The New England Boys
The New England Boys (Mike, Dave, Ed & Dave) are paired with Vouchers for Veterans. Vouchers for Veterans is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created by Jeanne Grover in 2016. Along with friend Alicia Frye, they co-foundered the Rochester Farmers Market in Rochester, New Hampshire. It was out of their shared desire to find a way to give back to local Veterans in honor of their service, while providing a boost to local farmers, that Vouchers for Veterans became a reality. The mission of Vouchers for Veterans is to thank Veterans living in New Hampshire and Southern Maine for their service by providing them vouchers to purchase healthy, nutritious food directly from the growers at local Farmers Markets.
The program was launched in 2016 at the Rochester Farmers Market during the month of September, a time when markets are typically overflowing with produce but see fewer customers as families are busy with back to school activities and the high tourist season has ended. During September, which is Hunger Awareness Month, the vouchers support the farmers by keeping money in local communities and give veterans access to nutritious foods.
Word of Vouchers for Veterans has spread, and other communities are interested in the program, so Jeanne, with the board of directors, is creating a plan to expand the program to other counties and into Maine. To reach that goal, Vouchers for Veterans became a registered New Hampshire nonprofit corporation and a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization in 2018 so more Veterans can be served. Your financial contribution can make that goal a reality!
In 2019 the organization expanded into an additional 3 counties. Along with the original Strafford County program held at the Rochester Farmers Market, we may also be found in Belknap County at the Barnstead Farmers Market, in Grafton County at the Littleton Farmers Market and in York County, Maine at the Sanford Farmers Market. In 2020 it is our goal to expand into Rockingham County at the Portsmouth Farmers Market.
All money raised by Mike, Dave, Ed & Dave will go to Vouchers For Veterans.
Swim With A Mission
The 4th Annual Swim With A Mission, an Open Water Swim Race and Festival was scheduled for Saturday, July 11th at Wellington State Park in Bristol NH. Unfortunately due to COVID-19 we have shifted our event to a Virtual Event. We would much rather have our live event and are disappointed about the change but we know that it is necessary at this point. Even in these tough times, we hope you will help us stay true to our mission to raise money to help Veterans and inspire others to help.
Virtual Events are open to everyone and will take place from July 1-31. Participants can choose to swim (1K, 5K or 10K), paddle (1K, 5K or 10K) or take on the SEAL Team NH Challenge. All participants are encouraged to raise funds that will go to our Veterans who need our help more than ever. Swimmers can also choose to swim more than once during the month of July and they will be able to record distances and times. Go to www.swimwithamission.org for more details.
Swimming With A Mission Inc.
Since our formation in 2017, we have donated over $8 million to honor and support local, regional and national veteran support organizations that provide critical services to our Veterans. These include supporting Veteran organizations that provide housing, take care of our homeless, support day to day services, provide service and support K-9’s, scholarships, jobs, create equine immersion programs and support art programs. Please explore www.swam.org to get more details about how you can get involved with us and our mission.