PORTSMOUTH – The City of Portsmouth, NH Welfare Office is continuing its annual holiday tradition by collecting gift cards for families with older children who are often not included in other gift donation programs in the City.

Welfare Department Director Jodi Carnes said, “Local agencies who provide holiday assistance do a wonderful job here in Portsmouth, but teenagers can often be an overlooked population that we serve. To help close that gap, the Welfare Department is again collecting gift cards in small denominations for things like movie tickets, bowling, coffee shops, and stores such as Old Navy, Walmart, Ulta, GameStop, Kohl's, and Amazon. The community is always very generous in donating gift cards to help make the holidays more cheerful, and we hope that they will again this year.”

For those willing to donate, please address gift card donations to “Jodi Carnes, Welfare Department” and drop them in the grey drop box in front of City Hall or via mail to Jodi Carnes, Welfare Department, City Hall, 1 Junkins Avenue Portsmouth NH 03801. Donations will be accepted until Dec. 15, 2025.

Contact Jodi Carnes, (603) 610-7267, welfare@portsmouthnh.gov with any questions.

Image: City Hall in the snow with holiday wreath.