I am worried. About myself, about my country, about our community. As winter nears, I
worry about the rising oil and food costs, but I have a place to live, oil in the tank, and
can drive to Market Basket for better deals on food.

People losing benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP and
the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children or WIC this
November have far more to worry about, especially if they earn minimum wage, live in
their cars, couch surf, or face eviction. Over 40% of adults and more than half of New
Hampshire’s children live in homes that lack sufficient food. Fortunately, school-aged
children will still get lunch and breakfast at school through federal funding.

For the next five weeks, the state of New Hampshire plans to partner with the New
Hampshire Food Bank to expand its mobile food pantry program. These additional food
pantries will serve only SNAP participants. The state has secured additional funding to
sustain WIC services only until Nov. 7. Then what?

The Trump Administration agreed on Monday to partially fund SNAP benefits in
November, although these may take weeks or months for families to receive. This also
excludes people from applying for SNAP benefits. This is the first time in history that
SNAP benefits have run out of funds. Food pantries are seeing more people than ever,
as the national food crisis evolves. States, communities, and nonprofits are finding
creative ways to fill in the gap.

The Peterborough Food Pantry added additional Saturday hours. The River Center
Facebook page has an extensive list of food resources in the region, including Meals on
Wheels, and the food pantries in Antrim, Francestown, Greenfield, Greenville,
Hillsborough, Jaffrey, Keene, Wilton, and Lyndeborough. Every Saturday in November,
from 9 a.m. to noon at 330 Marlborough Street, there will be a mobile pantry in Keene. On
Tuesday, Nov. 18, the Mobile Food Pantry will be open from 12 to 2 p.m. , while
supplies last, at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, at 33 Arch St., Keene.

These are tumultuous times, and I am grateful that our community has the resources to
help men, women, and children who are hungry and need shelter. If you want to help,
please contact the food pantry in your town to donate food, money or time to feed our
neighbors.

Elizabeth Goodhue is a board member at Monadnock Area Transitional Shelter. MATS believes everyone deserves a safe place to call home and a chance to rebuild their lives with dignity. As a fully donation and grant-funded nonprofit, we rely on the generosity of individuals, businesses, and community partners to make that belief a reality.

Your support fuels every part of our mission, from keeping our transitional shelter doors open, to providing vital support services, to helping children and families find stability during times of crisis. To learn more about MATS, visit matsnh.org.