The New Hampshire Food Bank has lost close to $1 million dollars in funding since the Trump administration cut federal support for USDA assistance programs. The cut has some pantries across the state that rely on the food bank reconsidering how they’ll meet a growing need for assistance.
“Every food pantry is kind of their own little microcosm,” said Thomas Young, executive director of The Waysmeet Center in Durham. “There's hundreds of them throughout New Hampshire, and we're just one of them, but we have very loyal clients. Our clients can come once a week and so we see the same people once a week and, and they certainly do rely on us for their family's food, and we don't want to disrupt that.”
Waysmeet sits on the University of New Hampshire campus, and Young said they serve a diverse population: international students on limited stipends, housekeeping staff, as well as people in the surrounding community.
Young said they get food supplies from the New Hampshire Food Bank but also local grocery stores like Hannaford and Trader Joe’s. He suspects they may need to rely more on grocery stores and private donors if their donations from the food bank decline.
In 2023, Waysmeet received a little over 125,000 pounds of food from the New Hampshire Food Bank. In 2024, that number jumped to over 145,000, and Young expects that by the end of this year they’ll have received close to 208,580 pounds of food. But he said as their donations have grown, so has demand.
Molly Zirillo is seeing a similar spike in need at St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Exeter. She said demand for food assistance has been as high as she’s ever seen it in her 10 years as executive director, and they’re seeing a lot of new families asking for help.
“We have a line out the door for our food pantry before we open,” Zirillo said.
St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry gets donations from the New Hampshire Food Bank and the USDA. If the food bank ends up providing less food, Zirillo suspects they'll have to buy more of their own.
She’s also worried about what will happen this summer. They're usually even busier at that time of year, when kids are out of school and families need more assistance feeding them.
Across the state, others watch and wait
In Greenville, the Saint Vincent DePaul Sacred Heart Church Food Pantries’ executive director Kevin Little said he’s not worrying — yet. It’s part of his nature.
“I'm the type of guy, I'm not gonna worry about something that may or may not happen,” Little said. “So if it does affect us we'll adjust. Maybe if we just aren't allowed or or can't give out as much food as we have been, and we'll just let people know because. You can only do so much.”
Little said the pantry has seen a steady increase in people seeking their services. They’re now serving around 75 families a week, and they’ve also expanded their hours since the COVID-19 pandemic, when they saw bigger gains in people seeking their services.
“We have a lot of flexibility in terms of how we help people,” Little said. “If they don't have a car and can't come to us, our volunteers are just awesome. I mean, they'll find a way to bring the food to the people who need it.”
They also add support services and partner with another food pantry in the town, which allows them to share and exchange food based on needs. They also receive donations from the New Hampshire Food Bank and the USDA.
They’ve been able to partner with farmers to provide fresh food, even USDA grade hamburger from local farmers. To Little, adjustments can be made with resources and the support networks they’ve built.
Little said the New Hampshire Food Bank has been helpful in guiding the pantry with running operations, and he appreciates their help serving their community members.
At the Lancaster Food Pantry, director Donna Woods said they’re as ready as they can be for the budget cuts.
“We only have donations to survive on,” Wood said. “We don’t have any income besides donations. So every donation that we have helps us fund the food pantry.”
At the moment, Woods said she has no issue meeting the pantry’s food needs. She’s been receiving donations from people in the area and other support from the Tri-County Community Action Program. That organization offers assistance with food, housing, bills and other critical services.
Woods said they serve anyone who comes to their doorstep: People come from Vermont, near the Canadian border, Franconia and beyond.
“If we do have the changes we will figure it out as it goes,” Woods said.
