MANCHESTER – The New Hampshire Food Bank, a program of Catholic Charities New Hampshire, is taking steps in preparation for an anticipated increase in food insecurity due to the statewide impact of the coronavirus public health emergency. Along with increasing food purchasing, the New Hampshire Food Bank is working with agencies across the state to provide critical resources and to understand where the need is greatest. The New Hampshire Food Bank established a dedicated webpage, www.nhfoodbank.org/covid-19/, to provide a secure online portal for making donations, and also to keep employees, partners and clients informed.

“We are already seeing an overall increase in orders and we are seeing a number of agencies that have not needed our resources in some time reaching out and placing orders for food,” said Eileen Liponis, executive director, New Hampshire Food Bank. “With many people now out of work, coupled with families who typically depend on free and reduced school meals, we know the need is rising fast and we are taking every possible step to ensure we can provide food to those in need.”

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Hampshire Food bank will host modified mobile food pantries, in which the New Hampshire Food Bank will drop-off a truckload of food with a partner agency, and the partner agency will handle distribution to families and individuals in need.

In addition, the New Hampshire Food Bank’s culinary kitchen has doubled meal production and is providing ready-to-eat meals to its partner agencies, including North Country Senior Meals, which is experiencing a shortage of staff and volunteers. In addition, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central New Hampshire is distributing meals from the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Concord, as well as their sites in Allenstown and Laconia, to families in need.

“This is a difficult time for everyone as we know the pandemic is taking an economic toll locally and across the country,” Liponis said. “We know an individual’s situation can change quickly and we want the public to know we are here as a resource for those in need no matter the circumstances.”

For more information and to donate, visi: www.nhfoodbank.org/covid-19.

——

EDITOR’S NOTE: This content is being provided for free as a public service to our community during the coronavirus outbreak. Please support local journalism by subscribing to The Telegraph at https://home.nashuatelegraph.com/clickshare/checkDelivery.do;jsessionid=40C089D96583CD7318C1C1D9317B6162.

Newsletter