Since 2018, the Monadnock Food Access Alliance has led the food access Community Health Improvement Plan of the Healthy Monadnock Alliance. The Alliance brings together 10 to 15 food access experts who meet monthly and share resources, policy alerts, workshops, and events with a listserv of 324 participants.
Increase participation in federal nutrition programs like SNAP and WIC by 10%, with a focus on seniors, disabled individuals, single-parent families, and individuals in recovery
Support The Community Kitchen Mobile Food Pantry program
Improve access to fresh, locally produced food by promoting current programming
Engage stakeholders with policy advocacy that works to stem hunger in our region and state
Over the last two years, the Alliance has worked to increase enrollment in SNAP benefits.
We developed and distributed outreach materials for individuals and service providers, created a 30-second video on using SNAP at farm stands and farmers markets (30,000 online views), and held workshops to help increase enrollment and unlock ancillary benefits like double fruit and vegetable purchasing power, auto-enrollment in free and reduced school meals, and reduced fees at venues across New England.
We’ve distributed over 1,500 NH Food Bank brochures and SNAP advocacy flyers at hospitals throughout the region.
The Alliance tables at local events like the Winchester Food Festival to promote SNAP enrollment.
We recently offered a DIG IN: Kids Grow Food event with the afterschool program at Keene Recreation Center, where children learned how to plant and took home plant starts, recipes, and instructions for tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and Three Sisters gardens.
Parents joined a free raffle and learned about the benefits of SNAP beyond food assistance.
The Alliance shares policy alerts through social media and our listserv. We work closely with NH Hunger Solutions to inform and mobilize community members on behalf of nutrition programs and legislation that keeps dollars in the pockets of local farms.
In 2021, the Alliance led a feasibility study for a mobile food pantry to reach rural areas experiencing food insecurity.
Working hand-in-hand with The Community Kitchen, we launched the first pop-up events offering food alongside resources like heating assistance, pet food, and SNAP enrollment.
Since then, the program has expanded its distributions, built out volunteer infrastructure, and is developing plans for year-round food delivery.
Over the last seven years, the Coalition has raised nearly
to purchase local products (eggs, cheese, meat, dairy, and vegetables) for distribution on the mobile food pantry. Access to fresh fruits and vegetables was the number one priority for individuals surveyed in our Food Access Analysis.
In 2021, the Alliance hired the SW Region Planning Commission to develop a baseline of hunger in the region, conducting over 300 surveys with households experiencing hunger.
The findings informed the Monadnock Region Food Access Plan, ten projects co-designed with community members and households with lived experience of hunger. The Plan is updated annually to adapt to changing needs and federal nutrition programs.
The Monadnock Food Access Alliance brings together food access experts, advocates, and community members who meet monthly to work on projects that move the needle on hunger.
The Alliance meets on the second Thursday of every month, 8:30 to 9:30am on Zoom, and everyone with a stake in ending hunger is welcome.