Area food pantries will be impacted by sudden cuts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to a statement by NH Food Banks, which partners locally with the food banks in Peterborough, Jaffrey and other towns.

According to Nancy Mellitt, director of development for NH Food Banks: “The recent changes to federal food assistance funding will impact the reported one in 10 NH residents, including one in seven children, who are experiencing food insecurity in NH.”

In late March, the New Hampshire Food Bank learned that the USDA Local Food Purchase Assistance funding had been canceled.  The cuts resulted in a loss of $1 million in funding for New Hampshire food banks, which would have funded the Feeding NH program through 2028. 

“While this federal funding is not the sole source of funding used to support our NH Feeding NH program, it has been a driving factor in our ability to grow this critical program – improving access to fresh, local foods for our neighbors experiencing hunger throughout the state, while simultaneously supporting NH’s local farmers and food producers,” Mellitt stated. 

Both the Peterborough Food Pantry and the Jaffrey Food Pantry were partner locations for the Feeding NH program, which enabled food pantries to purchase fresh produce and meat from local farmers. Gloria Morison, director of the Peterborough Food Pantry, said the cuts will negatively impact local families as well as local farms. 

“The Peterborough Food Pantry has enjoyed using $1,000 annually from the NH Food Bank to buy produce locally as part of the NHFB's NH Feeding NH grant program. This program allowed us to buy produce or protein from local farms participating in the program which we then offer to our customers when they ‘shop’ for food with us,” Morison said.  “In past years, we've purchased local corn, greens, squash, potatoes, apples, eggs and even ground beef from farms in Peterborough, Jaffrey, Wilton and Fitzwilliam. We will definitely not be able to support these farms as much as we have in the past as the grant money will be decreasing due to federal cuts affecting NH. It will be a loss both to our customers and these local farms.”

Morison said she hoped potential donors will consider donating shares from local CSA growers in the Peterborough area, such as Cornucopia Project or the Nubi River CSA at the Nubanusit Farm and Community, to support the Peterborough Food Pantry. 

Kathleen LaRou of the Jaffrey Food Pantry said the recent USDA cuts “impact all of us.” 

“The number of people visiting us has been increasing since the fall,  so the concern going forward will be to make sure we’re able to meet those demands,” LaRou said. “We’re fortunate to have like-minded people who've donated to our food pantry so we can purchase a  CSA share for our clients. Jack and Rachel Rixey from Dog Days Farm have been wonderful, and understand how important this issue is, and they are working with us to ensure we have what we need.”

The New Hampshire Food Bank reports that in 2024-2025, 308 of their partner agencies benefited from the Feeding NH program, including or bulk purchasing from New Hampshire farmers.

“Last season, more than 655,000 pounds of food was purchased from 184 farms throughout the state, infusing more than $725,000 into NH’s economy,” Mellitt stated.

According to Mellitt, NH Food Banks works with more than 400 partner agencies that distribute food, including soup kitchens, after-school programs, programs for senior citizens and emergency food distribution sites.  

NH Food Banks are also anticipating being affected by tariffs on imports from Canada, including produce. 

“Currently, the NH Food Bank is witnessing a 7 tp 15% increase in pricing on produce purchased through our Canada-based vendor, Western Harvest Gardens, which working with their suppliers to help absorb some of these costs, which is why we are not currently seeing a 25% increase,” Mellitt stated. “We are anticipating that there will be more losses in funding and that costs will increase.”