NEW LONDON — Kearsarge Neighborhood Partners (KNP) is a nonprofit dedicated to building a community where neighbors help each other flourish. We collaborate with over 40 community partners serving 10 towns in the Kearsarge region, matching the needs of neighbors with committed volunteers who can help in short-term or longer-term situations.

“May is the month of expectation…the month of hope” (Emily Bronte). We certainly have expectations in our hearts as we prepare vegetable seedlings for Tray it Forward, as we co-sponsor energy savings workshops throughout the region, and as we get ready for our annual KNP summer get-together! As always, we are incredibly grateful to everyone who is involved with KNP for keeping us helpful and hopeful as we continue to impact the Kearsarge Neighborhood.

A huge thank you to our volunteers, community partners, and donors for all you do for KNP. We want to celebrate you, so please mark your calendars and be sure to join us from 5:30 to 7 PM, on Friday, June 20, at the New London Historical Society Phillips Barn. We look forward to treating you to a very special evening of good food and drinks! More information is coming soon.

A three-year mini-grant program called the “Seedlings Fund Program” will allow KNP to fund projects proposed by individuals and organizations in the Kearsarge region. Ideal projects will be replicable or have the potential to be scaled up if successful, so that their impact can multiply. They will also have a designated element of reciprocity, giving those helped by a grant an opportunity to contribute back to the community. 

We love fostering a “seedling” of an idea that can grow over time or in other places! Click: knpnh.org/community-resources/to see the application and read more about the program. Please email us at info@nullKNPnh.org if you have further questions.

We are honored to co-sponsor NH SAVES: Button Up Home Energy Workshops in the Kearsarge region. Home heating and cooling are definitely Challenge New Hampshire neighbors! KNP and Kearsarge Climate Action will continue to co-sponsor NEW HAMPSHIRE SAVES: Button Up free home energy workshops throughout the Kearsarge region to help us understand how we can increase our comfort while saving money and energy. 

We co-sponsored a March event in Wilmot and an April event in Warner. Be on the lookout for information on future opportunities to learn about electric savings, utility incentives, rebates on appliances, insulation, and energy audits and weatherization. Can’t attend a workshop? Click on plymouthenergy.org/buttonup to view a workshop presentation.

May 30 was the big day for the sixth annual Tray it Forward vegetable seedling distribution sponsored by KNP, Kearsarge Food Hub, Colby-Sawyer College, and Spring Ledge Farm. The effort supports folks in our region who need a little help growing fresh, healthful food while experiencing the many benefits of gardening. If you know someone who has barriers to growing their own food, please hit the Tray it Forward button, at KNPnh.org, after May 1, to register for a tray of vegetable seedlings. 

You can also sponsor a tray so that a neighbor can receive vegetable seedlings free of charge. Each sponsored tray will be generously matched one-for-one by Spring Ledge Farm. To sponsor, click on the Tray it Forward button at KNPnh.org.

You can make a difference in the life of a child! We remind you that Windsor County Mentors, of Sullivan County Windsor County Mentors, seeks adults to meet with students in Andover and the Kearsarge elementary schools, at school, one hour/week. WCM will train you and match you with a child. For more information, email: info@nullwcmentors.org, or call 802 674-5101.