The Pettengill House, Inc.

21 Water Street, Suite 4A, Amesbury, MA 01913

The Pettengill House Food Pantry

13 Lafayette Road, Salisbury, MA 01952

Phone:  (978) 463-8801

The Pettengill House was recently awarded a $247,832 grant from RIZE Massachusetts Foundation, according to officials at the Boston nonprofit.

The award is part of nearly $2 million in Linkages to Care (LinC) grant funding for eight nonprofit organizations that will strengthen connections to substance use treatment, harm reduction and recovery services for individuals during hospital visits and after discharge to the community.

The LinC grant program supports community-based organizations that are considered central to positive recovery results and reduced rehospitalizations. Research funded by RIZE shows that individuals who survive an overdose have a higher risk of future overdose, and linking them to ongoing services following a hospital discharge is likely to save lives.

“Since our founding, we have always believed that it will require systems change to end the overdose epidemic, and a key part of this approach is to create connections where gaps exist,” RIZE President and Chief Executive Officer Julie Burns said. “Our Linkages to Care grant program will help strengthen collaboration between the inpatient care system and the range of substance use services that are available to support individuals in the community.”

The goals of the LinC program are to support individuals who use substances and those seeking treatment by building connections across care systems and disciplines, and to reduce overdose deaths by increasing coordination during points of transition. RIZE invited applications from nonprofit community-based treatment, harm reduction and recovery programs located across the state.

The Penttegill House grant will be used to enhance its Behavioral Event and Substance Support Taskforce (BESST) along with its lead partner, Anna Jacques Hospital in Newburyport.

“We’re deeply grateful to RIZE Massachusetts for their generous support of The Pettengill House and our Behavioral Event and Substance Support Team (BESST) initiative,” said Tiffany Nigro, executive director of The Pettengill House. “This exciting partnership will serve to strengthen and build upon efforts to break down barriers, foster collaborative community relationships, and provide person-centered services to support and empower individuals struggling with substance misuse and behavioral health challenges.”

RIZE Massachusetts Foundation is solely dedicated to funding and creating solutions to end the overdose crisis. Guided by those with lived experience and unafraid of new ideas, RIZE is building networks, designing programming, and supporting community partners who are using novel approaches to preventing overdose and increasing access to treatment.

Learn more at www.rizema.org.

Tickets are available now for the Pettengill House Benefit Concert at the Firehouse Center for the Arts on Friday, March 1st. This special evening will feature a welcome reception with desserts and beverages, followed by a duo performance by well-known recording artists Ayla Brown & Rob Bellamy.

Tickets are $60/person general admission, and are available now through the Firehouse Center for the Arts box office and online at https://firehouse.org/event/pettengill-house-benefit-feat-ayla-brown-rob-bellamy.

All proceeds from this event will support The Pettengill House, Inc., the area’s lead provider of community-based social services since 1994, providing vital programs and services to support the well-being of thousands of at-risk adults, children, and families in need. Learn more at pettengillhouse.org.

“This is the biggest in-person event we have hosted in the last four years, and we are excited to announce this fantastic show. We hope patrons come away from the evening feeling amazing—both because they had a great time, and because they did a good thing to support Pettengill House and community members in need,” said Sierra Partlan, Director of Development and Programs.

The Pettengill House gives special thanks to its sponsors, including year-long “Community Champion” Partners Newburyport Bank Charitable Foundation and United Family Medical Center, and “Super Star” Sponsor Institution for Savings, for making this event possible. To learn more about sponsoring the benefit concert and other Pettengill House events, visit pettengillhouse.org/sponsorship.aspx. or contact Sierra Partlan at spartlan@pettengillhouse.org.

About the Performers:

Ayla Brown has released 5 studio albums, performed on the Grand Ole Opry stage twice, placed 13th on Season 5 of American Idol, performed overseas for the troops in 13 different countries, sang live on national television including on ESPN, FOX & Friends, CNN, and CBS, and was a full scholarship basketball player for Boston College. She has opened for artists like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Eric Church, Jason Aldean, Josh Turner, Charlie Daniels, Sara Evans, Phil Vassar, and more and now she is a full-time co-host on Country 102.5 WKLB in Boston, MA on the “Jonathan Wier and Ayla Brown” morning show. Learn more at aylabrown.com.

Rob Bellamy recorded and released an EP called “Long Freight Train” in 2016 and a single called “Walk it with Me” in 2020, and since the release he has been touring and opening for country music artists such as Carly Pearce, Mark Wills, Dylan Scott and Russell Dickerson. Recently, he was Country 102.5’s “Catch of the Week”. Rob played hockey for four years at the University of Maine, and in 2004 he was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 3rd round, and played 7 years of semi-professional hockey. Learn more at robbellamy.com

Pettengill House is thrilled to announce United Family Medical Center as the agency’s newest Community Champion. Community Champions are Pettengill House sponsors who have committed to a year-long sustaining partnership to support the agency’s ongoing efforts to address the most urgent needs in the community, including poverty and economic hardship, housing insecurity/homelessness, food insecurity, basic needs, mental health, and substance misuse.

“We are deeply grateful and excited for this wonderful new partnership with United Family Medical Center to serve the needs of our community. Their generous support at the Community Champion level will have an enduring positive impact on the lives of many individuals and families in need” said Sierra Partlan, Pettengill House Director of Development and Programs.

The first Pettengill House event in United Family Medical Center’s year-long sponsorship will be the Pettengill House Benefit Concert on March 1^st at the Firehouse Center for the Arts, which will feature a special duo performance by well-known artists Ayla Brown and Rob Bellamy. Tickets and more details are available online at https://firehouse.org/event/pettengill-house-benefit-feat-ayla-brown-rob-bellamy/.

For inquiries regarding events, sponsorships, and other ways to support The Pettengill House, Inc., please contact Sierra Partlan at spartlan@pettengillhouse.org.

About The Pettengill House, Inc.:

Pettengill House has been the area’s lead social service agency since 1994, providing comprehensive case management, basic needs, and wraparound programs and services to help stabilize and empower individuals and families in need. To learn more about Pettengill House, please visit pettengillhouse.org.

About United Family Medical Center:

We are a new primary care practice in Newburyport. Our team here at UFMC is dedicated to providing easy access health care and establishing a long-standing commitment to the local community.

Ready to experience healthcare that fits your schedule? UFMC is excited to announce that we're now accepting NEW PATIENTS with convenient extended evening and Saturday hours.

Contact us at 978-255-2612 to make your appointment.

Pettengill House is announcing the rollout of a new sponsorship program which encourages local businesses and organizations to support the agency’s efforts to address the most urgent needs in the community, including poverty and economic hardship, housing insecurity/homelessness, food insecurity, basic needs, mental health, and substance misuse.

This new program offers customizable sponsorship opportunities that promise to bring significant recognition and exposure for local businesses and organizations. Sponsors can join the program at any point during the year, and their benefits will begin at the time of sign-on. The distinguished title of “Community Champion” is reserved for sponsors who commit to becoming year-long sustaining partners with a gift of $25,000 or above. A gift at this level will help sustain critical Pettengill House programs and services for the year to come.

“Newburyport Bank Charitable Foundation has been a longtime friend and partner of Pettengill House and continues to show their commitment to investing in the well-being of our local communities. These are challenging times, and we are so grateful to our generous partners who step up to help Pettengill House provide a lifeline for thousands of individuals and families in need,” said Tiffany Nigro, Pettengill House Executive Director.

Pettengill House will hold several special events this coming year, including a new winter Concert for Pettengill, the Pettengill Pop-Up Series (three events throughout the year), the 4^th annual Mission Possible online campaign in May, and the much-anticipated post-COVID revival of the Pettengill House Signature Celebration Event in the spring of 2024.

Sponsorship information and order form are available online at pettengillhouse.org/sponsorship.aspx. For questions, please contact Sierra Partlan, Director of Development and Programs, at spartlan@pettengillhouse.org.

The Pettengill House, Inc. is one of 140 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 to $500,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s $25 million Grant Program. The Cummings $25 Million Grant Program supports Massachusetts nonprofits that are based in and primarily serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties. The community social service agency was chosen from a total of 580 applicants during a competitive review process and will receive $100,000 over four years. This is the second time since 2018 that Pettengill House has received a grant through this program.

This grant will enable Pettengill House to continue and expand upon the agency’s Senior Wellness Outreach Program (SWOP), which provides outreach and critical support services to meet the growing needs of seniors aged 60 and over in Salisbury and Newburyport. SWOP was first established in 2018 with help from a Cummings Foundation grant as a response to an increase in need among the vulnerable senior population in the area. In FY 2021, Pettengill House provided SWOP services for 123 clients in Salisbury and 98 clients in Newburyport. Because of continuing challenges, including ongoing crises in mental health and housing, rising cost of living, and the long-lasting impacts of COVID-19, Pettengill House anticipates SWOP enrollment to continue to grow.

“We are so grateful to the Cummings Foundation for their continued support of Pettengill House and vulnerable seniors in Salisbury and Newburyport. This grant will enable our SWOP social work team to continue breaking down barriers and providing critical interventions to address increasingly complex, multilayered needs,” said Executive Director Tiffany Nigro.

Through this place-based initiative, Cummings Foundation aims to give back in the areas where it owns commercial property. Its buildings are all managed, at no cost to the Foundation, by its affiliate, Cummings Properties. This Woburn-based commercial real estate firm leases and manages 11 million square feet of debt-free space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.

“We are so fortunate in greater Boston to have such effective nonprofits, plus a wealth of talented, dedicated professionals and volunteers to run them,” said Cummings Foundation executive director Joyce Vyriotes. “We are indebted to them for the work they do each day to provide for basic needs, break down barriers to education and health resources, and work toward a more equitable society.”

With the help of about 90 volunteers, the Foundation first identified 140 organizations to receive grants of at least $100,000 each. Among the winners were first-time recipients as well as nonprofits that had previously received Cummings Foundation grants. Forty of this latter group of repeat recipients were then selected to have their grants elevated to 10-year awards ranging from $200,000 to $500,000 each.

“Our volunteers bring diverse backgrounds and perspectives, which is so critical to our grant selection process,” said Vyriotes. “Through this democratized approach to philanthropy, they decide more than half the grants every year.”

This year’s grant recipients represent a wide variety of causes, including food insecurity, immigrant and refugee services, social justice, education, and mental health services. The nonprofits are spread across 45 different cities and towns.

The complete list of 140 grant winners, plus more than 900 previous recipients, is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.

Cummings Foundation has now awarded more than $375 million to greater Boston nonprofits.

About The Pettengill House, Inc.

Pettengill House is a nonprofit community social service agency established since 1994.  Its mission is to support and empower individuals, children and families by providing education, comprehensive case management, and basic needs; and by coordinating community supports that contribute to individual and family stabilization, personal growth and development.  Learn more at www.pettengillhouse.org.

About Cummings Foundation

Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings and has grown to be one of the largest private foundations in New England. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including New Horizons retirement communities, in Marlborough and Woburn, and Cummings Health Sciences, LLC. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.

Executive Director Deb Smith and Assistant Director Tiffany Nigro

After 24 years of dedicated service, The Pettengill House, Inc. Executive Director Deb Smith announces that she will retire at the end of July.  Assistant Director Tiffany Nigro will step into the role of executive director upon Smith’s retirement.

“It has been an honor to serve as executive director of the Pettengill House and to be part of its development in becoming an award winning lead community social service model agency,” Smith stated.  “Over the years I have had the opportunity of working with an incredible team of professionals along with a strong, supportive group of community partners.   It has also been a privilege to work with the numerous individuals, children and families, who over the years have taught me a great deal about both courage, determination and persistence.”

Smith holds a Master of Education in Counseling and Psychology, and is a licensed social worker and substance addiction counselor.  She also has numerous certifications in mental health, trauma informed care, education, and social services that reflect the diversity of her experience.  Her extensive work has earned her many accolades at both the community and state level, including the 2014 Fox 25 News Hometown Hero Award, Massachusetts State Unsung Heroione Award, 2008  and the 2010 Northeast Counselors Association School Linked Service Program Award, among others.  Under Smith’s expertise and leadership, The Pettengill House, Inc. has grown into the area’s lead social service agency, providing comprehensive case management and essential programs and services for 3,000 individuals, children, and families in nine local communities, and sustaining over 50 formal partnerships with local and state government, agencies and organizations, public safety, schools, charitable organizations, faith community, and community at large.

Assistant Director Tiffany Nigro has also played a key role in shaping the direction of The Pettengill House, Inc., most often working hands-on behind the scenes.  A seasoned licensed social worker and instrumental member of Pettengill staff for 23 years, Nigro began as an intern, coordinating youth substance addiction prevention programing while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Salem State College.  After graduation Nigro signed on full time, eventually assuming the assistant director role in 2004.

“I deeply value the time I have spent growing with the agency and being part of the positive impact Pettengill House has had on many individuals and families throughout the years,” stated Nigro.  “I have learned a great deal, and I want to thank Deb for her guidance and leadership which has led me to where I am today.  We have such a great team at Pettengill House, and I am excited for the future of the agency.  As executive director I look forward to continuing to build on our valued partnerships and further strengthening our programs and services to provide continued support for our communities”

“Tiffany Nigro and I have worked together for more than 20 years, and share similar philosophies, goals, and commitment,” stated Smith.  “I am very confident passing the torch to her, knowing that Pettengill House will continue to thrive and support our communities.”

Board President Yvette Bailey stated, “On Behalf of the Pettengill House Board of Directors and Advisory we feel this leadership transition is on solid ground.  Deb and Tiffany have established excellent community programing and relationships that have served the PGH community soundly over their years together.  The Pettengill team will continue the work of this ‘gentle giant’ of an agency.  Many thanks to Deb for her years of service and best wishes to Tiffany as she continues the mission of The Pettengill House, Inc.”

The Pettengill House, Inc. will continue to benefit from Smith’s professional expertise, as she will be transitioning into a part-time role as an education consultant post-retirement.  In honor of Smith’s lasting legacy and years of leadership, the board of directors will dedicate the conference room at The Pettengill House, Inc.’s flagship Amesbury site, to be named “The Deborah M. Smith Boardroom”.

Phone:  (978) 463-8801

Fax:  (978) 463-8743

The Pettengill House, Inc.

21 Water Street, Suite 4A

Amesbury, MA 01913

The Pettengill House Food Pantry

13 Lafayette Road (Rte. 1)

Salisbury, MA 01952