NH Food Bank driving efforts to expand advocacy capacity, strengthen coalitions and elevate awareness of the nation’s largest anti-hunger program

Manchester, N.H. – The New Hampshire Food Bank, a program of Catholic Charities New Hampshire, has received a $195,000 national grant to strengthen its advocacy work on behalf of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation’s largest anti-hunger initiative. The New Hampshire Food Bank was awarded the grant from Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks, food pantries and local meal programs. SNAP plays a critical role in ensuring families and individuals in New Hampshire can put food on the table during difficult times, and this new investment will help expand efforts to protect and advance the program statewide.

With the support from the grant, the New Hampshire Food Bank is strategically partnering with New Hampshire Hunger Solutions, a leading hunger advocacy organization, to expand its community advocacy capacity, increase engagement with SNAP recipients and strengthen policy and advocacy coalitions at the state and regional levels. The New Hampshire Food Bank is also partnering with strategic communications firm, Montagne Powers, and Robert Dunn, Director of Public Policy, Diocese of Manchester, to raise public awareness through integrated social media and outreach campaigns, while enhancing its ability to engage in administrative advocacy that improves the program’s efficiency and effectiveness.

“This grant will allow us to not only amplify the voices of those who rely on SNAP, but also to build stronger partnerships and broaden awareness of how vital the program is to fighting hunger,” said Elsy Cipriani, Executive Director, New Hampshire Food Bank. “By bringing communities together, sharing stories and advancing policies that make SNAP stronger, we can ensure more people have access to the nutrition they need to thrive. We are uniquely positioned to elevate and enhance SNAP advocacy efforts to ensure all Granite Staters are receiving the food and resources they need.”

While about 42,000 New Hampshire households are enrolled in SNAP, Feeding America statistics indicate one in nine or about 150,000 New Hampshire residents experience food insecurity, underscoring the reality that the need is much greater. According to the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute, 5.5% of New Hampshire’s population is enrolled in SNAP, which equates to about 77,000 individuals.

“SNAP is our most powerful tool for fighting hunger in New Hampshire. It exists to help all of us when we are in need,” said Laura Milliken, Executive Director, New Hampshire Hunger Solutions. “We are thrilled to be partnering with the New Hampshire Food Bank on advocacy to ensure we can ease access and remove barriers to this vital program. Recent changes to SNAP at the federal level will make it harder for many in New Hampshire to access the program and will shift costs to our state. We look forward to working with the New Hampshire Food Bank to ensure that SNAP can continue to protect New Hampshire residents against hunger.”

With the Feeding America grant support, the New Hampshire Food Bank will leverage its network of more than 400 partner agencies and community partners to advocate for SNAP statewide to raise awareness and to strengthen existing coalitions and networks of support. The New Hampshire Food Bank is working to create resources, toolkits and other collateral to raise awareness for SNAP, and to educate and empower its community partners, including its network of partner agencies, to advocate for SNAP throughout the Granite State.

The New Hampshire Food Bank is mobilizing SNAP advocacy efforts amid Hunger Action Month, a month-long awareness campaign encouraging residents and businesses to take action in the fight against hunger. As part of Hunger Action Month, the New Hampshire Food Bank has coordinated a series of events and initiatives throughout September to raise awareness and resources for those most in need. For more information, visit: www.nhfoodbank.org/ham.

The New Hampshire Food Bank provides an array of services, including Culinary Job Training, Mobile Food Pantries, a Production Garden, the Nutrition Pantry Program, and SNAP Outreach and Application Assistance, among many others. In 2024, the New Hampshire Food Bank distributed more than 17 million pounds of food to its more than 400 partner agencies statewide. In addition to distributing food to all corners of the state, the New Hampshire Food Bank provides an array of programming designed to address the root causes of hunger.

Residents looking to support the New Hampshire Food Bank can:

  • Donate: for every $1 donated, 93 cents directly supports New Hampshire Food Bank’s programming
  • Volunteer: visit nhfoodbank.org to learn more about volunteer opportunities
  • Host a Food Drive: host a food drive or consider donating some of the New Hampshire Food Bank’s “Most Needed Items”
  • Participate in Local Events: participate in upcoming programming and events happening throughout the state