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Portsmouth agency makes sure teens aren’t left out of gift giving this holiday season

Ognjen Odobasic / Flickr

When it comes to the holiday spirit of charitable giving, sometimes teenagers whose families seek assistance from welfare get left out.

Jodi Carnes, director of Portsmouth’s welfare department, said many organizations that take holiday gift donations aim their programs at younger children.

For at least the past 15 years, their office has been collecting gift cards from various stores to offer to the teens.

“I think it’s an absolutely wonderful program that the city of Portsmouth found a gap and they’ve been filling it,” Carnes said.

This November, Portsmouth’s welfare office has seen almost twice the number of families and individuals seeking their help and services compared to 2022.

“We’re very lucky that we have a very affluent community, but we still have a community that can’t meet all their needs and we have a very giving and generous city,” Carnes said.

Carnes said an increase in client intake has been seen at other seacoast charitable organizations like the Gather food pantry.

In a press release, the non-profit Gather reported that they now serve more than 10,000 individuals per month, up nearly 24% compared to 2023. It’s been some of their highest demand seen in their 200 year history.

The welfare office is still accepting donations this year.

I’m a general assignment reporter, which means that I report on all kinds of different stories. But I am especially drawn to stories that spark curiosity and illustrate the complexities of how people are living and who they are. I’m also interested in getting to the “how” of how people live out their day-to-day lives within the policies, practices, and realities of the culture around them. How do you find community or make sure you’re represented in places of power? I’m interested in stories that challenge entrenched narratives and am drawn to covering arts and culture, as they can be a method of seeing how politics affects us.
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