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

Thanksgiving Turkeys

All Thanksgiving allocations have been assigned at this time. If you would like to be added to the list for additional turkeys (should they become available in a few weeks), please let our team know.

If you have questions regarding the pick-up or delivery of your Thanksgiving items, please reach out to our team.

As a reminder, the NH Food Bank will be open on Saturday, November 11th and Saturday, November 18th for Thanksgiving pick-ups only. Pick-ups on both dates are by appointment only from 7:20am-11:00am.

For the month of November, the delivery schedule has been adjusted to accommodate holiday closures, but Thanksgiving delivery dates have also been added. If you receive deliveries from the NH Food Bank, please be sure to check this November calendar if you did not receive it via email already. Please reach out to your NHFB Coordinator if you have any questions about this schedule. As always, there is no charge for Thanksgiving delivery.

We Appreciate You!

November is a time to give thanks, and we here at the NH Food Bank, we cannot say Thank You enough for all that you do. The work you do is what keeps us going. Last year your programs helped the NH Food Bank distribute approximately 16 million pounds of food to those experiencing hunger in the state of NH. You are the direct connection to our neighbors and communities and we are so grateful for your partnership and who you are!

In October, the Agency Relations team was joined by over 120 people from 60+ agencies at our Agency Appreciation event. Those in attendance were able to hear a presentation from Sherri Stevens, Regional Community Relations Manager for Hannaford, a presentation on Succession Planning from Agency Relations, an Agency Panel featuring 4 of our partner agencies, trivia, raffle prizes and of course lunch. We were happy to hear from those in attendance that they enjoyed the event and benefited from their time spent. If you attended, we are so glad you came and hope that you enjoyed yourself. For those that were unable to make it, we still want to extend our gratitude and hope that you can join us in the future.

Fresh Rescue

Thank you to all of the programs that participate in NH Food Bank's Fresh Rescue program with your local retailer. Over the past year, participation across the state and agency accuracy in reporting has increased greatly. Doing so allows us to provide our retailers and Feeding America with accurate information from donors, but also allows our partner programs to receive direct donations that stay in the community. Your support and participation allows the NH Food Bank to keep this program running smoothly and successfully.

We lastly want to remind you to notify your partner store ahead of time if you will not be available to pick up your scheduled donations, such as for a holiday or closure. This allows them to plan ahead to reallocate the donations or find another recipient.

Food Safety Certification Updates

The below article was posted in our October Agency Relations bulletin. In addition, we wanted to let you know that the ServSafe Food Handler's course is available to take on your own via the ServSafe website for $15. If you choose to take the test on your own, please make sure to send us a copy of your certificate so we can update your account with the information.

https://www.servsafe.com/ServSafe-Food-Handler

Servsafe for meals programs:

Per the updated Feeding America Agreement, all meal site programs that prepare food on-site (ex. soup kitchens, shelters, group homes, after-school programs) will be required to have at least 1 person that is 'ServSafe Food Handler' certified. Other approved certification includes SafeMark, the National Registry of Food Safety, or another equivalent testing program that is verified by your NHFB Coordinator.

The NH Food Bank will be offering ServSafe classes, textbooks, and test proctoring soon. Class schedules to be determined, but will be available in 2023.

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

Thursday, November 9th @10am

Wednesday, December 6th @10am

*If you have a new director for your program, our Training & Resource Coordinator can come to you to do in-person training.

• The NH Food Bank will be closed from Christmas Day through January 1st. We will be sending out communication regarding these closures and the schedule for December and the first week of January, but we wanted to remind you of this now so you can plan ahead for your food and staffing needs.