Step Up Parents Receives $1,700 Grant From Merrimack County Savings Bank Foundation

Member news from the Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth:

March 2, 2021

DISCLAIMER: The following content wasn't created by, but is being shared by, the Chamber Collaborative on behalf of a member.

PORTSMOUTH—Nonprofit organization Step Up Parents of Portsmouth is pleased to announce a $1,700 grant from the Merrimack County Savings Bank Foundation. The grant will allow Step Up Parents to financially assist kinship families in the Merrimack County area.

Step Up Parents is a 100% volunteer organization that supports the individualized needs of kinship caregivers and the children they are raising as a result of a parent’s substance misuse. To date, we have assisted more than 130 N.H. kinship families.

Every year, Merrimack County Savings Bank Foundation makes grants to nonprofits making an impact on the lives of New Hampshire communities. “The Foundation allows us to support organizations like Step Up Parents who strengthen the places where we work and live,” said Linda Lorden, president of Merrimack County Savings Bank. “We can’t thank them enough for their incredible work and the services they provide. Step Up Parents helps to ensure children are being cared for and raised in stable, loving homes, and we are grateful for their community leadership.”

With a growing kinship family population, the need for support and resources is great. “We are very grateful to the Merrimack County Savings Bank Foundation,” said Denyse Richer, founder of Step Up Parents. “With so many kinship families in Merrimack County, it is important to have local partners supporting our mission to help them.”

If you, or someone you know, is a relative caregiver raising children of a loved one struggling with substance abuse, please visit www.stepupparents.net, call (603) 319-4739, or email info@stepupparents.net.

Donations may be made at www.stepupparents.net/donate or mailed to PO Box 1603,
Portsmouth, NH, 03801.

About Step Up Parents:

Founded in 2019 and based in Portsmouth, Step Up Parents offers financial assistance and support to relative caregivers in New Hampshire who have selflessly stepped up to be surrogate parents to kids whose biological parents struggle with substance use disorder. We are dedicated to honoring the efforts of these caregivers, preserving their dignity, and responding to their families’ immediate needs. Step Up Parents believes that even heroes need a hand.

This press release was produced by the Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth. The views expressed are the author's own.