MERRIMACK FRIENDS & FAMILIES CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY

To the Greater Merrimack Community:

Whether you are new to the area or have lived here forever, many of you are not familiar with Merrimack Friends & Families, a local non-profit with a two-part focus as both a social and a service organization. We are writing this letter to introduce ourselves, or possibly reintroduce ourselves to some of you!

A registered 501c3, MFF offers a way for women and their families to get involved in the community AND to have fun! The club was originally organized as the Newcomer’s Club of Merrimack on November 15, 1973. The name was changed to the Welcome Wagon Club of Merrimack, and then changed again to Merrimack Friends & Families in 1998. Because Merrimack already has a wonderful Chamber of Commerce to welcome folks to town, MFF decided to focus its energy on community service, both in volunteer work and fundraising, along with a variety of social events. We truly offer something for everyone!

On the community service side of the house, we have some great events in the works for our 2013/2014 club year, which officially kicks off on September 1st. We always support the Welfare Department with our Backpack drive and Easter Baskets for kids in town. This year we joined the “Adopt a Road” program, where we will partner with the town’s Public Works Department to beautify and keep our assigned road clean. We will also be joining forces with other local service groups, such as Meals on Wheels, Family OutFITters, Lil' Iguana's Children's Safety Foundation, and Marguerite's Place. Let’s not forget the local Food Pantries – whether it is collection drives or volunteer efforts, we will do our part to help. And we are always looking for new ideas and worthy projects. If you and your family are interested in serving the community, please join us. It is a win-win situation no matter how you look at it!

Our Ways & Means committee puts a great deal of effort into raising funds through various outlets. Many of you may be familiar with our semi-annual MFF Yard Sale held at the Town Hall parking lot each fall and spring. Don’t miss us this year on Saturday, September 7th (rain date Sunday, September 8th)! We also join forces with Parks & Recreation for a few town events, like the Easter Egg Hunt, which continues to grow in popularity each year. Did you know that the Easter Bunny is a MFF member? We will continue to work with local businesses to help support our cause. Every dollar we raise goes straight back into the community each spring. This year we were able to donate to town organizations, such as the St. James and St. John’s Food Pantries, Meals on Wheels, Home Health & Hospice, the Public Library, and summer camp scholarships through the YMCA and Parks & Rec. One of our goals each year is to give back to the community in which we live – and we do!

Let’s not forget our other goal – to have fun! MFF offers so many entertaining things to do for our members. We plan lots of ladies’ nights out, family socials, and other fun parties. There are also interest-specific groups, like recipe swaps, book club, game nights, business networking, health and fitness events, and breakfast/lunch/dinner dates. And for our moms in the group, we schedule various outings and play dates for the little tots. We have also seen a resurgence of our young ones getting involved, helping out with volunteer efforts. It would be great to see MFF Jr. resurrect itself again, where pre-teens have opportunities to join in on the fun. Some people are in this club simply for the sense of community; it’s just this feeling that there are people, an abundance of people, who are in this together, who are on your team.

The list of social and service happenings is long. Some people partake in only a small portion of events, while others take advantage of it all! The choice is yours – there is never any pressure to participate in something that does not interest you. It is so important to remember that the success of this organization is dependent upon help from our members.  Without volunteers who step up to lead the way and plan these wonderful events, we’d be nothing. As Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” So we’d like to take a moment and thank those of our members who give their time to support MFF. There are always ways to volunteer and get involved, even if your time to give is limited. That is the brilliant part about this club – you can truly do as much or as little as you want.

So who can become a member? Membership is open to all adults in southern New Hampshire. Historically, most of our members have been women. Husbands, family members, and friends often get involved after they learn more about who we are and what we do. Our members range in age, young to young-at-heart. We are a diverse group ... stay-at-home moms, working ladies, retired adventure-seekers. Some are single, and some are married. Some families have kids, and some prefer four-legged children. The point is every type of person is welcome and encouraged to check us out, no matter where you are in life. 

Our annual membership dues are $25, and with your membership you will receive a Member's Directory, the ability to go to any and all club functions, plus some fantastic friendships! We publish a monthly newsletter which is accessible via our web site. You are welcome to place classified or business ads for a small fee. Again, the money we raise is largely rolled over to our Charitable Fund at the end of the year once we meet our club operating expenses.

If you would like more information, please come check us out: Saturday, September 7th, from 8-2:00 PM ~ MFF Yard Sale @ Town Hall Parking Lot; Wednesday, September 11th, from 7-10:00 PM ~ MFF Info Social @ The Common Man; Wednesday, September 25th, from 10:30-11:30 AM ~ MFF Info Social @ The Library; and Saturday, September 28th, from 10-3:00 PM ~ Merrimack Fall Business Expo @ Mastricola.

There will be plenty more events scheduled for the fall, so keep an eye on our calendar, found on our website: www.merrimackfriendsfamilies.org. And with this being our 40th anniversary, we may just have to throw a party!

For any questions please contact us at info@merrimackfriendsfamilies.org. And if you’d like to join us, we’d love to have you. Our membership form can be found online, and you may contact our Membership Coordinators directly at membership@merrimackfriendsfamilies.org.