Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter Meets $2M Fundraising Goal

The Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter announced this week that it has met its goal to raise $2 million to renovate the former VFW Hall on Quincy Street in downtown Nashua into its new home.

"It was the challenge at year-end that put us over the goal," said Lisa Christie, executive director of the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter.

The Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter announced in November that two anonymous donors had challenged the community to give $150,000 by year's end. If that money was raised, they pledged to donate an additional $100,000.

"We received 325 gifts ranging from $3 to the $100,000 grant from the city," Christie said. "We are so grateful for this fantastic support from the community."

"A lot of hard work went into this campaign, beginning last spring," said Campaign Co-Chair Lori Lambert of Weisman, Tessier, Lambert and Halloran. "And many, many people gave generously even before the challenge. We are so pleased with the positive outcome for the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter."

"It was a clear need and I'm so proud of how our community responded," added Campaign Co-Chair G. Frank Teas of Nashua Savings Bank.

The Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter will break ground on the project in March and expects to move into its new home in September.

"We have met our campaign goal," Christie said. "But we continue to raise funds for the rest of the project along with our usual operational support.

Last year, the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter served 79,000 meals, gave out 4,432 baskets of food, had over 29,000 visis for fresh produce, provided 11,847 overnights of emergency shelter, gave out 21,000 diapers, helped 200 people find a job, gave 2,200 kids backpacks filled with school supplies and gave 299 children presents through its Holiday Adopt-a-Child program.

For more information about the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter or to contribute, visit www.nsks.org or call 603-889-7770.