How one small business makes a big impact in their community
Lucien Blais of Bisson’s Sugar House was introduced to Granite United Way about 45 years ago. In the 1970s, Lucien worked as an adult services social worker for Health and Human Services in Berlin, NH. It was then that he heard about Granite United Way, the work that they do, and how he could start to give through payroll deduction.
In 1988, Lucien left his employment to take over his family business but continued to have an interest in helping others. For 15 years he has served on the Board of Directors of the then Berlin United Way, Granite United Way’s Northern Region Community Impact Committee, and has continued to be a strong supporter in the Northern Region.
Lucien shared that he and his wife, Muriel, always felt a need to give back and to be a part of their community.
“We have been blessed with education, employment, and good health,” explained Lucien. “We always felt a need to give back what we received from our community and Granite United Way has provided us with a way to do that.”
Along with serving on multiple boards, Lucien volunteers for Granite United Way events as much as he can. He has been involved in several Days of Caring, community clean-ups, and food drives over the years. He and his wife also took their passion for gardening to the next level to give back to their community. Calling it their “Ministry Garden”, they grew and sold vegetables to their community members during the pandemic. And what did they do with the profits? They were donated to two local food pantries.
Lucien shared that during the pandemic, the community of Berlin struggled with food insecurity.
“We are very isolated in the North Country and have been considered a ‘food desert’,” says Lucien. “But during the pandemic we had the NH Food Bank’s Mobile Food Pantry come several times and provided a substantial amount of food to our community, school bus drivers delivered food to families when school went remote, the Community Café serve about 300 families per week, and the two local food pantries continue to serve anyone that comes through their doors.”
Bisson’s Sugar House serves as an integral part of the Northern Region community. The business has been passed down for three generations and will be celebrating its centennial this year. Lucien attributes the success of his business to their quality products as well as their family’s local volunteer efforts.
“It’s important to us that Bisson’s Sugar House supports Granite United Way because we see where the money is going. As a committee member, I also get to decide where the money goes,” explained Lucien.
Granite United Way is honored to have Lucien Blais and the Bisson’s Sugar House as a supporter and active member in the North Country. We look forward to working together to make our community stronger!
To learn more about the Bisson’s Sugar House, visit www.bissonssugarhouse.com