family Promise of Greater Nashua used to be known as Anne-Marie House.

“As my sons grew older and didn’t need my attention as much, I looked around to find a place that I could give back.  My family has been blessed so many times and we have always done service projects through Saint Kathryn’s.  There was a lot written in our church bulletin and in our local newspapers about a place called Anne Marie House AND it was right down the street from me.  I went to a talk that was held at Saint Kathryn’s with the then Director of Anne Marie House.  She sold me right away when she stated the stunning facts: the average homeless person was 8 or 9 years old, couch surfing or sleeping in cars, not having a bed of their own, carrying all their belongs in a backpack, not knowing when their next meal was coming.  I recalled volunteering at the Soup Kitchen in Nashua with my younger son, when he came over to me with tears in his eyes.  A fellow student from Middle school that he hadn’t seen for a while was receiving a meal.  It really hit home for us; homelessness was not what we had pictured.  These were families that needed our help.

I joined the Saint Kathryn’s volunteer group with the idea that maybe I would help with budgeting for the families and homework for the youngsters.  I assumed those were my gifts to share.  Well, God had a different plan and I quickly became known as the Baby Volunteer.  I helped many mothers of all ages with their pregnancies, babies and young children.  Driving them to appointments, sometimes helping with interpretations, holding a mom’s hand in the emergency room waiting for medical care, assisting with filling out so many forms, giving them encouragement, getting them the baby equipment that so many of us take for granted. I even had the pleasure of attending one of the mom’s births.  It soon became apparent to me that this is where I belong, and I feel so much at home.  It’s been over 10 years and I talk about it to everyone I meet.  No one in this country should be without shelter, food and education.  I am proud to say Family Promise at Anne Marie House provides all of this and more, especially long-lasting friendships among the residents.  I have witnessed so many success stories and would be glad to sit down with anyone who would like to learn more.” – Margaret St. Onge

Ending Homelessness One Family at a Time

Saint Kathryn Parish does not run Family Promise of Southern New Hampshire. To contact Family Promise of Southern New Hampshire directly, please call 603.883.7338.

Family Promise of Southern New Hampshire provides transitional housing for families experiencing homelessness. Family Promise is located in the former Infant Jesus School building in Nashua, NH, minutes up the road from Saint Kathryn's. Saint Kathryn's does not manage FPSNH, but we do have volunteers from the parish who assist there regularly. Are you interested in helping them end homelessness "one family at a time"? Volunteers are needed to staff the building a few hours a day asissting residents with various needs. There is also a need for volunteers to babysit little ones while parents are taking classes in the evenings. If you are interested in cooking, volunteers are also needed to cook meals for the residents Monday-Thursday, either in their industrial kitchen or prepared and dropped off. To learn more about Family Promise or to become a volunteer, visit www.familypromisenh.org. Or, you can fill in the form to the left and Saint Kathryn's will pass your information to Family Promise's director of volunteers.

Please click here to download and view a recent video from Family Promise of Southern New Hampshire.

Family Promise of Southern NH is busy and grateful!  Families continue to move in, construction is still underway, and staff is tending to the finer details needed to get and keep everything running smoothly. We are incredibly busy; busier than we thought we would be at this point!  But we are happy and blessed.
We currently have seven families living onsite.  The building is full of baby laughs and cries, toddler feet as they canter through common areas, and a cafeteria full of conversation and play.  All security cameras and locking systems are in place to keep everyone safe as they begin to settle into their new home.
We are getting regular food donations from Corpus Christi and the Hudson Food Pantry.  We could still use donations of fresh fruits and vegetables, juices, and milk.  And we do need volunteers to come in and cook (or deliver) evening meals Monday thru Thursday.  We have a fully operational industrial kitchen that is available to these volunteers.

Because our need for evening meals is paramount, we are incredibly grateful that White Birch of Hudson is helping to pick up the slack by delivering a meal for families every other Monday until we can get a regular influx of meals.  Also lending a hand is as Triumphant Cross (Salem, NH) and St. Matthews Church (Windham, NH).

On another note, we are going to start classes for our parents the week of March 14^th.  The first to be scheduled will be a parenting class taught by Renee Moloney.  Renee is certified to teach Systematic Training for Effective Parenting, the program used here at Family Promise.  She is also a pre-school teacher and runs art therapy classes.  Coming up soon will be Financial Literacy classes.

Because these essential classes are required of all parents, we need volunteers to babysit the little ones while Mom and Dad participate every Monday evening 7-9pm.

Below is a full list of our current needs:


NEEDS:
Dry Goods
Fresh Fruits and Veggies
Milk and Juices
Cleaning supplies
Toiletries
Diapers of all sizes!
All other in-kind donations are on hold as we rebuild our storage area.

VOLUNTEER NEEDS:
- Evening meals (delivered or cooked onsite) Monday thru Thursday
- Babysitters – Monday evenings, 7pm-9pm (mainly for toddlers and older children)
- Onsite volunteers for flexible evening hours between 6 and 9pm and weekend hours between 6:30 AM and 9 PM.  Evening volunteers are needed to help transition the building from daytime to evening.  These volunteers would be available during mealtime, and after to help families with whatever needs they may realize before bedtime. Weekend volunteers accept donations on our behalf and are a presence in the house in case of emergency.
- Event volunteers - we are beginning to plan several outdoor fundraising events for this
     spring/summer.  We will need volunteers and event committee members in various capacities.