NASHUA – For the second year in a row, the Front Door Agency is turning its Annual Gourmet Festival & Auction into an exciting online event that will run from May 6-16. The online auction features 100-plus unique items, including home improvement packages, weekend getaways, designer purses, sporting goods, fine jewelry and so much more. All proceeds will benefit individuals and families in Greater Nashua that are facing homelessness, including those who have fallen behind on rent or utilities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, visit www.tinyurl.com/Gourmet-21.

This year, the Front Door Agency is partnering with four local chefs to put the “Gourmet” back in the Gourmet Festival & Auction. Every meal ticket sold includes your choice of an exclusive takeout meal from one of the following local restaurants: Celebrations Catering, Nashua Country Club, Stella Blu, or Surf. This is a great way to support the Agency’s mission while supporting local restaurants that have been affected by the pandemic.

The annual Gourmet Festival & Auction is the Front Door Agency’s largest fundraiser of the year. With your support, the Agency can help people like Sharon, a single mother of twins, work through crisis and reach self-sufficiency. Before she found the Agency’s Transformational Housing Program, Sharon was homeless and struggling with substance abuse disorder. She never graduated from high school, making it impossible to make enough money to support herself and her children.

“I filled out an application to the best of my ability and crossed my fingers,” said Sharon. “When I got accepted into the Program, I started making permanent changes to build a better life for me and my children.” Sharon and the kids moved into the Agency’s Norwell Home where her case managers helped put supportive services in place, including childcare, and encouraged her to participate in the Agency’s Financial Literacy Program. With her life stabilized, she passed the HiSET exam, secured a reliable vehicle and started the educational training she needed to earn her Certified Recovery Support Worker certification.

Sharon is now employed full-time as a Certified Recovery Support Worker at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester. “It’s really special to give back to others who face similar struggles as I did,” Sharon said. “And I’m not living paycheck-to-paycheck. It feels so good to pay all my bills on time, sometimes early, but never late. And, most importantly, my children and I have a home together that I am able to maintain on my own.”

One of the easiest ways to support local families like Sharon’s is through the Gourmet Festival & Auction’s Fund-A-Need campaign where you choose your donation level based on a specific Agency program or service. The online event also features the Agency’s signature Golden Brick Raffle, sponsored by Eaton & Berube Insurance, which is open now through May 16. Only 200 gold bricks will be sold, and this year’s first place and second place winners will receive stunning diamond jewelry.

The Gourmet Festival & Auction is made possible through the support of the Front Door Agency’s Corporate Partners: Summit Title Services, BAE Systems, Bellwether Community Credit Union, Lowell Five, Southern NH Health and Stanley Elevator. Community partners include Boston Billiard Club & Casino, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and the United Way of Greater Nashua. Media Partners include The Nashua Telegraph, Frank FM, The Union Leader, and WMUR-TV.

Major Gourmet Event Sponsors include: RBC Wealth Management (Presenting Sponsor), UBS Financial (Video Sponsor), Eastern Bank (Caring Sponsor) and Eaton & Berube Insurance (Golden Brick Sponsor).

For more information and to join in on the fun, visit www.tinyurl.com/Gourmet-21.

Last year, the Front Door Agency assisted more than 1,140 people in Greater Nashua through its core programs including Transformational Housing for single mothers, Financial Literacy, a Holiday Program, and a Housing Stability Program offering assistance with rent, utilities, security deposit loans and permanent affordable housing. To learn more, visit www.frontdooragency.org.

Newsletter