Spring Newsletter 2026
LISTEN
LISTEN’s mission is to provide services and support to meet the critical needs of Upper Valley individuals and families.
GIVE A CHILD THE GIFT OF CAMP THIS SUMMER!
Thanks to a matching gift from the Jack & Dorothy Byrne Foundation and an anonymous donor, your donation will be doubled up to a total of $25,000.
ACCESS & OPPORTUNITY
Summer Camp Scholarship Program
Because of you, 168 local children attended 34 local camps last summer.
When she received the news that both of her sons, ages 7 and 8, received summer camp scholarships through LISTEN, Sheila was thrilled.
“My boys had been asking to go to camp and were ECSTATIC when they found out they were going,” Sheila says. “It was a great experience. During their three weeks at Canaan Elementary’s summer program, they spent time outside, played games, tie dyed shirts, created other arts and crafts, and even did things like seed planting.”
Sheila is the main breadwinner in their family because her husband is unable to work due to a disability. Affording camp on top of essential bills is cost prohibitive for them, and LISTEN scholarships make it possible for both boys to attend.
“It’s such a blessing. My kids get to have fun and be away from screens. I’m grateful to the community for supporting this program. Every little bit helps.”
FOOD, HEATING, HOUSING ASSISTANCE & MORE
Core Services at LISTEN
Your support enables us to provide basic needs assistance to more than 8,000 people annually.
Food Pantry
Located at 60 Hanover Street in Lebanon, the Pantry is open five days a week to all community members. Visitors can access one week of groceries—fresh produce, pantry items, and personal care products. Last year, the Pantry served 4,932 people.
Community Dining Hall
Located at 42 Maple Street in White River Junction, the Dining Hall serves lunch and dinner to 150+ people five days a week. More than 20 volunteer cook teams participate. Last year, we served 38,113 home-cooked meals.
Heating Helpers
This program provides small grants—typically around $400—to help fill fuel tanks, prevent disconnection, and avoid evictions. We assisted 1,507 community members last year.
Housing Helpers
Housing expenses often stand between low-income neighbors’ safety and security. Housing Helpers offers small grants, available once every five years, to cover housing related costs. Last year, we
served 759 people.
Thrift Store Gift Cards
LISTEN distributed $215,181 in Thrift Store Gift Cards last year to 1,408 families, enabling clients to select much-needed clothing and housewares at no cost.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT
What is Service Coordination?
Personalized support helps LISTEN clients meet their goals.
Many in our community know LISTEN for the programs that help keep Upper Valley neighbors warm, fed, and housed. What’s less widely known is the foundational program that makes so much of this work possible:
Service Coordination Defined
Sometimes called case management—or simply problem solving—LISTEN Service Coordinators meet one-on-one with community members seeking assistance to understand the challenges they are facing and help them meet their goals.
More Than Quick Fixes
Service Coordinators work with clients to build trust, cultivate relationships, and seek deeper understanding—all aimed at supporting long-term independence.
Flexibility Is Key
As a 501(c)(3), LISTEN is not restricted by federal, state, or city eligibility requirements. This flexibility allows staff to assist individuals who may not qualify for government programs or who need additional support to meet their basic needs.
Rising Need and More Complex Cases
Service coordination hours provided by staff have increased nearly 40% over last year due to the sustained, rising need in our community and increasingly complicated cases.
Where You Come In
How are we able to meet this growing need? One beautiful word: YOU! Thanks to generous donations from the community, we are here to help.
“Service Coordinators are the heartbeat of LISTEN—where compassion meets expertise. They lead with unwavering empathy and navigate complex community and federal systems with deep knowledge and skill.”
Kristi Lenart-Rikert
Executive Director
Collaborative Problem Solving
Tina’s Story
Without support from LISTEN, Tina says that she would most definitely be facing homelessness right now. Instead, she has an apartment, a stable job at Dartmouth College, and a routine that helps her stay connected and on track.
Tina met Jessica—her Service Coordinator and LISTEN’s Community Health Worker—when she was struggling to manage her medications after she was diagnosed with cancer. Together, they made a schedule for Tina that helped her follow her treatment plan and feel more confident managing her care.
Jessica also resolved a major communication barrier, by providing Tina with a reliable track phone and phone plan. Now Tina is equipped to contact her doctors and employer, and reach out for assistance when she needs it.
With Jessica’s guidance, Tina was even able to access resources she didn’t know existed. When she experienced the devastating loss of her boyfriend, Tina was able to apply for funds from the town she lived in to help pay for his funeral expenses.
“Jessica is truly amazing. I can’t thank her and LISTEN enough for the help they have given me,” Tina says. “They’ve been such a great support system.”
NEED ASSISTANCE OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO DOES?
If you need support or know a community member who might benefit from LISTEN’s services, please call our main office at (603) 448-4553
AN INSIDE GLIMPSE
Service Coordinators
in Action
In a typical one-on-one meeting, clients request help with tasks like these:
- Apply for SNAP benefits (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).
- Complete housing applications for landlords, Twin Pines, or others.
- Discuss supporting a child’s needs through LISTEN’s summer camp, school supplies, or holiday gift programs.
- Review weekly progress on a client’s service plan—a comprehensive road map to address their unique needs.
- Secure a Housing Helpers grant to cover a security deposit or help pay late rent or mortgage.
- Brainstorm solutions for communication challenges, like lack of a phone.
- Request federal funding from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
- Acquire a Thrift Store Gift Card for clothing and household items.
- Request a Heating Helpers grant to pay a back balance, make a fuel delivery, or help with utility bills to avoid service disconnection.
- Facilitate connections with other social service agencies and support.
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING LISTEN
Who makes our work possible? YOU DO!
Did you know that
65% of LISTEN’s program funding comes from contributions made by individuals, organizations, businesses, and through grants? The remaining
35% comes from Thrift Store revenue.
In other words, you are an essential LISTEN partner.
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
David and Barbara’s Story
David and Barbara say that supporting LISTEN’s Summer Camp Scholarship Program is a no-brainer.
“My support of the Summer Camp Scholarship Program at LISTEN comes from my recognition of the impact of my personal camp experiences on my development as an adolescent,” David says. “Both my parents and Barbara’s parents greatly valued the benefits of summer camp with respect to the accumulation of skills and interpersonal relationships important to meeting the demands of the adult world.”
Camp runs deep in the family. Barbara recounts how her parents met as teens at a summer camp dance in upstate New York and that she, her three daughters, and two grandchildren returned to the same camp her mother loved. David spent four years at a camp in southern New Hampshire, and he has the stories to prove it—like the time he was tasked with keeping a campfire going overnight and was terrified by the sudden, unforgettable shriek of a screech owl. It haunts him to this day!
Now that their own children are grown, Barbara and David, who celebrated 56 years of marriage in March, give back by providing children in the Upper Valley with the opportunity to experience camp.
David, who served on the LISTEN Board of Directors for 25 years, says he has always been impressed with LISTEN’s focus on the local community. “In essence, LISTEN is the community.” We couldn’t agree more. Thank you, Barbara and David!
Board of Directors
Kristi Lenart-Rikert, Executive Director
April Harkness, Chair, Hartland, VT
Melissa Robinson, Vice Chair, Lebanon, NH
Julie E. Findley,
Secretary, Lebanon, NH
Dick Green, Treasurer, Hanover, NH
Lynne Goodwin, Lebanon, NH
Dawnlynn Marston, Croydon, NH
Valerie Nevel, Lebanon, NH
Shawn Nichols, Grantham, NH
Nancy Sansevere, Lebanon, NH
Andrew Steele, Hanover, NH
Ken Wells, West Lebanon, NH
Interested in volunteering at LISTEN?
Visit our get involved page or contact Marcy at marcy@listencs.org.
MEDIA CONTACT
Organization Name:
LISTEN Community Services
Email:
Send Email
Phone:
(603)448-4553
Address:
60 Hanover St
City:
Lebanon
State:
New Hampshire
Country:
United States
Website: www.listencs.org
