As part of their 2013 holiday community outreach, Merchants Automotive Group donated much-needed baby supplies to the New Hampshire Catholic Charities’ OUR PLACE program. Merchants Automotive is committed to year-round giving and last month, over 200 employees filled several donation boxes to capacity. The employees donated baby wipes, toys, bottles, diapers and more, as well as monetary contributions for the OUR PLACE Program.

“Having a partner such as Merchants Automotive is truly a blessing,” said Karen Munsell, MSW, Office Supervisor at OUR PLACE. “To have the employees donate items that directly assist an OUR PLACE family provides a deep personal connection; which is what OUR PLACE is all about.”

Jennifer Gordon, Community Relations Coordinator at Merchants Automotive Group said “Merchants Auto loves to work with local community organizations, and OUR PLACE is a local program that does amazing work within our community. One of our employees suggested OUR PLACE and our Charitable Committee agreed that it was the perfect organization to support during the Christmas season.”

Throughout December, several community organizations held drives to raise awareness and donations for OUR PLACE. The holidays focus a bright light on the year-round challenges faced by parenting teens and young parents, and the importance of the family unit. OUR PLACE, a program of New Hampshire Catholic Charities, provides education, mentorship and support to young families in the Manchester and Nashua areas.

Since its inception in 1982, the primary goal of the OUR PLACE program has been to create safe, caring and supportive family environments for babies and young children of at-risk teen and young adult parents (up to age 25 and parenting a first child). This is achieved by providing long-term (up to 3 years) pregnancy and parenting education through a case management approach, in order to protect children and create strong families.