Step by Step

A Quarterly Newsletter/Issue 1

Welcome to the new year and our recently-named quarterly newsletter, Step by Step! Last year was like no other in ways we couldn’t have imagined. For kinship families, their daily challenges were compounded by the unrelenting grip of the pandemic. Caregivers dealt with not only economic and health challenges but were also expected to be teachers, coaches, and counselors…so much to ask of anyone. We are hopeful that 2021 will mean the easing of some of the stresses and burdens that so many families are facing.

Unfortunately, one of the devastating consequences of Covid-19 has been the regression in the positive strides made in the battle against the opioid epidemic.  For those who struggle with a substance use disorder, their situations are exacerbated by the stress, isolation and financial hardship of the pandemic. Drug overdose deaths increased 31% in the first half of 2020 as compared to 2019, which saw an all-time high of 72,000 deaths.  With attention and funding being diverted, addiction centers are struggling to survive.   Sadly, this means that more grandparents and relatives are being called on to step up to care for the young children in their families.

Thankfully, Step Up Parents was able to adjust to the challenges of Covid-19, including an increase in applications for assistance and donors who are themselves experiencing financial stress and have fewer funds available for charitable donations. We adapted to this new reality and were successful in securing grant funding from several foundations and corporate sponsors.  We are proud to say that, in 2020, Step Up Parents gave over $31,000 in aid to 80 deserving kinship families!    

Our Families

The true economic impact of Covid-19 has yet to be fully realized.  In 2020, many families relied on additional unemployment benefits and emergency stimulus funding to stay afloat. As these programs expired, Step Up Parents saw an increase in applications.  Applications for assistance also increased when school resumed and families were reconnected to community resources.  For many kinship caregivers, the lack of technology in a virtual world has been a significant barrier to accessing help.

Collectively, our kinship caregivers stepped up for over 155 children last year.  We assisted families from 45 different communities in New Hampshire.  As 2020 wore on, we not only saw an increase in applications, but a shift in focus to basic necessities such as food, clothing, housing and gas money.  

In an effort to give our caregivers a little something extra after “the year that was”, we distributed over $3,500 in Holiday Walmart Gift Cards! Our hope was that this unexpected surprise would brighten their holidays and remind them that we value and appreciate what they do every day for New Hampshire’s vulnerable children.

For 2021, our goal is to help over 100 families and expand our outreach to every New Hampshire community.  We continue to build our network of social workers throughout the state to spread the word about Step Up Parents.  We want every school and family resource center to access our resources.  Although we are optimistic that vaccines will end this grueling pandemic, its effects will be felt for a very long time to come.  We expect to see a constant flow of requests for assistance throughout 2021.  The needs of kinship families are greater than ever.   

Our Donors

Step Up Parents is forever grateful and humbled by the outpouring of support for our mission since we began operations in 2019.   Despite the challenges of 2020 and the pandemic restrictions on in-person events, we received over $100,000 in donations, doubling 2019.  We had 112 individual donations, many from repeat donors.  Their confidence and renewed support during this difficult time are so deeply appreciated.  We were also supported in 2020 by five local community organizations, including the Seacoast Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Portsmouth.  Of our sixteen corporate donors in 2020, nine joined our effort as official corporate sponsors.  Also, we are delighted by our new partnerships with businesses outside the Seacoast, realizing a key strategic goal of a statewide presence. 

Our most significant funding accomplishment in 2020 came in the form of grants. Our biggest award was a $40,000 grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.  Since receiving the NHCF grant last summer, we have received a $5,000 grant from The Fuller Foundation, as well as $5,000 from the Merrimack Village Savings Bank Foundation.   In total, Step Up Parents was the proud recipient of almost $60,000 in grants. 

As we move forward in 2021, we have already received a $5,000 grant from a private foundation that wishes to remain anonymous.  This is their second grant to us, and we thank them for their generosity and support.  We are also thrilled to announce the tremendous opportunity given to us by the Seacoast Board of Realtors (SBR).   Step Up Parents has been selected as the SBR Charity of Choice – 2021.  More to follow about this exciting new development.