Portsmouth, NH – The holidays are a time of cheer, joy, and togetherness. While a lot of us will get to experience the pleasures of the holidays, Partners Bank wants to remember those who are not as fortunate. To some, the holidays are a sad reminder that their dinner table will be short on turkey, ham, vegetables, bread, and other holiday favorites. That is where the Partners Bank  Y Hopeful Holidays Donation comes in.

Partners Bank is spreading hope to those experiencing food insecurity by donating a total of $30,000 to local food pantries in the communities they serve: Sanford, South Sanford, Springvale, Limerick, Waterboro, Buxton, Wells, York, Portsmouth, Rye, and Kingston.

Partners Bank President & CEO Blaine Boudreau shares, “With the Partners Bank Y Hopeful Holidays Donation, we want to give hope to those who could use a reminder that they are not alone and that someone cares about them.”

Market Managers at each of the 11 Partners Bank locations selected local food pantries to receive the $30,000 donation. In the New Hampshire region, the list of food pantries and the amount donated are:

• The Rye branch is donating $3,000 ($1,500 each) to Hobbs House Community Center and Vincent de Paul Society.
• The Kingston branch is donating $3,000 ($1,500 each) to Kingston Food Pantry and End 68 Hours of Hunger – Sanborn.
• The Portsmouth branch is donating $3,000 to Operation Blessing.

Volunteers of the Food Pantry at Trinity Episcopal Church in Hampton, NH, provide food on the first and third Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Hobbs Hall during the Church’s Saturday sessions. Their address is 200 High Street. No appointment is necessary for those seeking assistance.

St. Vincent de Paul’s Food Pantry in Hampton, NH, is located at 289 Lafayette Rd. They are open from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. They are closed on holidays. Those in need must apply for assistance and will be interviewed. If eligible, the Food Pantry will provide a family with enough food for two weeks.

The Kingston Food Pantry is located at the Town Hall at 163 Main Street, Kingston, NH. Their services are available to Kingston residents and made possible by donations of gift cards, money, and food from residents and businesses. They are open on the first and third Monday of each month from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. No appointment is required.

End 68 Hours of Hunger’s mission is to eliminate the 68 hours of hunger that some children experience between the free lunch they receive at school on Friday and the free breakfast they receive at school on Monday. The Sanborn District of End 68 Hours of Hunger serves the Newton, Kingston, and Fremont areas of New Hampshire. They also serve communities in California, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Ohio; however, they are prominently in New Hampshire. Those in need of assistance should contact them directly to learn more.

Operation Blessing is located at 600A Lafayette Rd, Portsmouth, NH. They are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays. Those who need assistance must apply to be on the waiting list. Operation Blessing began in 1978 by a woman named Rachel Sparkowich. She began helping one family who was experiencing food insecurity, and her generosity blossomed into an organization that leads with compassion.

Throughout the month of December, Partners Bank will be distributing checks to these important organizations, so those who are experiencing food insecurity are not left behind during the holidays.

But that’s not all, the generosity does not end there. Partners Bank gifted a turkey to each employee for Thanksgiving, and a group of those employees wanted to double the kindness by donating their turkeys to the YCSP Food Pantry. On November 15th, Partners Bank employees drove a total of 70 frozen turkeys to the YCSP Food Pantry located at 5 Swetts Bridge Road, Alfred, ME.

Last year, Partners Bank employees donated 40 turkeys to the YCSP Food Pantry for Thanksgiving. The volunteers at the Food Pantry work diligently to meet the growing demands of the community every year, so the Bank employees wanted to make a bigger impact this year. Seventy 10-lb turkeys will feed approximately 700-1,050 people in the community who receive services from the YCSP Food Pantry. This donation also relieves the stress the volunteers feel to gather enough food for the recipients.

“Partners Bank is The Bank That Listens for a reason. We hear the struggles that some people are having with the rising cost of everything, especially food,” says Boudreau. “The holidays should be a time of hope and joy. As the leading bank in Southern Maine and Southern New Hampshire that pours back into the community, we created the Partners Bank Y Hopeful Holidays Donation to instill hope and joy to the community.”

About Partners Bank:

Partners Bank was founded in 1933 and is headquartered in Sanford, Maine, with additional Maine branch locations in Springvale, South Sanford, Limerick, Buxton, Waterboro, Wells and York, as well as New Hampshire branch locations in Portsmouth, Rye, and Kingston. Partners Bank is a mutual savings bank that operates solely for the benefit of its deposit and loan customers and is focused on giving back to the communities where it serves. Deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.  Partners Bank is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Equal Housing Lender. For more information, please visit their eBranch at partners.bank, Facebok page at Facebook.com/PartnersBankOnline or call 1-888-226-5747.