Your monthly look into what's happening at the NH Food Bank.

On Wednesday, March 20th, the NH Food Bank held the first ever NHFB & Partner Agency Network Call. The NH Food Bank team used this opportunity to provide our partner agencies with updates, information, and operational content about your NHFB partnership and relationship.

Here is a recap of the call in case you missed it:

• 116 people attended from 80+ agencies
• 3 NHFB Directors shared updates on recent activity and events taking place at the NH Food Bank.
• New warehouse racking was installed allowing for 50% more pallet storage spaces. Photos and statistics were shared.
• Agency Relations Manager, Kristie Deneault shared about the new Tiering Procedure that is scheduled to go into effect on May 1st. All programs will receive an email to confirm our tiering data, and then a letter in the mail this month showing your tiering qualifiers and final tiering category, which will be evaluated annually.
• ServSafe in-person class dates were announced for those that would like to attend (see "Upcoming Classes" section below for those dates).
• A poll taken during the call shows that 56% of attendees would like to meet quarterly. Upcoming dates will be determined.

If you would like to view the March NHFB & Partner Agency Network Call, you can find it by visiting www.nhfoodbank.org and then going to the Agency Portal. There you can select "Agency Forms & Resources," with this call and all future calls being listed in a section titled "Partner Agency Network Call Recordings." Here is a direct link to view the March meeting.

The next network call will be held at the end of May. Be sure to keep an eye out for that date and zoom link over the next few weeks.

NH Feeding NH

We are excited to announce that the 2024 NH Feeding NH program is now open! For those who have not participated before, NH Feeding NH connects agencies with fresh produce, meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products from NH farmers and fishermen. If you would like to participate, please complete, sign, and submit the application through the online form by April 15, 2024.

This year, we are offering two ways to participate:

1.  The Agency Purchasing Program will allow agencies to receive funds to go and purchase their own produce, dairy, and protein from NH farms. Participating agencies will report their purchases on a monthly basis through an online form.

2.  The Forward Contracting Program will involve the NH Food Bank setting up a purchasing relationship between an agency and a local farm. With input from the participating agency about what items and quantities they would like to receive, the NH Food Bank will coordinate purchases for the agency to pick up. Participating agencies will confirm receipt of each purchase through an online form.

Additional details on each program can be found in the NH Feeding NH Program Forms & Resources section on the Agency Portal. Interested agencies may participate in one of these two programs for 2024. On the application, you are able to select a first choice and a second choice option. If you would like to be considered for Agency Purchasing in the event we are unable to set up a Forward Contracting relationship for you, please indicate Agency Purchasing as your second choice.

This year’s program will run through December with a final deadline for spending funds on December 31, 2024. Agencies participating in Forward Contracting will be notified when the end of the season is approaching as it is dependent on a number of factors including the weather and types of crops the agency is receiving.

If you have questions about the program or the application, please reach out to Jessica Newnan at jnewnan@nhfoodbank.org no later than April 11, 2024 to ensure you receive a response in time to apply. 

Agency Spotlight:

Bethany Chapel Food Pantry

Manchester, NH - Located next to the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, Bethany Chapel Food Pantry is nestled away from the road, up on the hill in the stone and white church. As you approach the church, there are multiple signs along the road to let the community know there is a food pantry that is open and welcoming to all.

The inviting atmosphere continues as clients enter the pantry and are greeted by many friendly volunteers. Bethany Chapel’s volunteer, Diana, says, “I love to get to know people. I am the first face they see, and I try to remember their names so they feel welcome and loved.” As there is a large Spanish population that visits the pantry each week, one volunteer who started out as a client, realized the need for translation with her neighbors when they receive food. She is now there each week to make sure that those receiving food are able to communicate their questions comfortably. 

Bethany Chapel Food Pantry is a great example of a program using a client-choice distribution. Clients bring their own bags or carts, or they are given a box. They start by selecting their shelf stable items and as they move down the line, they choose their proteins and dairy items, then on to the next table to choose their fresh produce. Lastly, they select bread and pastry products.

There is also a team of volunteers that bring food and personal care items to the homeless population twice a week around the city. The same team offers transportation to the weekly meal at the church if anyone would like to attend.

The food pantry is run by Dave and Deb, a married couple who decided to open a food pantry during the pandemic. They discovered there were no other pantries in their immediate area and the local elementary school also has a large population in need. After starting from scratch, the pantry now serves approximately 100 households a week. While Manchester has several food pantries and food services around the city, each serves its own neighborhood and makes an impact within their own community. The Bethany Chapel Food Pantry is making a difference in the food they provide, and in the lives they touch within their building, and to those they meet and serve around the city each week.

Granite State Market Match

Want to spread the word about GSMM-participating farmers markets, farm stands, and "Double Up Food Bucks" participating stores? Granite State Market Match provides a 1-1 match on SNAP/EBT dollars at participating farmers’ markets and 50% off for fruits, vegetables, legumes, herbs, seeds, and seedlings at participating farm stands. Double Up Food Bucks NH offers a 50% off discount on fruits, vegetables, legumes, herbs, seeds, and seedlings for SNAP/EBT shoppers at participating independent grocers. To request to receive flyers and printouts for your program, (which will be sent to you some time in May) please contact Britt at bwicander@nhfoodbank.org. You can also learn more by visiting granitestatemarketmatch.org.

This past month, the Agency Relations department took a day to visit the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, located in the city of Chicopee. Similar to the visit and tour that was done at the Greater Boston Food Bank (in February), this was a great opportunity for networking, discussions, and collaboration for all involved. The team from GBFB was able to join as well.

It was a wonderful day and we all took away great information and ideas. We look forward to hosting multiple food banks here at the NHFB as well in June, and sharing information about the programs, distribution and wonderful agencies that we work with every day at the NH Food Bank.

AG Food Show

On Wednesday, March 6th the NH Food Bank staff and a wonderful group of volunteers worked together to receive the food donations that remained after the Associated Grocers of New England's Spring Food Show. The food collected filled dozens of large bins, and totaled 17,372 pounds of food. We hope that you were able to benefit from some of these items through our salvage boxes or when recently picking up your order at our warehouse.

We want to know who is reading the bulletin each month. If you are reading this, email Jocelyn at jcheney@nhfoodbank.org and be entered to win a credit on your NHFB account.

All sessions are held online via Zoom.

To enroll in any upcoming session, please contact your Agency Relations Coordinator. A zoom link will be sent out prior to the class for those who signed up to attend.

New Shopper Orientation (2 hour full training)

Thursday, April 11th @10:00am

Monday, May 6th @10:00am

Wednesday, May 29th @1:30pm

Indoor Shopping Training (20 min. training)

Wednesday, April 10th @9:00am

Thursday, April 18th @2:00pm

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Food Safety training

SAFE Food Handling For Food Pantries:

Tuesday, April 2nd @1:00pm

Monday, June 10th @9:30am

Wednesday, August 7th @3:30pm

SAFE Food Handling For Soup Kitchens & Prepared Meals:

Thursday, May 2nd @9:30am

Wednesday, June 12th @2:00pm

ServSafe Food Handlers certification:

Classes are held in-person at the NH Food Bank for $15 & include testing.

Tuesday, April 23rd @10:00am-1:00pm

Wednesday, May 8th @3:00pm-6:00pm

Thursday, May 16th @5:00pm-8:00pm



All programs are required to have at least one person at their facility that is Safe Food Handling certified (or a similar certification). Certification is good for up to 5 years. Programs that serve meals will be required to have ServSafe Food Handler Certification or equivalent (ANSI Accredited Certification) by June 1st, 2024.

One Last Note From Agency Relations

*Please remember that the speed limit in our parking lot is 5mph. Our parking lot is always busy. So this is both a safety concern and a courtesy.

*As warmer weather approaches, remember that close-toed shoes are required to access the NHFB warehouse. If you enter the warehouse wearing open-toed shoes, you will be turned away.

*If you missed one of our recent "Indoor Shopping" training sessions, we will soon be offering these sessions as a recorded video that you can watch on your own. Once this recording has been completed by our team, we will notify all programs with an explanation of where to find the video and how to view it for those that need the training. We apologize for the delay in not having the video quite ready yet. Two live training sessions will be available this month. Dates are listed in the above section.