NH Food Bank Awarded More Than $660,000 Through USDA GusNIP Nutrition Incentive Projects Grant

Manchester, N.H. – The New Hampshire Food Bank was just lately awarded greater than $660,000 to broaden entry to contemporary produce for many who are meals insecure in New Hampshire. The funding will likely be used to extend entry to nutritious meals with the opening of 4 new retail areas, two new farmers markets and a pilot neighborhood supported agriculture program, which is able to hyperlink contributors immediately with native meals producers. Within New Hampshire, state companions embody Seacoast Eat Local, Cheshire County Conservation District and Merrimack County Conservation District. The funding was acquired as a part of a $4.8 million U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) grant awarded to the New England Nutrition Incentive Collaborative (NENIC), of which the Food Bank serves because the New Hampshire associate.

“We are excited to strengthen our partnership with NENIC by way of this grant from the USDA’s GusNIP diet incentive program and to extend entry to nutritious meals, together with contemporary produce, for these in want,” stated Eileen Liponis, Executive Director, New Hampshire Food Bank. “Approximately 7% of all New Hampshire residents, together with roughly 9.5% of youngsters, battle with meals insecurity in New Hampshire, and this partnership will allow us to fight starvation by increasing our present community of 88 market shops that serve Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) contributors to extra shops and areas throughout the state.”

The USDA awarded NENIC $4.8 million to broaden use of diet incentives throughout New England in Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Led by Farm Fresh Rhode Island, NENIC will search to extend buy and consumption of vegatables and fruits by way of the challenge, “Cultivating Regional Growth: Expanding The New England Nutrition Incentive System.” Through this system, SNAP contributors will obtain monetary incentives for purchases of produce, rising entry to nutritious meals for people and households. NENIC was chosen as certainly one of eight GusNIP Nutrition Incentive initiatives to obtain a grant.

Through this system, Farm Fresh Rhode Island and its companions, together with the New Hampshire Food Bank, will distribute almost $5.7 million in diet incentives over three years, with the aim to extend the acquisition and consumption of vegatables and fruits by offering monetary incentives for SNAP purchases at no cost or decreased value produce, enhance the quantity and number of shops accepting SNAP, which will even help regional farms whereas making produce extra inexpensive and accessible.

In 2022, the New Hampshire Food Bank distributed greater than 16 million kilos of meals to greater than 400 nonprofit meals businesses in all corners of New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Food Bank expects to proceed rising meals distribution to satisfy the necessity.