St. Mary’s Bank recently donated $2,000 to the Teen Resource Center of Child and Family Services. The money will be used to purchase new laundry facilities for the Center which serves as a front line resource for at risk and homeless teenagers in Manchester.

The Resource Center is a key facility in the CFS’s Street Outreach Program. It is the first point of entry to CFS programs and to an array of community support services that can help these young people get on track and optimize their potential for succeeding in life. Last year the Street Outreach Program had over 3,000 contacts with homeless, at-risk kids ages 12 – 22. The Outreach Center at 404 Chestnut Street provides important resources that attract young people who need food and basic hygiene services.

“Once kids feel comfortable coming to the Center to satisfy their basic needs like eating, bathing and doing laundry,” says Development Director Ruth Zax, “they begin to ask for additional services which will get them on the path of leaving the streets for safe affordable housing and transitional services to help them toward independence.”

“The work that CFS is doing through their Street Outreach Program is really remarkable,” says Tom Champagne, Director of Community Outreach for St. Mary’s Bank. “Touring the Resource Center recently, we discovered that it may take many months of getting food and doing laundry and having conversations with CFS staff before a young person will feel safe and comfortable enough to take that next step of working to get off the streets. We are very glad to be able to provide money for this program and support CFS. ”

St. Mary’s Bank has been a long-time supporter of CFS through the Concerts for the Cause fundraising events, and by providing Individual Development Accounts (IDA’s) accounts for those in the Transitional Living Program.

About Child and Family Services
Founded in 1850, Child and Family Services is the oldest children’s charitable organization in NH. An independent/private nonprofit, CFS is dedicated to advancing the well-being of children by providing an array of social services to strengthen family life and by promoting community commitment to the needs of children. For more information call 800-640-6486 or visit Child and Family Services website.