Twin Rivers Food Pantry

Twin Rivers
Food Pantry believes that nourishing communities today will lead to a healthier tomorrow!  We also believe it is important not only to
nourish but also to empower and
support neighbors in need!

Our Choice Pantry program provides
assistance to residents of Franklin and fifteen surrounding communities.  The Pantry resembles a small grocery store --
our shoppers use grocery carts to browse our shelves and choose the food their
households need and will enjoy.    During 2024, we recorded 7,890 household
visits/23,207 individuals, a 25% increase in usage over the previous year, and
our service numbers are continuing to steadily increase.  Currently, we serve 170+ households each week and effectively manage our inventory
to meet the needs, including the weekly purchase of nearly 300 half-gallons of
milk.   YOUR support will help us
continue to purchase vital inventory for our programs.

In addition to our
Choice Pantry program, our initiative, "Feed the Need!", addresses
gaps in the availability of consistent and nutritious food for children. 
Supplemental food bags are provided for weekends and lengthy school vacations
when school meals are not available.  Our volunteers pack bags weekly to
be distributed by school personnel to children in Franklin and Andover
schools.  Each bag contains milk and juice boxes, healthy breakfast and
lunch items, and snacks.  We also provide snack and quick meal options for
students at Franklin High School.

We help our
shoppers connect with other assistance.  Representatives from the
Merrimack County Navigator Program are on site weekly to share information
about a range of support opportunities and to assist with applications. We also
strive to assure our shoppers are aware of local programs and services
available to their families.

 While food remains
our primary focus, we provide choices of basic personal care items, menstrual
products, incontinence products, diapers, dish soap, and laundry detergent --
items not covered by SNAP or WIC benefits.   As families make difficult choices how best
to spend their limited resources, choosing NOT to purchase certain hygiene
items because of cost can result in missed work or school, stigma, and health
issues.  For a working mother with a child in daycare, running out of
diapers can mean lost pay.  The
availability of diapers at the Pantry to supplement their own purchases is
making a significant difference for young children
and their families.

 Current economic uncertainty and Federal funding cuts are
impacting our inventory support from USDA and the New Hampshire Food Bank.  At the same time, funding cuts are impacting critical
supports for low-income households.  Meeting
both rising inventory costs and the increasing need for assistance in our
communities will be challenging, and we need your help!

 Will you join us as we rise to this challenge and
continue to effectively support neighbors who are facing tough choices to make
ends meet?

 THANK YOU! 

Who We Are

While food insecurity and hunger constitute an urgent problem wherever they exist, their magnitude in our service area is especially troublesome. The poverty rate in the City of Franklin alone, the center of our service area, is 18% -- a percentage more than twice that of New Hampshire as a whole.

During 2017, we distributed 220,000 pounds of food -- equivalent to 185,000 meals -- to families in need in Franklin, Andover, Tilton, Northfield, Salisbury, Danbury, Hill, and Sanbornton. Although we serve nearly 900 individuals each month, we know that we need greater outreach and service capacity to truly impact the needs in our communities.

We recently converted from a "traditional" method of food distribution to the "Choice Pantry" model. Instead of receiving boxes of predetermined items handed over a counter, folks now use shopping carts and have the opportunity to read labels, consider recipe options, and have a more typical “shopping” experience. The change is restoring dignity to the process -- one young woman told us, "The shopping makes you feel like a person, not just a number."

We welcome and very much need your financial support in our mission to provide healthy food and nutrition resources to those in need in our communities! Thank you!