Pettengill House steps up service for pandemic impact
Carol Feingold/Correspondent
The Pettengill House Inc. was founded in 1994 by a group of local residents and agency representatives to address the needs of the most at-risk, under-served children and families in the communities of Amesbury, Byfield, Groveland, Merrimac, Newbury, Newburyport, Rowley, Salisbury, and West Newbury.
During FY 2019, Pettengill House helped provide services to over 3,000 children and families. That was pre-pandemic. Since March the need has only grown, a lot, and The Pettengill House has responded with expanded services all delivered with enhanced safety precautions.
“The pandemic has definitely resulted in more need in our communities,” said Sierra Partlan, director of development and programs, “and intensified the challenges that our clients were already facing. Our Food Pantry alone has seen about a 50 percent increase since the pandemic struck.