This year, Community Action Partnership of Strafford County has much to be thankful for. Though we continue to face many challenges, we are grateful for our community. Your donations and care for those in need is special to us, and we look forward to helping those who need it the most. The coldest months of the year can be very challenging, so please read on to learn more about how to access help and ways to give back. |
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Program News, Information, and Resources |
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Thanksgiving and Christmas Baskets |
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Annual Thanksgiving and Christmas Baskets are around the corner!
If you could benefit from supplemental dishes on your Thanksgiving or Christmas table, apply to receive a basket now! We’ll have all the fixings for you to pick up on November 20th (Thanksgiving pickup) from 9am-2pm at 10 Cold Spring Manor, Rochester NH 03867.
Sign up for your Christmas basket when you pick up your Thanksgiving basket!
Apply at any CAPSC location or call (603) 435-2500 Ext. 8136 to apply over the phone.
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The Family Resource Center is a community-focused program, driven by family needs. It offers a multitude of programs throughout the year to help strengthen families. Some of those programs include: Kinship Navigators, Parenting Education Programs, and Support Groups. Click here for more information! Upcoming programs are listed below.
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Toddler Play Group is back!
November 3rd - December 23rd
Wednesday (11/3).
- Dover Groups begins Thursday (11/4).
This event is for children aged 1-3 years old to engage in socialization.
Contact Patrice to register:
Call/Text (603) 509-8029
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Mental Health and
Challenging Behaviors
Every Monday 6:00pm - 7:00pm
How to manage the stress of parenting and ways to manage challenging behaviors.
- Dover Family Resource Center:
11/8, 11/22, and 12/6
- Rochester Family Resource Center:
11/15, and 11/29
Open to all families!
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We are glad to announce that we are resuming our Senior Transportation program, providing weekly shopping trips for Strafford County residents aged 60 and over. We have a brand-new bus, a new driver, and a new and improved scheduling service. Weekly bus service began on October 5, 2021.
CAPSC has partnered with TripLink, a regional transportation call center, for scheduling riders for our transportation routes. This partnership allows us to offer our riders: Subscription scheduling, Reminder calls, Access to other area transportation services.
How to schedule your ride: You will need to call TripLink at 603-834-6010 by 11:00am the day before you would like to ride. Our driver will no longer take calls to schedule rides directly.
Please Note: There is no bus
service on Mondays.
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Applying for Fuel and Electrical Assistance |
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The Fuel Assistance Program (FAP), is a federally funded program that provides qualified households with assistance in paying their heating bills during the winter heating season. FAP can also help households during a heating emergency by securing an emergency delivery of fuel, delaying a shut-off notice, or referring clients to another source of assistance. Fuel Assistance benefits range from $158 to $1,575, depending on household income and energy costs.
Fuel season starts December 1st with the last day for application and fuel delivery ending April 30th. We are taking application appointments over the phone, or interviews in person. Applications are also currently available online here where you can also print out your application and mail it in. Starting in November, our Fuel Assistance program (FAP) office will be open until 6:00pm once a week to accommodate those who cannot make it before our usual 4:30 closing time.
Eversource offers a discounted rate for electric services for our FAP clients. Click here for more information and to see if you are eligible for a discount of 8-76% off of your bill! Discounts are for the first 750kw per year. You can apply at any time, and if your income changes, you can re-apply for a better rate.
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Are You Having Trouble Paying Your Rent? |
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CAPSC can help with rent and utility payments through the New Hampshire Emergency Rental Assistance Program. NHERAP is a new federally funded program that provides financial assistance for New Hampshire renters who cannot pay for their rent or utilities during the pandemic. If eligible, you can receive up to 18 months of rent and/or utility assistance.
You may be eligible if you have experienced reduced income, significant costs, or some other financial hardship over the last year. Or, if you qualified for unemployment benefits after March 12, 2020. You may also be eligible if you are paying more than 30% of your income towards rent and utilities, live in unsafe or unhealthy housing, or are at risk of homelessness. Finally, you may be eligible if you are below a certain income level.
For example, a family of four living in Dover, making less than $85,280 annually
would qualify.
As of March 15, 2021, CAPSC has paid out over $6M in rent and utility payments, serving nearly 2,000 individuals.
Applications can be submitted here. NHERAP is expected to be available through at least 2025.
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Weatherization Assistance Program |
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Happy 45th Anniversary, Weatherization Assistance Program! (WAP)
WAP saves people money and helps reduce dependency on fuel assistance by making homes more energy efficient. Priority is given to the elderly, residents with disabilities, households with children under the age of 6, households with high fuel use, and households who have been on fuel assistance for many years. Weatherization measures are typically prioritized by cost effectiveness and by health and safety standards.
Common projects include: home energy assessments, air sealing your home, insulation, moisture control, and ventilation.
By the Numbers:
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Since 2010, nationwide, WAP has reduced carbon emissions by 7,382,000 metric tons!
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The average energy savings per year for a weatherized home is $283 in the state of NH.
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In Fiscal Year 2020-2021, CAPSC served a total amount of 250 individuals.
Please contact Program Manager, Bob Arnold, if you have any questions at barnold@straffordcap.org or call (603) 435-2500, ext. 2350.
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CAPSC cannot do this alone. We depend on your generous donations to provide our programming and services. Please consider investing in our community by making a donation to CAPSC today. Your gift will stabilize families and support early childhood education, housing and heating assistance, and nutrition and health programming. CAPSC serves over 15,000 individuals and provides nearly $18M in goods and services in Strafford County each year.
This is possible because of you!
Because of you, last year:
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1,923 seniors had safe and accessible transportation.
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We served 111,586 free summer meals to children experiencing food insecurity.
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429 individuals and families experiencing homelessness were able to use our housing and outreach services.
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$2.9M in fuel and electrical utility assistance went to 4,196 households.
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$5.7M in Homeless Prevention funds were paid to landlords and utility companies to help families avoid eviction and utility disconnections.
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733 children and their families participated in our Head Start, Early Head Start, Home Visiting, and child care programs.
Click the donate button below to make a donation today. Thank you!
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While the holiday season brings joy to many individuals and families, it can also add stress to those with limited resources. We ask for your support and generosity to ensure that everyone in the community has access to all of their essential daily needs, especially during the holidays. The below is a list of donations needed to support our neighbors in the community.
Food to stock our food pantry. Some examples of our current needs are listed below. Must be non-expired.
- Cereal
- Instant Oatmeal
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Canned soup, beans, and vegetables (especially those with a "pop top" lid for our homeless clients who don't have access to a can opener)
- Instant Potatoes
- Pasta & Sauce
- Rice/Pasta Sides
- Condiments (Ketchup, Mustard, Mayo, Hot Sauce, Relish)
- Coffee
- Hot Cocoa
- Sugar Packets
- Individual Creamers
School supplies, educational toys, and books for children ages 0 to 5. For a more comprehensive list, please contact us directly.
We need your help to assist our families as the holidays approach. Please consider donating:
- Gift cards for various locations for up to 25 teenagers.
- Wrapped item along with a gift card for up to 50 mothers. For example, body wash and a visa gift card.
Donation items for individuals experiencing homelessness below. This list is very strict and we hold the right to refuse any item deemed unsuitable for our clients.
- New clothing with the tags still on
- Waterproof boots, no high heel boots for women
- New wool socks
- Waterproof gloves
- Hand warmers
- Winter jackets or coats that have been dry cleaned and are still in the
dry cleaner bag
All items will be inspected prior to acceptance.
Gift cards to local grocery stores, retail stores, coffee shops, and restaurants to distribute to individuals and families in need.
For more information on how to make a donation, please contact Melissa Spil, Chief Advancement Officer, at mspil@straffordcap.org.
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CAPSC needs your help! We could not do our work without support from our amazing volunteers.
Whether you are an individual, small group, large group, or company looking for ways to give back, we have a variety of volunteer opportunities to fit your needs and interests! Some of our volunteer opportunities include:
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Food Pantry: We have ongoing volunteer needs at our food pantries, which include loading, unloading, and stocking food donations and helping with general upkeep of the pantries.
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Head Start: We need volunteers to read books to our kids in Head Start. This is an ongoing opportunity.
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Warming Center: When the Warming Center is activated due to severe weather or other emergencies, we need volunteers to help out at the shelter. If you are interested in this opportunity, we will add your name to a volunteer list and email you when the shelter will be activated to see if you are available to volunteer.
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Site Upkeep: We have a variety of hands-on volunteer opportunities at our sites across Strafford County, which include yard work, painting, cleaning, and general maintenance of our properties.
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Seasonal Opportunities: We currently need volunteers to help prepare and coordinate Thanksgiving and Christmas Basket giveaways. There are several different volunteer dates/opportunities available in the months of November and December.
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Skilled Volunteers: If you have a specific skill or expertise that you would like to share with CAPSC, please email us directly to coordinate.
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Customized Opportunities: We can customize any volunteer opportunity based on your needs, interests, and group size. Email us directly to coordinate.
If you are interested in volunteering with CAPSC, please email
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20th Annual CAPSC Golf Classic |
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On September 20th we hosted our 20th Annual CAPSC Golf Classic!
Thank you to everyone who helped and participated at this momentous fundraiser.
This fundraiser benefits our Farmington and Dover Childcare Centers in honor of Barbara Spear and Jane Cooper Fall.
Total Raised: $26,000
Head over to our Facebook album to see our photo album by Benjamin Humphreys.
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Thank You To Our Sponsors!
Underwriting Sponsors:
Full list of sponsors here!
Thank you to Cochecho Country Club for helping us host a beautiful tournament, and we look forward to next year's 21st Annual CAPSC Golf Classic in Dover, NH.
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Huge shoutout to Kelsey from
for creating this beautiful video.
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Congratulations to our winners
with a score of 56!
From left, Joga Singh, Mark Coffey,
L.T. Sherpa, and Toni Tillman.
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National Weatherization Day |
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October 30th was National Weatherization Day. To commemorate the day, CAPSC’s Weatherization Team hosted a state-wide event at Somersworth Housing Authority, which is currently undergoing a major renovation and improvement project. The total project is $15M, and CAPSC is contributing $1.2M in energy improvements through the Weatherization Assistance Program. After the project is complete, residents at Somersworth Housing Authority will have fully renovated apartments that they will be proud to call home.
Thank you to our state-wide funders: Eversource, Liberty Utilities, New Hampshire Electric Co-op, Thomas W. Haas Foundation, and Unitil. Many local town and city governments across New Hampshire also provide support to local Weatherization Assistance Programs.
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Event attendees gathered to listen to key community leaders. |
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The Gafney Home in Rochester |
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Community Action Partnership of Strafford County is thrilled to announce our Rochester Gafney Home renovation application has been approved by the New Hampshire Housing Board of Directors!
We need affordable and safe housing now more than ever, and CAPSC is proud to be awarded $4.7M for this rehabilitation project. The Gafney Home, located at 90 Wakefield St in Rochester, was an assisted living facility until 2019. Now, this 21-unit apartment makeover will feature safe and affordable housing for 10 studio units;
nine 1-bedroom units; and two 2-bedroom units. This renovation will include the Victorian mansion, attached annex, and detached carriage house. We anticipate construction starting in Spring of 2022.
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CASPC would like to welcome our Chief Advancement Officer, Melissa Spil (she/her/hers). We are very excited to have Melissa here!
Prior to joining us, Melissa worked at TROSA, a recovery program in North Carolina where she raised over $2.5 million in grants and donations. She has experience planning events, writing federal and state grants, and has led successful individual, corporate, foundation, and government donor programs. She has a passion for data and storytelling. Melissa has a Master’s Degree in Social Work concentrated on nonprofit management and has led direct service programs prior to moving in the field of development. She was an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Triangle Chapter and will be continuing her membership with the Northern New England Chapter.
If you have questions about how to get involved with CAPSC, please contact Melissa at mspil@straffordcap.org or 603-435-2500 ext. 8138.
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Thank you Dos Mexican Eats! |
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Thank you to Brett and his team at Dos Mexican Eats for providing 40 nutritious meals a week to our unsheltered clients accessing the Drop-In Center!
Dos Mexican Eats is rooted in our community and they are a group that keeps giving back! We appreciate you!
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CAPSC is offering a $500 sign-on bonus as well as a retention bonus of
$50 - $150 per week until January 3rd for
all positions.
CAPSC offers several benefits including:
• 403(b)
• Medical coverage
• Dental coverage
• Earned time-off
• Flexible spending accounts
• Vision care coverage
• Work/Life resources
• Employee and Dependent life insurance
• Disability insurance
• 12 Paid Holidays a year
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Community Action Partnership of Strafford County
Bradley Commons 577 Central Ave Suite 10
Dover, NH 03820
(603) 435-2500
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