The Friends Program

The Friends Program strengthens communities by building relationships that empower people, encourage community service, and restore faith in the human spirit – “Building Relationships…Restoring Hope.”

The Friends Program manages four separate programs that serve a number of New Hampshire communities:

• Emergency Housing – Our family shelter, located in the south end of Concord, can house 8 homeless families daily. In FY2017 we provided shelter to 80 people (29 families).
• Foster Grandparents – Foster Grandparent volunteers (seniors) perform their service to children in Belknap, Carroll, Cheshire, Grafton, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham, Strafford, and Sullivan Counties. In 2016, the Foster Grandparent Program placed 144 volunteers in schools, child care centers and after-school programs.  These volunteers served 110,000 hours to support at-risk children with time, attention and care.
• Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) – RSVP volunteers provide a wide range of community services in Rockingham, Merrimack, Strafford, and Belknap Counties.  In 2016, RSVP placed 500 volunteers in 134 non-profit and public agencies serving 68,300 hours to meet critical needs.
• Youth Mentoring – Our volunteer mentors are making new friends and in doing so, provide hope and inspiration to at-risk youth in 10 communities in Merrimack County. In FY2017, we had 127 one-to-one matches, totaling 11,613 hours of support to at-risk youth.