MANCHESTER, NH– The New Hampshire Food Bank, a program of Catholic Charities New Hampshire, recently secured temporary warehouse space in Berlin to increase food distribution efforts in northern New Hampshire. After entering into a lease agreement with New Hampshire Distributors securing the warehouse, the New Hampshire Food Bank will use the space to enhance access to nutritious food in the historically underserved North Country region of the state. The Food Bank began outfitting the 2,000-square-foot space in December 2023 and plans to open the facility for distribution in late winter.
“For well over a year, we have been in search of the right property to support our work directly in the North Country and we are pleased to work with New Hampshire Distributors to increase our distribution capacity in Coös County and the surrounding area to ensure families and individuals in need have access to nutritious food,” said Eileen Liponis, executive director of the New Hampshire Food Bank. “The North Country experiences the highest rate of food insecurity in the state, with 10.2% of residents, including 14.9% of children, experiencing hunger. With this additional warehouse space in Berlin, along with our existing warehouse space in Manchester, we will be better equipped to procure and distribute food where the need is greatest.”
The warehouse space will be able to house up to 20,000 pounds of shelf-stable food and will also include one freezer and one cooler.
“New Hampshire Distributors has a long-standing relationship with the New Hampshire Food Bank and supports the Food Bank’s efforts to eliminate hunger in New Hampshire,” said Chris Brown, president of New Hampshire Distributors. “Understanding the need is especially great in northern New Hampshire, we are pleased to have the opportunity to help ensure nutritious food and resources are available to those in need in the North Country.”
The New Hampshire Food Bank distributes nutritious food and resources to New Hampshire residents in need. In 2023, as the state’s only food bank, the New Hampshire Food Bank procured and provided more than 16 million pounds of non-perishable food items, fresh produce and meats to more than 400 nonprofit food agencies in all corners of New Hampshire.
The Food Bank services New Hampshire through various channels, from distributing food statewide to providing a wide array of programming, making it a necessary resource for hunger prevention and education in the Granite State. The New Hampshire Food Bank provides a variety of services, including Cooking Matters NH, free Culinary Job Training, the Fresh Rescue Program, the Recipe for Success Program, the Nutrition Pantry Program, the Production Garden, NH Feeding NH, mobile food pantries, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program education and outreach.