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

Thanksgiving Turkeys

Thanksgiving request forms went out in mid-September. If you did not receive the form, you can find it here. All requests will be considered and we will do our best to honor them based on our own inventory of turkeys and gift cards. All turkey requests are due by Sunday, October 15th.



If you have any questions, please contact Jocelyn at jcheney@nhfoodbank.org.

Agency Express- Order Management

Agency Express is the website that the NHFB partner agencies use for all food ordering. Did you know that the Order Management page is a great resource for you to be aware of? You can access Order Management through the Order Options tab. Once an order is submitted, you are also automatically taken to this page.

On the Order Management page you will first see the Search feature. Here you can search by a series of dates or specific invoices to see the number of orders, pounds, and costs you accumulated during a certain time frame of your choosing. Some programs will use this option when creating annual or quarterly reports for your organization or Board of Directors. On this same page, you will also see the list of all of your previous orders, regardless of who at your program placed the order. This will allow you to view the invoices and food items that you previously ordered.

Food Safety Certification Updates

The NH Food Bank requires that at least 1 active person at your program have valid food safety certification, although it is encouraged that several people be certified. Per the 2023 Feeding America Agreement, volunteers that pick up from the NH Food Bank and retail locations need to have updated certification. All food safety certification is good for 5 years.

We continue to work with UNH Cooperative Extension to provide free Safe Food Handling classes each month. If you currently have food safety certification but are unsure of the expiration date, please contact your NHFB Coordinator for verification. By end of the 2023, all programs must be up to date with Safe Food training. Classes are held monthly with some in-person dates also taking place and more will be added over the next few months. Class dates are below in this bulletin and you can also contact your Agency Coordinator for the complete list.

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.

Food Safety- Allergens Update

The FDA has recently updated the list of the top food allergens, now known as "The Big 9". Added earlier this year, the newest addition to the list is Sesame Seeds.

The current "Big 9" list includes the following allergens: peanuts, sesame, shellfish, tree nuts, fish, milk, soy, eggs, and grains.

Symptoms of food allergies can vary from minor skin irritation to intestinal discomfort all the way to the extreme end of breathing concerns and life threatening symptoms.

As you are storing and distributing food at your facility it is important to be aware of these allergens that may affect your clients. You may not be aware of the specific allergens that are affecting all your clients, especially if your clients are anonymous or you do not have the opportunity to see them face to face and talk about their needs and concerns. So, keeping certain items aside or in a specific area will help to reduce contamination. If there are any food spills or open packaging, it is important to clean affected containers or wipe things down as not to spread allergens from touch. If you choose to store non-allergens and allergens on the same shelving units, the foods that contain allergens should be stored on the lowest shelf.

We recommend you take the time to display signage about the big 9 allergens and make your volunteers and team aware of them. There is also a lot of information online about these food allergens and sorting food safely. We encourage you to do your research on this topic and all other topics pertaining to food safety to ensure you are doing your part to reduce food born illness and contamination.

Please click here to see the FDA's page on food labeling and food allergies.

Portsmouth, NH - Operation Blessing held a ribbon cutting on October 20th to celebrate the opening of their new warming center in Portsmouth. The warming center has 11 beds, each with unique bedding to emphasize the welcoming atmosphere Operation Blessing hopes people using the space will feel. This building has been used previously as an emergency shelter, but, with the help of federal funding through the City of Portsmouth, it now has a full bathroom. Combined with Operation Blessing’s kitchen next door, people can now receive a “warm bed, warm meal, and warm shower” when they spend time at the warming center on the coldest nights of the year. 

Tammy Joslyn, the Executive Director of Operation Blessing, was thankful for all the people who helped make this project a reality and recognized the need for a safe place to sleep before someone can make any other changes they want to make in their own lives.

Mayor Deaglan McEachern spoke at the ribbon cutting as well emphasizing the success of the administrative parts of the city government in ensuring that the permitting process for installing water and sewer moved quickly.

Hopefully this warming center will be the start of something bigger, both in the lives of the people who sleep there and for the organization, which is hoping to eventually be able to house more people in need. 



To see an official article from Seacoast Online, visit: https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/local/2023/09/22/operation-blessing-to-open-warming-center-in-portsmouth-nh/70902920007/

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

Tuesday, October 17th @10am

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

• UNH Cooperative Extension has informed us of a great opportunity for your food pantry to attend an 8-lesson online session to create better health for your clients. This is a free program that can be done at your own pace. For more information, please reference this flyers: CREATE Better Health course