Alleviating hunger in New Hampshire: How you can help

New Hampshire is facing a food security crisis due to the federal shutdown and the delay of SNAP benefits for November — benefits that help feed children, working families, elders and people with disabilities. Though the shutdown has ended, the interruption, delays and confusion have had a real impact on people and communities across the state. Before the shutdown even began, food pantries had been reporting increases in people needing their services. In addition, $186 billion had been cut from SNAP over a period of 10 years in the federal budget reconciliation bill — significantly weakening SNAP. Those changes remain in place and will place a serious burden on already-struggling families. For every one meal that the charitable food system provides in the U.S., SNAP currently provides nine.

At New Hampshire Hunger Solutions, we work to make sure everyone has enough to eat, and we do so by focusing on changing systems and policies. We have received many inquiries about how generosity and philanthropy can help during this difficult moment. People genuinely want to help their neighbors — and there are many ways to do so.

Here are some recommendations for how people and philanthropic institutions can help right now and in the longer term:

Addressing the immediate SNAP emergency

• The charitable food system was already stretched thin before the current crisis and will likely be forced to turn people who are in need away without additional help.  We recommend supporting the New Hampshire Food Bank and food pantries across the state. The Food Bank maintains this map of its partner food pantries and soup kitchens.

Support community health workers and navigators:

• Community Health Workers and navigators (based at regional public health networks, community mental health centers and public health departments) link people in need with services. Importantly, they help to link people in need of food assistance with federal nutrition programs, leveraging federal dollars to help ensure households have the resources they need to lead healthy lives. This is more important than ever right now because in October 2027, a portion of SNAP benefits costs may be shifted to states depending on their SNAP error rates. Errors happen when either the SNAP recipients or the state make a mistake in SNAP calculations. When community health workers, navigators and outreach staff at the Food Bank help people apply, errors are much less likely to occur.

Support New Hampshire’s family resource centers

Nonprofit family resource centers across the state provide a wide range of services to families – including connecting them with nutrition assistance for which they are eligible. Family resource centers also help provide a range of emergency supports for families.

Support advocacy efforts and fund organizations engaging in advocacy:

• Making your voice heard can help ensure that we can maintain SNAP in New Hampshire — and expand other federal nutrition programs to meet community needs. One of the ways in which the budget reconciliation bill made cuts in SNAP was to reduce administrative support to states by 25% beginning in 2026 — estimated to be about $5.75m in New Hampshire. In this legislative session, ensuring that New Hampshire can raise the additional money to make up for that loss and continue to run the SNAP program will be critical.  Learn more here about using your voice to help make sure everyone in the Granite State has enough to eat.
• Though charitable food organizations are critical to meeting immediate food needs, it is advocacy that is most likely to make lasting change toward ending hunger in our state. Here are some suggestions for nonprofits that engage in and support advocacy and research to end hunger — and rely on charitable support:
  –New Hampshire Hunger Solutions
  –New Hampshire Legal Assistance
  –New Futures
  –New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute
  –Waypoint
  –Moms Rising

Stay informed and share information

• Please follow New Hampshire Hunger Solutions on social media and subscribe to our emails: Sign up here.
• Consider joining your local food access coalition or the statewide New Hampshire Food Access Coalition, or SNAP Coalition: Find out more here or sign up here.