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Renee Wheaton and Marianne Jackson setting up to distribute emergency packs
The Mt. Washington Age-Friendly Community Committee is helping residents be prepared for emergencies by distributing emergency back packs – in bright colors and patterns to make them easy to find.
Renée Wheaton, Senior Resource Coordinator for the town of Freedom, NH, has led this initiative and gathered substantial funding to support the project. Ms. Wheaton worked with former Gibson Center Executive Director, Marianne Jackson, to secure a grant through the Mount Washington Age Friendly Community. In 2024, they received an AARP Community Challenge grant to fund the project.
This grant has enabled Renee and her partners, including Carroll County Coalition for Public Health and the Ossipee Concerned Citizens, to create 197 backpacks - so far. A recent inventory showed that 138 have been distributed, impacting 309 individuals. Packs have been distributed in Madison, NH and Freedom, NH. In October, Fryeburg will join, as they are planning a gathering to distribute 65 packs. This effort has been led by Lindsay Knapp, Community Initiative Coordinator for the town. She coordinates with the town government, the fire, police and rescue departments.
Click here to download a copy of the list of emergency supplies that Mount Washington Valley Age-Friendly includes in the emergency packs as well as where she has purchased each and the associated cost.
Community meetings, designed to introduce the packs, have been held. Although the project began by targeting people age 50+, no one has been turned away. As more packs are created, they will be given to those on the waiting list – currently numbering 34. And the very frugal, bargain-hunting Renee still has money remaining from the grant!
Obviously, this project has been very well-received! Other nearby communities have also expressed interest, as the word has spread. And interest in emergency preparedness isn’t limited to local communities, similar programs are underway in South & North Carolina, Florida, Texas, New York, Massachusetts, Iowa, and, in Canada, Nova Scotia.
The violent, destructive weather that now seems to be the norm for northern New England, along with the rural nature of our states, make such emergency preparedness vital. Warming and cooling centers, winter safety kits, and community wellness check calls are all examples of how communities from all over the state have organized to meet these needs.
These backpacks fulfill some of those needs very nicely! The battery may not be able to restore your power – but it will help keep you in touch!
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