Donor Spotlight: Meet Tom Boucher

Thank you to Advisory Council member Tom Boucher of Great NH Restaurants!

Along with his team at FeedNH.org and Great New Hampshire Restaurants, Tom Boucher has been a generous donor, friend and champion of CASA’s advocacy work on behalf of victimized children. As a key member of CASA’s recently launched statewide advisory council, Tom serves as an ambassador for CASA’s mission-critical service throughout the region.

Tom was first introduced to CASA at an event at the Manchester Country Club. He was moved by the mission of CASA and struck by the challenges that many children face.

“I have been very fortunate. I have never been exposed to what these kids have gone through,” Tom says.

It “grabbed” him and he decided to make CASA a priority ever since that day, because as he adds, “these kids have nothing”

Tom is further inspired by his daughter’s experiences as a guidance counselor in Massachusetts. Tom says her position has been very rewarding but it confirms for him the heart-wrenching, challenging situations that many children continue to face across the country — situations that keep them from attending school as they experience victimization in isolation.

“They can’t share what is happening to them at home” Tom says. “I can’t imagine what they are going through.”

In 2014, Tom and his business partner Mark Fenske launched FeedNH.org, a philanthropic arm of their Great NH Restaurants business. The mission of FeedNH.org is “to strengthen NH communities through philanthropic collaboration dedicated employee involvement and volunteerism benefiting local families, elder, education and disadvantaged.”

“All of these focus areas are in some way directly connected to our employees and customers,” Tom says.

Since its inception, FeedNH.org has raised more than $1,000,000 for countless organizations, including CASA of NH, providing critical assistance to children of all ages and their families. The ability to give back at this level has been supported through the generosity of his customers and vendor partnerships.

Thanks to Tom’s generosity and that of FeedNH.org, CASA has received funds from the “prize wheel fundraiser” at Cactus Jack’s in Manchester, and through the 2018 “Thanks for Giving” program alongside NAMI New Hampshire, Granite State Children’s Alliance, and Harbor Homes. The “Thanks for Giving,” initiative, which takes place from mid-October-mid-November, incentivizes customers to donate $5 to FeedNH.org and receive a $10 restaurant gift card in return. “This is a wonderful triangular relationship that is customer-based and provides awareness for the nonprofit,” Tom says.

This program alone has raised $500,000 for non-profits.

During an otherwise very challenging time for restaurants and the hospitality industry, last year Tom and his team provided a generous sponsorship to CASA in order to support restaurants throughout the state through the purchase of gift cards for the CASA Cares auction. He has also creatively and strategically pivoted to launching both a food delivery service from their commissary in downtown Manchester, to provide catering options for holiday and special occasion dinners, gatherings and celebrations. He collaborated with Families in Transition to provide more than 1,200 weekly meals for low-income older adults and others in need through a grant from the Harvard Pilgrim Foundation, and with two of his chefs they’ve established the Great NH Kids Can Cook Program with the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester. Led by Chef Nicole Barreira and Chef Megan Fournier, the program provides cooking and nutrition education for the youth it serves.

Tom is also passionate about the work he and his team do with the Manchester School of Technology. FeedNH.org has funded MST’s scholarship initiative and provided support for its culinary program working with disabled youth to teach them how to cook.

“Our company is part of the community and without them, we would not be where we are today and have the ability to help organizations so worthy such as CASA of NH”

We are deeply grateful for Tom and his team for helping to raise funds, spread awareness and provide insightful advice to CASA.