The Buzz Online

In the Spotlight: LaBelle Winery named Peter Agostinelli its new culinary director. Agostinelli brings more than 20 years of culinary expertise and industry experience to LaBelle. He will oversee food and beverage operations at LaBelle's Derry, Amherst and Portsmouth locations.

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The Rowley Agency, Inc., in Concord, promoted Christine H. Holman, CPCU, CIC to executive vice president. Holman has been with The Rowley Agency for 34 years. This promotion serves as recognition of her dedication, commitment, and abilities.

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Meredith Village Savings Bank purchased $25,000 in tax credits through the NH Community Development Finance Authority in support of the Mill City Park project in Franklin. Funds will help support the organization’s goal of developing both land and water components into a whitewater park along the Winnipesaukee River adjacent to downtown Franklin, the first of its kind in New England.

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St. Mary’s Bank in Manchester honored several employees for volunteerism: Shirley Bhutto was recognized as the first St. Mary’s Bank employee ever to hit and exceed the 300-hour mark, volunteering 210 hours managing a crisis text line for individuals experiencing mental health issues. Volunteers marking 100-hours included Kathleen Stevens, Elizabeth Stodolski, Martin Wendt, Jake Powers, Lorinda Gilbert, and Ken Senus. St. Mary’s Bank donated $100 on behalf of each employee to a non-profit organization their choice.

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Monadnock Humane Society in Swanzey named Ashley Okola, assistant shelter manager/feline coordinator Outstanding Employee of the Year and Steve Schumacher was named Outstanding Volunteer of the Year.

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Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains, the council serving girls across New Hampshire and Vermont, is participating in a national collaboration with food ordering and delivery platform Grubhub. In select areas served by GrubHub, consumers can order Girl Scout Cookies for pickup or delivery on Grubhub.com or the Grubhub app. The proceeds benefit the troop and council while providing an way to safely run the cookie program virtually.

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Step Up Parents of Portsmouth received a $1,500 grant from the Rotary Club of Portsmouth, to continue to support kinship caregivers raising the children of parents with substance use disorder. With more than 12,000 grandparents and other relatives raising children in NH, the need for resources is great.

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Central New Hampshire VNA & Hospice presented its Annual Agency Awards: The Leavitt/Knight Volunteer of the Year Award was given to David Barth for his many years of volunteering in the Hospice program, in particular for his work with the Veterans. The Millham Leadership Award was presented to John Beland for efforts during the COVID pandemic. The Shirley Bentley Outstanding Clinician Award, was presented to Heidi Loring, an employee of the agency for more than 27 years.

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The Family Resource Center received a $2,000 grant from the New Hampshire Electric Co-op Foundation to continue providing essential services online to individuals and families in the North Country. The grant will pay for laptop computers at the Center’s Colebrook and Littleton locations.

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The NH Lodging and Restaurant Association launched Rally for NH Restaurants, a two-month-long statewide marketing campaign to inform consumers about the plight of the state’s hospitality industry and inspire them to support it in a variety of impactful ways. The campaign, sponsored in part by grant through the NH Division of Travel & Tourism Development, comes as restaurants across the state are wrestling with the double blow of the pandemic and the typically slower winter months.