Community rallies to help those affected by December 2025 flood and storms

The December storm brought down trees, took out power and caused flooding in many parts of the Upper Valley. Afterward, a group of community members approached MEND about creating a match campaign to raise money for those affected by the storm.

In the wake of the devastating winter storm that hit the Upper Valley in mid December, a group of local people reached out to Upper Valley MEND. They wanted to create a match campaign for victims of the storm, in the hopes it would encourage others to donate as well.

Few people in the Upper Valley were not affected in some way by the weather event that hit mid-December 2025. For some, however, the effects were much more dire. Due to Highway 2’s closure, power outages, the need for extensive cleanup, and the lack of snow that usually brings in winter tourists, many local employees’ hours at work were cut or they were laid off. They found themselves without the resources to make it through late winter and early spring—a time that is already hard for many people who work locally. Some also found themselves without safe housing due to damage from downed trees and flooding.

The anonymous donors who created the match fund donated $15,000 in the hopes it would help raise another $15,000 to help people weather the storm and its aftereffects—and it worked.

How the match was used

Thanks to donations from the local community and beyond, the match campaign raised more than $30,000. The money helped 19 households who either had to move because of the storm or needed help paying rent when their hours were cut. It helped pay for the gas for the generator that kept the refrigerators at the Community Cupboard running during the power outage. It paid for the extra food the Cupboard bought to handle the influx of people after the storm was over.

Some of the new shoppers were people who had lost their perishable food when the power went out and couldn’t afford the steep cost of replacing it all at once. Others came to the Cupboard to shop because their hours had been cut unexpectedly—people who had been counting on busy shifts in restaurants and downtown shops to cover their bills.

Although there are still ways that the storm’s effects continue to ripple through the community, the money raised through MEND has been able to mitigate some of the damage.

Thanks to support from community members like you, MEND was able to help many of your neighbors who needed it.