Our Emergency Aid Program was originally developed by our organization’s founder James Lenane in 1996 to help Peterborough Residents with emergency financial assistance. However, in 2022, the program was expanded and now provides emergency assistance to residents in the Greater Peterborough area. 

Oftentimes people are referred to us by a town welfare officer or a community social worker. We work with our community partners to verify that people are eligible to receive emergency funds. After filling out and submitting our application, a member of the PHSF Board will contact you, gather additional information about your situation, and walk you through next steps.

We provide assistance in four general areas:

Auto Repairs. When Emergency Aid was limited to Peterborough residents, we worked primarily with Valley Automotive, located across the street from the Food Pantry. Now that our service area has expanded we have increased the number of garages we work with. People applying for an emergency car repair must get a written estimate for the work from a reliable garage. We provide help for repairs necessary to pass inspection or to make the car safe to drive. We do not cover routine maintenance. If your application is approved, we will then send payment to the garage AFTER the work is completed. 

  

Housing. We may be able to assist with some critical home repairs if you cannot find the funds elsewhere. If renting, you will need to provide the name and contact information for the landlord. For home repairs, we would need at least one estimate from a reputable company.

 

Utilities. We may be able to help pay an outstanding and overdue gas or electric utility bill. You will need to provide a copy of your bill showing us the outstanding balance.  You may also be required to apply for a payment plan with the utility before an application is approved.  If approved, payment will be made directly to the company.

 

Medical or dental bills or co-payments.  We may be able to help with bills or co-pays by paying the dentist or doctor directly. For dental work we recommend contacting the Greater Nashua Dental Connection in Nashua for high-quality, low-cost dental work.  

 

Below is a link to our Emergency Aid application. Please download and print. After completing the application, you can either drop it off at the Food Pantry during our open hours or mail it to us at: PHSF, One Grove St. Peterborough NH 03458.  Please note, mail is picked-up once a week. 

Finally, if you have questions or would like to follow-up on a submitted application you can call our Emergency Aid phone number, 603-377-3459, to reach the coordinator directly. Messages left on the main Food Pantry phone do not always reach the Emergency Aid coordinator in a timely manner. 

Emergency Aid Application - Download