With the support of “neighbors-investing-in-neighbors” through the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, the Bender family now has access to the funding they need to unlock a new phase of growth for their potato chip manufacturing business.

Elissa Smith has lived in Albany Acres for more than 30 years, watching kids grow up and go on to raise their own children in the same community. She loves the way the air smells in her neighborhood, which is just across the street from the edge of the White Mountain National Forest in Albany, N.H., with a view of Mount Chocorua.

Sara Blair and her daughter marked Thanksgiving by “camping out” on an air mattress in their empty living room, watching an old TV with broken speakers. 

It was the best night ever ­— because it was the first Thanksgiving in their new home.

What does it mean to be rooted in growth? For the 29 entrepreneurs who recently received capacity-building grants totaling $100,000 from the Community Loan Fund, the answers are as diverse as their businesses.

When Aaron White was looking for a new place to live in the Upper Valley, he quickly discovered the upside-down math of the current housing market.

“I couldn’t afford to rent,” he said.

Mariel Perez was practically born dancing. “Dance is literally engraved in me — it comes down from my great grandparents,” she said. “I knew at a young age that I wanted to be a dancer and eventually show people how to dance.”

Mark Tierney is on a mission — and manufactured housing is helping him achieve it. 

Minimum waste, maximum joy. That’s the motto Elyssa Alfieri has used to guide her business since she acquired it nine years ago. You can feel the energy walking through the front door of Lilise Designer Resale on Main Street — from the colorful racks of shirts and dresses to the vintage artwork on the walls. 

Imagine owning a home at 22 years old. Andrew Moore navigated through stigma, a heated housing market, and the confines of the conventional banking system to achieve his goal.