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Gather’s Tania Marino receives Innovator of the Year Award from NH Hunger Solutions

November 14, 2024

PORTSMOUTH — Gather, the Seacoast nonprofit that has developed innovative programs to address food insecurity and provide free food to residents in southern New Hampshire and Maine, announced that Culinary Director Tania Marino recently received the Nutrition Equity Innovator of the Year award from New Hampshire Hunger Solutions.

Marino accepted the honor at the annual NH Nutrition Equity Summit presented by the NH Food Access Coalition. The coalition consists of 300 partner organizations that address hunger in The Granite State.

Local people honored for efforts to fight hunger

November 12, 2024

CONCORD — Teachers, a state senator and a state representative from Conway were among people recognized for their contributions to feeding families at the New Hampshire Nutrition Equity Summit.

The New Hampshire Food Access Coalition held the summit at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord on Oct. 24.

Individuals were recognized with awards for their meaningful work in helping raise nutrition equity in New Hampshire.

Matty Gregg to run 230 miles from Nashua to Pittsburg to help fight hunger in New Hampshire

September 30, 2024

NASHUA, NH – Nashua native Matty Gregg runs a lot. While many consider a marathon (26.2 miles) the ultimate run, he takes it to the next level. Matty is an ultramarathoner which means he competes in 50K (31 KM) and 100 km (52KM) races.

He does not just run for pleasure or competition.

OPINION: Keene’s policy on unpaid school meal debt shames children, robs families of privacy

September 24, 2024

If we want to create healthy futures for our children, we need to remove the structural barriers that deny some students the opportunity to learn and thrive. One of those barriers, shockingly, exists in the Keene School District, where students are being shamed and denied food because of their families’ unpaid school meal debt.

More from: New Hampshire Bulletin →

7 years, 78 selections, $3,506 in donations

August 28, 2024

Since February 2017, New Hampshire Hunger Solutions has been selected to benefit from the Hannaford Helps Fight Hunger Bag Program 78 times by 29 different Hannaford locations. In total, the organization has received over $3,500 in donations to further its mission of ending food insecurity in New Hampshire.

Racial profiling ban, AI guardrails, and trespassing signs: The bill signings you may have missed

August 21, 2024

After months of political wrangling that saw the bill’s ambitions reduced, Sununu has signed the final version of Senate Bill 499. The bill, once dubbed the Hunger Free NH Act, brings two federal programs to the Granite State.

The first program, the Summer EBT program, allows parents whose children already participate in the free and reduced-price lunch program at their public school to receive $120 per child per summer in food assistance.

In line with Art Ellison’s “dying wish” bill, Sununu signs expansion of two food programs into law

August 6, 2024

With the Hunger Free New Hampshire Act, Becky Whitley wanted a buffet of solutions to eliminate food insecurity. In the end, Gov. Chris Sununu signed a small portion of her original bill into law.

Students who are eligible for free and reduced lunch will now receive summer benefits, too, in the form of an Electronic Benefits Card, with Senate Bill 499.

Thousands of N.H. children to benefit from summer food assistance program

August 6, 2024

Anti-hunger advocates in New Hampshire had something to celebrate last week when Governor Chris Sununu signed a bill into law that will provide needed funding for a summer food assistance program.

That outcome wasn’t guaranteed. In February, the state nearly missed a federal deadline to participate, and then House lawmakers removed funding for the program before ultimately restoring it in May. Now, advocates are pushing for a timely rollout so the aid actually gets to families during the summer when, they argue, it’s most needed.

The program is called summer EBT, short for electronic benefits transfer, and it will provide up to $4.5 million in federal funding to qualifying families in New Hampshire About 37,000 children in the state would get help, according to the nonprofit NH Hunger Solutions.

More from: The Boston Globe →

State lawmakers pass bill that would give families money to help feed kids during summer

June 15, 2024

State lawmakers passed legislation that would help families keep their kids fed during summer vacation.

SB 499 would enter New Hampshire into the federal Summer EBT program, which would give enrolled families $40 per child each month to help pay for meals when kids are out of school.

House, Senate near passage of bill to boost child food assistance in summer

June 12, 2024

House and Senate lawmakers are close to sending a bill to Gov. Chris Sununu that would expand food assistance for children in summer.

Senate Bill 499 will come before the House and Senate tomorrow for a final vote after “committee of conference” negotiations last week. The bill would enter New Hampshire into the federal “summer EBT” program, an initiative that allows families who participate in the free and reduced-lunch program at their public school to receive $120 per child per summer in food assistance.

More from: New Hampshire Bulletin →

Help available for New Hampshire families as school lunch programs end for summer

June 10, 2024

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Starting next week, many New Hampshire children will be on summer vacation, but that could make it harder on families financially when it comes to putting food on the table.

Thousands of families rely on their local schools to feed their children breakfast and lunch, and with school out for the summer and no access to those free meals, already tight budgets could be getting tighter.

Free programs aim to help feed NH families over summer

June 10, 2024

Thousands of families rely on their local schools for feeding their children breakfast and lunch, and with school out for the summer and no access to those free meals, already tight budgets could be getting tighter.

Complex challenges drive food insecurity in New Hampshire

June 6, 2024

In New Hampshire, it’s estimated that 24% of landfill waste is composed of food, ranging from grocery store surpluses and imperfect farm produce to rotten leftovers and forgotten bananas on countertops.

At the same time, the state faces a growing hunger crisis, with nearly 1 in 10 residents experiencing food insecurity, as highlighted by a recent Feeding America report.

Summer meals for low-income youths clears House

May 24, 2024

CONCORD — A proposed summer meals program for low-income youth cleared the House of Representatives over the objection of Republican budget writers who charged it was too expensive and relied upon uncertain federal support.

The 192-178 vote marked a major victory for the N.H. Hunger Solutions campaign. The bill would make all families that receive federal welfare benefits eligible to get an additional $40 a month during the summer months to be spent on food.

N.H. House narrowly passes funding for children's summer food assistance

May 23, 2024

CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire lawmakers narrowly approved funding a federal summer food assistance program for children in 2024, the latest in a number of hurdles the program has faced.

House lawmakers voted 192 to 178 to approve a version of Senate Bill 499 with $1.1 million in funding on Thursday, after rejecting a version that contained $87,500 by just three votes.

The bill the House passed would cover the state’s cost to set up the program and administer it for two years.

More from: The Boston Globe →

Author Erik Talkin visits Winnisquam Regional Middle School

May 16, 2024

TILTON — Fifth and sixth grade students at Winnisquam Regional Middle School met with children’s author Erik Talkin to discuss his book, “Lulu and The Hunger Monster,” and to learn what they can do to end hunger stigma among children. He is known for his engaging books that take children on an adventure teaching them about food insecurity, empathy and lending a helping hand.

Talkin said, “According to Feeding America, one in seven children in the United States may be skipping a meal today or going to bed hungry tonight. That is the backdrop for this story of a determined girl confront a monster called hunger.”

NH community health workers push for certification, Medicaid reimbursement

May 2, 2024

Community health workers are sometimes called the “boots on the ground” of public health: doing outreach and education, connecting people with services and addressing barriers to getting care.

A measure aiming to strengthen that workforce is up for a vote in the New Hampshire House Thursday.

The legislation – part of a broader package meant to address ongoing workforce shortages in health care – would create a voluntary certification program for community health workers. It would also allow their services to be reimbursed by Medicaid.

Food Insecurity on the Rise in NH

May 2, 2024

Caitlyn O’Connor of Littleton has struggled at times to afford healthy food options to feed her family. The married mother with two young daughters, ages 4 and 9, works part-time and often plans ahead to purchase healthy food at the Littleton Co-op and other markets where she shops.

Since her first daughter was born, O’Connor, 35, says she has found ways to stretch her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) dollars, the federal nutrition assistance program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). O’Connor does this through the Granite State Market Match program—expanded this year to include frozen produce—which allows people to make healthy food choices while stretching SNAP benefits. This program allows people to buy fresh fruits and vegetables with their EBT card and gets federal and state funding as well as donations from individuals and organizations.

“What we eat affects how we feel, and once I learned about the Market Match program at the Co-Op in Littleton it was mind blowing,” O’Connor says. “Your $20 will buy you $40 of food and that is really cool.”

More from: Bussiness NH Magazine →

House Republicans recommend eliminating most of anti-hunger bill

May 1, 2024

House Republican lawmakers are moving to strip out major portions of a bipartisan bill aimed at addressing child hunger, arguing they are costly and unnecessary, in a decision that drew sharp criticism from Democrats and advocates.

The House Finance Committee Division III voted Monday to recommend eliminating most of House Bill 499, an omnibus bill that would create a program to provide families meal assistance in the summer as well as new programs to encourage breakfast take-up in school.

More from: New Hampshire Bulletin →

With Police, Firefighter Vacancy Rates High, Senate Panel Mulls Retirement Benefit Hikes

April 23, 2024

FARM TO SCHOOL FOOD PROGRAM

A bill aimed at connecting students with healthy food from their local farms was also considered by the Senate Finance Committee after surviving a challenge in the House.

Rep. Alexis Simpson, D-Exeter, prime sponsor of House Bill 1678-FN, said it would encourage spending $400,000 from federal resources while spending a lesser amount of state dollars and would help to sustain children and their local farms and fishermen.

Applications would be taken from schools and farms and one pilot program for two-years would be allowed in each of the ten counties.

House narrowly fails to grant lawmaker's dying wish of free school meals

April 14, 2024

CONCORD — House supporters came up just shy of passing a bill (HB 1212) dramatically increasing the number of families eligible for their children to receive free school lunches.

Lawmakers had hoped to pass it in part as a tribute to one of the bill's prime authors, who recently died.

House Speaker Sherman Packard, R-Londonderry, ended up breaking the tie and casting the deciding ballot in a 192-191 vote last Thursday to table the measure.

As proposed, the bill would have raised eligibility for free lunches and school breakfasts from household incomes at 130% of the federal poverty level, or $40,560 for a family of four, up to 300%, which is $109,740 for the same-sized family.

Art Ellison has one dying wish: Feed all New Hampshire students

March 15, 2024

Art Ellison isn’t one to mince words. With a red blanket over his lap and a “support public education” t-shirt on, he has one final request as he rests at the Granite VNA hospice house.

“Feed the damn kids,” he said.

Ellison, a three-term House Democrat from Concord, knows his days are numbered. When he entered hospice, the doctors told him he had between two days to two weeks to live. But that was three and a half weeks ago.

Gather reports record demand for food in Seacoast, southern NH

March 9, 2024

PORTSMOUTH — Gather, a nonprofit organization that provides free food to residents in 59 communities in southern New Hampshire, reports January was the busiest month in its 200-plus-year history.

According to Gather Executive Director Anne Hayes, 2023 as a whole saw a notable surge in the number of people seeking food assistance from the nonprofit. Hayes says individuals served by Gather’s Pantry Market and Mobile Markets increased by 43% while food donations declined by 29% vs. just two years ago.

Spreading the word: Derry changing narrative on subsidized school lunch

March 9, 2024

NH is offering free job training to people receiving SNAP benefits

March 1, 2024

New Hampshire is offering free job training to people receiving SNAP benefits, part of an effort to expand career opportunities for people in the nutrition-assistance program.

The initiative — launched a year ago — is a collaboration between the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Manchester Community College and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

Advocates say bipartisan school meals bill could make a dent in child hunger

February 20, 2024

Tricia LaBelle has worked in school kitchens near Portsmouth for years. She’s seen the struggles that accompany families applying for free or reduced-price lunch meals. But it wasn’t until her son entered kindergarten that she fully grasped the challenge.

“I remember getting my first meal application and looking at it, as a person who would have qualified, and thinking, ‘No way – how embarrassing,’” she told lawmakers last month. “I’d have to fill out this packet and send it back in with him to give to his teacher.”

More from: New Hampshire Bulletin →

Funding to fight child hunger is in jepoardy in N.H. Advocates urge the governor to act.

February 9, 2024

CONCORD, N.H. – A new federal program could help 37,000 children who receive free and reduced meals at school access food during the summer months when school is not in session.

But advocates are worried about the state’s inaction, facing a looming deadline of Feb. 15 to submit a plan for the new Summer EBT program, worth $4.5 million.

If the state doesn’t act soon, it won’t be able to participate in the program, according to Laura Milliken, the executive director of New Hampshire Hunger Solutions, one of 30 organizations that sent a letter recently urging Governor Chris Sununu to act.

More from: The Boston Globe →

2023 NH Agricultural Policy Forum

December 17, 2023

KEENE, N.H. — Policies that will affect the future of food and agriculture in New Hampshire: that is what policy leaders discussed during the 2023 NH Agricultural Policy Forum on December 13, 2023. The forum was hosted virtually by the Monadnock Farm and Community Coalition (MFCC), NH Food Alliance, and a new co-organizer, the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire.

The forum served as the featured guest topic of Carsey’s monthly discussion series, “Coffee and Conversations.” Yusi Turell of the Carsey School of Public Policy facilitated a well prepared and informed conversation among state leaders representing their organizations priorities in agriculture, organic agriculture, farm to school, food access, and climate change.

Anti-hunger advocates have a new focus: the school breakfast

December 15, 2023

For many New Hampshire public school students, getting breakfast at school is not a priority.

The Granite State has one of the largest divides in the country between the number of school breakfasts eaten and the number of school lunches eaten, according to numbers from the Food Research and Action Center. While an average of 95,337 students per day ate school-provided lunch in the 2021-2022 school year, fewer than half of those students – 45,192 – also ate breakfast, the center found in a 2023 report.

That ratio puts New Hampshire in the bottom 16 states in the country. Now, educators and child anti-hunger advocates are urging Granite State schools to increase their promotion of school breakfasts and make it easier for students to eat them.

More from: New Hampshire Bulletin →

Rep's 'no hungry kids' in NH comment draws ire

December 1, 2023

CONCORD — House Finance Committee Chairman Kenneth Weyler, R-Kingston, drew criticism from Democrats for his claim Wednesday that there are “no hungry children” in New Hampshire.

Weyler made the comment during a lengthy debate over a leftover bill (HB 601) from the 2023 session that would let state officials automatically enroll their Medicaid health insurance clients into the free and reduced school lunch programs in public schools.

Currently, 38 states participate in the Direct Medicaid Recertification program.

(Opinion) Come Nov. 17, Congress’s continuing resolution for WIC funding will expire

November 17, 2023

We all understand the importance of ensuring the healthy development of young children. But rising costs of food, housing, child care and other basic needs have all contributed to increased food insecurity and hunger in New Hampshire, particularly among households with children.

In October, 66% of households with children reported they had difficulty paying usual household expenses. We should be alarmed but not surprised that over half of New Hampshire households report they don’t have sufficient food for their kids. These are all challenges that can be solved, and solving hunger actually requires little in terms of creative thinking.

Republican lawmakers balk at Medicaid Direct Certification program, citing cost and privacy

November 8, 2023

A push to automatically sign up New Hampshire students for free or reduced-price lunches if they are enrolled in Medicaid is facing a setback, after Republican lawmakers voted to not recommend the move, citing privacy and cost concerns.

Medicaid Direct Certification, a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that states can choose to join, allows school districts to use Medicaid data to determine which of their students already qualify for free or reduced-price meals, without needing to contact parents.

Advocates note that nearly 8,000 K-12 students could receive free or reduced-price meals but don’t, according to state Medicaid data, and say automatically enrolling them could benefit their health and their family’s finances.

More from: New Hampshire Bulletin →

Federal program to encourage universal school meals sees low NH take-up

October 3, 2023

The program is designed around a simple tradeoff. A public school with a sufficient percentage of low-income students agrees to provide free school meals for all students. In return it receives additional funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Schools receive more money, and parents and students avoid the stigma of applying for free or reduced-price school lunches.

But in New Hampshire, the take-up of the program has been low. This school year, the state had just two schools out of 20 eligible participate in the federal program, known as the Community Eligibility Provision, according to numbers from the state’s Department of Education. And some anti-hunger advocates say that without additional state support, many schools are not able to afford it.

More from: New Hampshire Bulletin →

NH seeing higher food insecurity because of inflation, end of pandemic aid

September 11, 2023

Earlier this year, people who pay attention to food insecurity in New Hampshire noticed something alarming: The rate of families reporting insufficient food access shot up by more than 10%. By this spring, estimates showed that more than half of Granite State households with children didn’t have enough to eat.

And in the most recent Census pulse survey last month, nearly 200,000 children in the state lived in households that lacked sufficient food – that’s up by nearly 40,000 additional children since January.

Renters must earn $70,600 a year to pay for two-bedroom apartment in NH, survey shows

July 21, 2023

To afford the statewide median cost of a typical two-bedroom apartment with utilities, a New Hampshire renter would have to earn 137% of the estimated statewide median renter income, or more than $70,600 a year, according to the just released New Hampshire Housing 2023 survey.

The statewide monthly median gross rent (including utilities) of $1,764 for two-bedroom units is up 11.4% over last year.

Average monthly utility costs increased substantially over the last year due to a spike in energy prices, which contributed to the survey’s reported 11.4% increase in monthly median gross rent for two-bedroom units. The 2023 Residential Rental Cost Survey gathered responses from the owners of 17,116 market-rate (unsubsidized) rental housing units, or 11% of all units statewide.

With a vacancy rate of 0.8% for all rentals, finding an apartment that is affordable is very difficult. (A vacancy rate of 5% is considered a balanced market for tenants and landlords.)

NH Hunger Solutions, Elliot Hospital and Manchester Library team up to feed meals to kids

July 16, 2023

MANCHESTER, NH – The Winchell Room in the Manchester City Library on Pine Street, usually reserved for book sales and other functions, has found a new usage: feeding hungry children. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 12 to 12:30 p.m. parents are invited to bring their children to the Winchell Room on the library’s bottom floor to receive a free meal for a child. No proof of residency or proof of income is required.

The project came about as a result of the work master’s candidate Sherisse Salter of SNHU has been doing with New Hampshire Hunger Solutions. NHHS is a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating hunger in New Hampshire. Among those are school children, some of whom are not participating in school breakfast. Others, due to a variety of circumstances, had to utilize a food bank on school grounds just to have something to eat.

Lawmakers balk at Medicaid direct certification despite push by anti-hunger advocates

June 8, 2023

Senate lawmakers Wednesday voted 13-11 against a floor amendment to the budget that would have required the state to enroll in Medicaid direct certification as a pilot program, a move that disappointed advocates. As a compromise to Senate Republicans, the direct certification amendment would have applied only to municipalities in which Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation is at 11 percent or greater based upon federal fiscal year 2021 data.

Medicaid direct certification is a federal program that would automatically sign up eligible students for free and reduced-price lunch based upon their family’s Medicaid enrollment. As of now, families must first submit paper applications to be enrolled.

More from: New Hampshire Bulletin →

New SNAP rules come as state struggles to reach thousands eligible for help but not getting it

June 7, 2023

About 1,000 older Granite Staters are at risk of losing food assistance under the debt ceiling deal signed into law Saturday, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

That’s a new worry for anti-hunger advocates in the state as they focus on another potentially more significant concern: Only half the adults and children in the state eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are enrolled.

More from: New Hampshire Bulletin →

To Make NH Hunger Free

June 5, 2023

Tens of thousands of people in New Hampshire cannot say with any degree of confidence that their families will have enough to eat tonight — or tomorrow, or next week. Maybe dinner will just be instant noodles for a while, and maybe adults will skip meals during school vacations so that their kids have enough.

“Food insecurity” is a U.S. Department of Agriculture term to describe that reality.

N.H. families struggle to afford food amid inflation, end of COVID-era food assistance

June 1, 2023

Laura Milliken, the executive director of NH Hunger Solutions, said when the program ended there was a spike in food insecurity. It includes people struggling to afford the kinds of food they need like protein or fresh vegetables.

During the pandemic, people receiving the supplemental nutrition assistance program, or SNAP, were able to get the maximum amount based on their household size through an emergency allotment. .When that benefit ended in March, that meant $106 less per month for an individual and $206 less for the average household, according to Milliken.

More from: The Boston Globe →