Dear Friends,

When we look back on 2025, we see a year that tested our communities and affirmed what we have always believed to be true: no one rises alone. That conviction continues to guide our response to the challenges people are facing — challenges that didn't end when the calendar turned to January 1, 2026.

Families across New Castle County are experiencing more financial pressure than they have in years. The cost of groceries, childcare, and housing continues to climb while wages struggle to keep pace. For too many of our neighbors, one unexpected expense can mean choosing between paying rent or keeping the lights on. These aren't abstract problems. They're the daily reality for many of the families who walk through our doors.

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Situations like these require much more than a handout. There has to be a relationship, trust, and genuine partnership. What matters is that we meet people where they are, treat them with the dignity they deserve, and work together to find a path forward.

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In 2025, our Family Services programs served 1,484 households and distributed 6,460 bags of food. Our housing counselors helped 41 families avoid foreclosure and worked with 18 more on the purchase of their first homes. In our youth programs, more than 500 young people were supported with the academic help, enrichment activities, and safe spaces they needed to thrive. And our Early Learning Center and Preschool nurtured the healthy development of 42 children and their families.

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These numbers matter because they represent real people finding support, many at a time when they desperately needed it. What the numbers don’t capture is the quality of the relationships we build. When a parent tells us that Neighborhood House feels like family, or when a child lights up because they know a teacher cares about their future, we're reminded why this work is so important. We touch lives in ways that create lasting, positive impact on individuals, families, and by extension, communities.

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Our approach is built on the understanding that everything’s connected. When a family walks through our doors needing emergency assistance, we see an opportunity to address not just their immediate crisis but the underlying instability creating it. That means connecting food support to the offer of financial counseling, linking housing help to job training, and ensuring children get both academic tutoring and spaces where they can be themselves. This continuum of care model works because people's lives aren't compartmentalized, and our programs and services shouldn’t be either.

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But delivering this kind of care requires partners. Donors who invest year after year. Volunteers who give their time and energy. Community organizations who collaborate with us to fill gaps and multiply impact. A Board of Directors who provide strategic guidance and champion our mission. And a staff that shows up every single day with the skills and heart this work demands.

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As we move toward our centennial in 2027, we're thinking about what it means to build on nearly one hundred years of service. We're asking ourselves how we can deepen our impact in Southbridge and across New Castle County. We're exploring new ways to measure outcomes so we can better understand what's working and where we need to improve. And we're strengthening our fundraising capacity so we can improve the programs and services we offer.

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The road ahead won't be easy. The economic pressures we've described aren't temporary, and they don’t just affect households. As needs increase and costs rise, maintaining our capacity to serve will require a more robust commitment from all of us. Even so, we face the future with confidence because we know that when neighbors look out for each other, when compassion and respect prevail, good things happen.

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Thank you for standing with us. Every program we offer, every family we serve, every step forward that someone takes because they came to Neighborhood House, it’s your partnership that makes it possible.

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With gratitude,