By Sophia Keshmiri
The Keene Sentinel
PETERBOROUGH, N.H. 鈥� When it comes to addressing hunger, Dan Heffernan is just getting started.
The Peterborough Fire and Rescue paramedic started spearheading department food drives last year to collect items for a program at the ConVal School District that gives students food to take home on the weekend. End 68 Hours of Hunger at ConVal is one of several chapters across New Hampshire schools, and seven other states. The program aims to help communities feed schoolchildren between Friday afternoon and Monday morning, when school is not in session.
鈥淲e鈥檝e only done four so far,鈥� the 55-year-old recently said of the food drives. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 really hoping to continue it as long as I can.鈥�
Man of many talents ... and siblings
Heffernan grew up in a big family in Brookline, Mass., and Boston. He ended up in New Hampshire and the Monadnock Region because family moved here.
The youngest of seven siblings, father of two sons and a stepdaughter, and uncle to roughly 20 nieces and nephews said he鈥檚 always had a soft spot for children.
鈥淢y siblings were good to me growing up, mostly because I was to some of them, I was more of a toy,鈥� Heffernan joked.
鈥淢y next older sister, you know, I was kind of her baby, so it鈥檚 cool, you know, to be an active part of her kids鈥� lives as well.鈥�
Heffernan, who now lives in Bow, described himself as a 鈥渏ack of all trades,鈥� and said he鈥檚 held posts in various industries, including at a garage, in a paper mill and at a seafood processing plant.
Heffernan, who began checking off first responder certifications in the 鈥�90s, grew up surrounded by people involved in public safety.
鈥淚 grew up around firehouses,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd very blue-collar neighborhoods. You know, my neighbors were mostly in public safety, one or the other, either cops or firemen. And I had an uncle that was with Boston Fire , and so was at that firehouse a lot.鈥�
In 1997, he held his first firefighting position in Antrim after learning the squad was short-staffed. A few years later, he became an EMT. He had stints at other departments throughout New England and in 2015, when he was 45, he became a paramedic. He鈥檚 been with Peterborough Fire and Rescue for the past 4陆 years.
Heffernan said he wasn鈥檛 鈥渢hrilled鈥� at first to make the transition from firefighting to medicine. But his curiosity and can-do attitude prevailed.
鈥淭he more I would try to do, the more I would find I didn鈥檛 know, and that you really do learn how much you don鈥檛 know,鈥� Heffernan recalled. 鈥淚t just became more and more interesting to me.鈥�
And his coworkers are a big plus, he added. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not just a team, but we鈥檙e a family,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are people there that 鈥� I joke that they鈥檙e my work kids.鈥�
Although Heffernan is passionate about the work, he said it鈥檚 not without its challenges. One of those is personal mental health, and this is one aspect of the job he wants to help newer paramedics navigate.
鈥淭hese are guys that I will look out for. And like, try to prevent them from either making the mistakes that I鈥檝e made, or give them better ways to deal with traumatic situations,鈥� he said.
鈥楧o what we can鈥�
Heffernan was trying to put together an initiative through the Peterborough Fire and Rescue Department to help kids experiencing food insecurity when he found out about the End 68 Hours of Hunger program.
But his first glimpse at the issue came years before, when his children were in school.
When his sons, now 28 and 26, were in their tween and teenage years, they鈥檇 tear through his pantry after school. 鈥淚鈥檇 be like, 鈥楪uys, what, I fed you; I literally sent you with, you know, lunches with all kinds of food.鈥� 鈥�
He quickly learned the kids would share their meals with friends who didn鈥檛 normally have a lunch. 鈥淪o I would just make a lunch for them too 鈥� bread鈥檚 cheap, peanut butter is cheap 鈥� so it鈥檚 not that big a deal to make an extra lunch.鈥�
With his kids now adults, and having been out of school for several years, Heffernan said he 鈥渄idn鈥檛 know what the need was.鈥�
鈥淣ow that I do, it鈥檚 do what we can.鈥�
Last year, he started helping tackle the issue head on. He spearheaded an initiative with Peterborough Fire and Rescue to collect food and raise funds for ConVal students experiencing food insecurity.
End 68 Hours of Hunger came to ConVal about nine years ago. Two volunteers brought the program, which is named for its goal to address weekend food insecurity among schoolchildren, to the school district. Schools in California, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Ohio also offer the program in addition to dozens from New Hampshire that participate. Participating schools in the Monadnock Region include those in the Hinsdale, Fall Mountain and Monadnock school districts, in addition to ConVal.
鈥淭here are a lot of kids that ... if they鈥檙e not in school, they don鈥檛 eat. Just period, there鈥檚 ... no if, ands or buts about it,鈥� Heffernan said.
According to End 68 Hours of Hunger, one in five children in the United States experiences food insecurity.
The ConVal program collects donations from a number of area organizations, but the drives Heffernan organized were a first for the coordinators. He had the idea to partner with the Shaw鈥檚 in town.
鈥淚t was a rousing success,鈥� Heffernan said of the first drive, which was held at the grocery story last January. He said he鈥檚 aiming for about three per year.
Shaw鈥檚 ordered extra items and put some on sale, according to Heffernan, who said the drives wouldn鈥檛 be as successful without the store management team鈥檚 help.
鈥淲e start at 9 a.m., we finish up at 1 [p.m.] and we usually have an ambulance. We call it the 鈥榮tuff an ambulance.鈥� So we鈥檒l bring an ambulance up. And we set up a little table.鈥�
The most recent drive, the fourth, was held earlier this year and brought in close to 1,000 food items and a little over that much in monetary donations.
Heffernan said one of the aspects he enjoys is meeting others who want to help the cause by donating.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e helping a kid that could be the one that finds the cure for cancer, or, you know, gets us to Pluto, whatever the case may be. Like you鈥檙e helping ... a kid with the most fundamental needs.鈥�
Linda Caracappa, one of the co-coordinators for the ConVal program, said the program matters to ConVal students.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important because there are a lot of kids that are food insecure and ... it doesn鈥檛 always show up in the numbers,鈥� she said. There are currently 240 students who receive food through the program each week.
Caracappa said some of the older kids served by the program have spoken out about how it helps. 鈥淲e have spoken to teenagers who ... work a job, they鈥檙e trying to go to school, and there isn鈥檛 enough food at home,鈥� she added. 鈥淎nd this helps them ... it doesn鈥檛 fix everything, but it helps them.鈥�
Caracappa called Heffernan 鈥渁 spitfire.鈥�
鈥淗is brain is always going, and he鈥檚 so passionate about it, and it鈥檚 very inspiring, you know, for us to have people like that ... and his whole team, like the volunteers that he has.鈥�
She said at the moment, the program is in need of personal hygiene products like deodorant, and Heffernan was immediately ready to help.
And he says he鈥檚 ready to keep at it.
鈥淚鈥檝e got about another 11 years before I can retire,鈥� Heffernan noted. 鈥淚n a perfect world, I would love to continue doing it for another 11 years.鈥�
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