Upper Valley Haven, Inc.

The Community Food Market provides a week's supply of healthy groceries once a month (including meat, dairy and produce), and unlimited access to bread and produce to anyone in need. By supplementing food supplies for households the Haven helps to alleviate hunger and food insecurity in our community. Unique to the Haven’s Food Shelf is the opportunity for visitors to “shop” the shelves for items they need and prefer, instead of being handed pre-selected bags of foods that were chosen on their behalf. The quantity of food allowed is based on family size, and visitors pick certain amounts of food out of categories (e.g. pastas and grains, fruits, juices, breakfast cereals, peanut butter, soups, vegetables, beans, dairy, meat, baby food and formula, etc.) to ensure a well-balanced selection of their choice. The Haven also provides daily opportunities for customers to secure fresh produce, prepared meals, bread, desserts and other items.

The adult shelter has room for up to 20 guests which includes 10 bedrooms with two guests in each bedroom, staff offices, counseling rooms, check-in, an elevator, computer room, kitchen, common areas for dining and recreation, bathrooms, laundry, telephone rooms and storage. Three meals are provided for adults residents, occasionally with their participation. Evening meals are often prepared by volunteers who are part of the Dinner Team.

Children's After School Program: As part of our Children’s Services, we offer an After School Program. The program is targeted to children who currently live in the Byrne Family Shelter or who once lived there. This program runs Monday through Friday from 2:30 - 5. We provide a wide variety of enrichment activities, such as visits to the Hood art museum, music, dance, and cultural performances; seasonal activities such as skating, tennis, and hiking; cooking and arts and crafts activities. The daily schedule first includes a substantial snack that is prepared by the group with healthy ingredients, and is often an early dinner for some. Then, volunteers work with the children to do their homework as well as engage in other activities that might include a team art project, outdoor sports activity, a music lesson, or shared reading time. Transportation home is provided for the children who live in the community. Summer Camp: The Summer Camp is also targeted to children living in the Byrne Family Shelter or who once lived there. We provide three two-week sessions for younger middle school students and elementary school aged students. It provides broad experiences in the community that are both educational and fun.

Our Service Coordinators help all persons in the community who come to us by assisting with short-term development of solutions and referrals to other organizations for longer term help; Many people come through our doors in need of more than food, clothing and/or a shower. Sometimes they are in need of shelter when all of our beds are full. Other times they are housed, but most precariously because they are choosing between paying the rent or their utility bill, which might be a month overdue. Other times they have medical issues that have compromised their employment status. Our Outreach Case Managers meet with these individuals and families, listen to their circumstances and search for the strengths and opportunities that will help them move forward positively. Our Case Managers can sometimes offer direct assistance with living expenses such as bus and transportation fare, fees (for license renewals, etc), a utility bill that jeopardizes a person’s housing security, medication that is not covered by insurance or a portion of a security deposit so that someone may find a viable housing solution.