The New Hampshire Food Bank's registered agencies consist of a number of different types of direct service programs.  The service for which you are searching will dictate which type of agency you should contact.

Food Bank: There is only one food bank in the state of New Hampshire.  A food bank is a charitable organization that solicits, receives, inventories, stores, and distributes donated food and grocery products to charitable agencies that directly serve needy clients.  These agencies include churches and qualifying nonprofit (Internal Revenue Code 501 (c) (3) charitable organizations.

Agencies and Food Programs:  The New Hampshire Food Bank distributes food to qualifying charitable agencies, most of which provide food directly to needy clients through food programs.  Some agencies operate single-type and single-site food programs, while others operate food programs at multiple sites and sometimes operate several types of food programs.

Soup Kitchens provide prepared meals served at a kitchen to needy clients who do not reside on the premises.  In some instances, kitchens may also provide lighter meals or snacks, such as sandwiches, for clients to take with them when the kitchen is closed.  Click here to download a list of the soup kitchens registered with the Food Bank.

Food Pantries also called "Food Shelves", distribute non-prepared foods and other grocery products to needy clients, who then prepare and use these items where they live.  Food is distributed on a short-term or emergency basis until clients are able to meet their food needs. Click here to download a list of food pantries registered with the New Hampshire Food Bank.

Emergency Food Programs are non-permanent charitable feeding programs whose services are provided to clients in need of short-term or emergency assistance.  The NH Food Bank is on the on-call list with the Red Cross, through which we provide emergency relief to those in need.  During the ice storms in December 2008, the Food Bank provided meals to emergency food programs throughout the state.

Non-emergency Food Programs are charitable feeding programs whose services have a primary purpose other than emergency food distribution but which also distribute food.  Non-emergency food programs include day care and after-school programs, senior congregate-meal programs and summer camps.  For more information about these programs, please call our Agency Relations Department at (603) 669-9725.

Emergency Shelters are charitable programs that provide shelter and serve one or more meals a day on a short-term basis to low-income clients in need.  The shelter may be the primary or secondary purpose of the service.  Such programs include homeless shelters, shelters with substance abuse programs, and transitional shelters such as those for battered women.  For more information about these programs, please call our Agency Relations Department at (603) 669-9725.

Additional Resources:

New Hampshire 211: This is the number to dial for information about health and human services and organizations in your community.  By dialing 2-1-1, information is easy to find.  2-1-1 is a free call from anywhere in New Hampshire, is a free and confidential service, offers person-to-person assistance, and has language translation available.  To learn more, visit the website at www.211nh.org.

Unemployment Guide to Community Resources: In a recent effort to provide a guide for those in need, the Jobless Recovery Roundtable project has created this guide to the Greater Manchester area.  This PDF gives information about available assistance regarding food, fuel/electricity, rent and mortgage, clothing, mental health and prescriptions, holiday, financial counseling, employment and job training.  To download this PDF, click here.

Monthly Delivery Schedule

Our registered agencies are located throughout all 10 counties of New Hampshire, from Hillsborough all the way up to Coos County.  For those agencies which cannot travel to the NH Food Bank to pick up their food, we help by delivering food to certain locations.  Below is a schedule of current deliveries made to more remote locations of the state.  At each stop, agency staff or volunteers meet our truck to pick up the food items they have requested.  This process saves those agencies valuable staff or volunteer time as well as the cost of gas, vehicle insurance, and other travel necessities.