Hannaford Donates $250,000 to Support New Nursery

DOVER—
The Hannaford Charitable Foundation recently awarded Wentworth-Douglass Hospital (WDH) the largest private gift in the history of the Wentworth-Douglass Hospital & Health Foundation. Hannaford’s gift of $250,000 over five years will support the multi-level nursery in the new WDH Women & Children’s Center opening in early 2013. In honor of this significant gift, the nursery will be named the Hannaford Special Care Nursery at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital.
According to Donna Boyce, charitable giving specialist at the Hannaford Charitable Foundation, Hannaford awards grants for initiatives that have long-lasting benefits to communities and fill a significant need. Over the past years, a few New Hampshire hospitals have closed their birth centers, creating a critical need for obstetric and newborn care facilities. Seacoast community birth rates are some of the highest in NH and WDH has led local hospitals in the number of births for several years.
At the heart of the Hospital’s new addition is a state-of-the-art Women & Children’s Center that will house the Hannaford Special Care Nursery. “It is a great example of the kind of healthcare projects of lasting value that the Hannaford Charitable Foundation works to support,” said Boyce.
The Hannaford Special Care Nursery’s family-centered model of care will facilitate bonding and attachment between parents and newborns, and prepare the family for the transition to home. Designed for multiple levels of care, the Nursery will feature a five-bed, well-baby area for newborns rooming-in with mom most of the time, a stabilization care area for infants awaiting transfer to or from a neonatal intensive care unit, and an eight-bed special care area for preterm or other babies having difficulty transitioning to life outside the womb. Four private special care rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art monitoring systems, radiant warmers, bassinets and a day bed for parents to stay with their baby. A specially-designed family suite with kitchen and laundry facilities will offer private space for the family’s comfort while staying with their baby for as long as is needed to stabilize the infant for transition to home.
According to Karen MacDonald, RN, Nurse Director for Maternal and Child Services at WDH all of the staff of Women & Children’s are really excited about the Hannaford Special Care Nursery. MacDonald said, “The Hannaford organization understands families are best served in a center that supports the privacy parents need to get to know their infants. This is especially important for high-risk infants.”
The Hannaford Charitable Foundation is the charitable giving arm of Hannaford Supermarkets of Scarborough, Maine. The Hannaford Foundation provided $1.3 million in grants in 2010 to 130 non-profit organizations that serve communities where Hannaford Supermarkets does business and where its associates live. Hannaford Supermarkets operates 178 stores in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York and Massachusetts.
Photo caption: Pictured is a rendering of the Wentworth-Douglass Hospital addition, which will house the new Hannaford Special Care Nursery. (Courtesy image)

Zero Waste Portsmouth to Roll Out Unique Recycling Stations

PORTSMOUTH—
This week marks the official launch of the Downtown Portsmouth Zero Waste Project, a community-wide effort to establish the city’s first public recycling program.
On Tuesday, September 27, the first four colorful recycling stations were placed throughout the downtown area, along with a fifth in Prescott Park. The recycling program hopes to boast 15 stations throughout Portsmouth when it is in full swing.
The initiative’s official rollout was followed by a brief gathering and ribbon cutting in Market Square. Afterwards, attendees, supporters and participants of the program joined the Zero Waste Portsmouth team for a celebration at the nearby Portsmouth Brewery.
A strategic partnership of the Islington Creek Neighborhood Association, Tim Gaudreau Studios, and EcoMovement Consulting and Hauling, Zero Waste Portsmouth has over the last two years spearheaded efforts in and around Portsmouth to reduce the amount of waste being dumped into Rochester’s Turnkey landfill through creative recycling and composting alternatives.
Karina Quintans, Zero Waste’s Director says the project began with a simple brainstorming session amongst neighbors, all of whom harbored a keen interest in helping speed up Portsmouth’s push towards sustainability. By the end, it had become clear that “zero waste” sat atop the list of priorities.
Specifically, the group envisioned recycling stations – placed throughout the town – as eye-catching as they were practical. A few months later, during a green homes tour, Quintans met Tim Gaudreau, a self-proclaimed “eco-artist” and one of the Green Alliance’s first ever Business Partners. Needless to say, Quintans had found the ideal partner for the job.
“It was the perfect alignment,” recalls Quintans. “It was obvious that Tim’s passion for art and the environment would help transform the project into something unique.”
Gaudreau, with the help of students at Portsmouth’s Middle and High Schools, as well as the Robert Lister Academy, designed the resulting colorful bins with region-specific themes intended to draw the attention of passersby, including Portsmouth architecture, sea creatures, trees, and Piscataqua River scenes.
No less than seven Green Alliance Business Partners (Little Green Homes, Simply Green, Minute Men Painters, Cornerstone Tree Care, ReVision Energy, Middleton Building Supply, and EcoMovement Consulting and Hauling) provided funds, building materials or logistical support for the project, with many having their logos or contact information emblazoned on the bins themselves.
For Middleton Building Supply Manager Andy Carberry, the partnership – and sponsorship – was in sync with the company’s continued trending towards green.
“We first were introduced to this project through our partnership with the Green Alliance – they brought the Zero-Waste folks to a Green Alliance Business Partner meeting and encouraged some of the businesses to get involved and we could see right away the synergy between our company and this worthy effort,” says Carberry. “We are really working to offer more green options in our stores and collaborating with such a group on a very visible project such as this one was a perfect fit, and we knew we had a lot to contribute in terms of materials and equipment.”
Tuesday’s roll-out festivities were a welcome vindication for Quintans and the rest of the Zero Waste Portsmouth team, who have been hard at work on the initiative for just over two years. Still, the work is far from complete.
“We look at this as one of many steps forward in achieving zero waste here in Portsmouth,” she says. “The city has had a fairly low recycling rate of 22%, so it’s going to be a process. But hopefully with the rise of single-stream recycling and these new public recycling stations, we can make more of a difference, and strengthen our profile as an Ecomunicipality.”
This article was submitted by Jim Cavan.
Photo caption: Andy Carberry of Middleton Building Supply delivers new recycling stations to downtown Portsmouth. (Photo by Karina Quintans, Director, Zero Waste Portsmouth)

Hampton Readies for Second Annual Art Show and Sale

HAMPTON—
Mark your calendars for Artwalk 2011, the 2nd Annual Hampton Art Show and Sale, October 6-7, 4-8 pm. The Hampton Arts Network (HAN), in partnership with the Town of Hampton’s Department of Recreation, has greatly expanded the offerings from last year. In addition to the display and sale of artwork by talented HAN members, Artwalk 2011 features poetry, sculpture, a book signing. live entertainment, activities for both children and adults, balloon twisting, pumpkin carving and historical re-enactors strolling throughout downtown Hampton telling stories from the past.
New this year is a Seacoast first: the Edible Art Contest! Here is your chance to create a work of art made from edible materials. This is a People’s Choice contest and prizes will be awarded. Contact Karen at hanmembership@gmail.com for further information or to obtain an application form.
And, by special request, professional area chefs will create some fantastic new pumpkin-based recipes. Their amazing creations will be showcased during the event.
You are invited to help HAN artists complete a community mandala drawing, where you can add your personal contribution. We anticipate displaying the completed mandala somewhere in downtown Hampton.
Look for the bright blue, red and orange Artwalk flags that identify venues where artwork can be found. Luminaries will line the sidewalks, and maps and guides (wearing scarves) will also be available to help direct you.
Want to know more? Visit www.hamptonartwalk2011.word
press.com.