BY JENNIFER MCDOWELL

You might say that Paul Loiselle is a man about town, being the Hooksett Town Council chairman and involved with the town’s Kiwanis Club, among other activities.

Because of his dedication to the Fixit Program, you might also say that he is a man about aiding the elderly and disabled.

The Fixit Program, established by the United Way in 1994 under the title Workmatch, is managed by the Community Action Program. The program provides elderly and disabled clients across the state with minor repairs and upkeep on their homes, such as hand rail installation, minor plumbing and yard work.

Clients are responsible only for any materials needed and are asked to donate according to their financial ability. They do not pay a set price for labor.

Loiselle began volunteering for Fixit about two years ago, he said, along with his brother, George Loiselle, and his brother-in-law, Jerry Ouellette. He said his participation in the program is more rewarding than any of the other community service he does.

“I’m basically a hands-on kind of guy,” he said.

He said that the Fixit Program provides him with the  instant pride that he does not get from other projects, such as the town hiking trail system the Kiwanis Club is currently planning and decisions within the Town Council.

One often has to wait a long time in those situations to see something come to fruition, he explained.

“I find it more gratifying to see the end results of your work,” he said.

He also enjoys satisfying what he called “a very specific need” rather than a general one.

“There is such a dramatic need. Having seen enough of the elderly, you realize just how many women in their late 80s and early 90s are absolutely alone,” he said.

David Poisson, director of the Fixit Program for the Community Action Program Belknap-Merrimack Counties, Inc., said the program’s mission is to help people remain independent and living in their own homes.

The program gets no state or federal funding.

“Finding funding has been an incredible challenge,” Poisson said. Less than 60 percent of the program’s budget is covered by the United Way and donations from clients combined. Philanthropic donations must cover the remainder each year, he said.

Poisson added that most people will need help from the Fixit Program or something similar to it after they retire.

“I have found that people have more needs than ever and less physical and financial resources,” he said.

Last year, Poisson said, the Fixit program got around 2,500 requests for work. Each year the program completes about 80 percent of those jobs, he added.

Loiselle and his family members are a handful of only about 100 regular volunteers in the four counties – Belknap, Hillsborough, Merrimack and Strafford -- the Fixit Program for C.A.P. Belknap-Merrimack, Inc. serves.