Distant Dome: Food Insecurity Is Growing Rapidly In New Hampshire

By GARRY RAYNO, InDepth NH

In one of the nation’s wealthiest per capita states, food insecurity is growing and it is hitting children the hardest.

According to a new Feeding America study, the 2026 Map the Meal Gap, child food insecurity increased by 6 percent climbing from 36,160 children in the 2025 report to 38,430 this year.

That is an increase of 2,270 children across the state in a year.

Food insecurity also impacts adults, as the study indicates that the overall food insecurity rate has grown to 11.2 percent of New Hampshire residents, up from 10.7 percent in the group’s previous report.

According to the study, one in six children in New Hampshire face food insecurity, and one in nine adults, all needing an estimated $115.1 million to meet their food needs.

The federal data for the study has a two-year delay, meaning this year’s study reflects what residents faced in 2024, which is before the Trump administration made it more difficult to access or be recertified for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the government’s largest program to fight hunger.

The “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which passed with only Republican votes in Congress and signed into law by President Trump, may be known for its tax cuts for the wealthy and large corporations, but those benefits were paid for by cutting trillions of dollars from safety net programs like SNAP, Medicaid and Medicare.

“SNAP has been in place for many years and has worked very well,” said Laura Milliken, Executive Director of NH Hunger Solutions. “Most people are only on SNAP for 12 months or less. It’s a transitional program, we need it and we need it to run efficiently.”

The omnibus bill that contained the Trump administration’s priorities expanded work requirements to 80 hours per month and expanded it to those who were exempt like families with children under 18 years old, which now exempts those with children under 14 years old.

The bill also increased the documentation necessary to satisfy the work requirement making it more time consuming for those already working.

The bill also eliminates the work exemptions for veterans, the homeless, foster youths to the age of 24 and legal immigrants.

An estimated 3.5 million Americans have lost their SNAP benefits because of the changes.

According to information developed by the NH Fiscal Policy Institute, between June 2025 and June 2026, 2,561 people lost their SNAP benefits in New Hampshire or a reduction of 3.4 percent. One-third of that reduction occurred in the last three months.

In that year, 1,490 adults lost benefits, or 3 percent, as did 1,071 children or 4.1 percent.

At the end of June, there were 47,820 adults and 25,179 children receiving benefits for a total of 72,999.

According to the 2026 Feeding America report, Coos County has the highest overall food insecurity in the state at 15.4 percent with children at 22 percent, followed by Sullivan County with an overall rate of 12.3 percent and children at 18.3 percent.

Rockingham County has the lowest food insecurity rate at 8.8 percent with children at 11.6 percent, while Belknap has the second lowest overall rate at 10.6, with Merrimack County second lowest for children at 15 percent.

Three counties saw an overall yearly decrease in the percentage with food insecurity, Belknap, Cheshire and Rockingham, while Hillsborough, Merrimack, Strafford and Sullivan counties show significant increases in children with food insecurity.

Milliken said there is no real time data to determine the exact numbers as there was during the pandemic, so the best gauge are the food banks and food pantries and they are overwhelmed.

It is a very low bar to qualify for SNAP and other federal food programs, she said, so many of the people going to the food banks and pantries are above that number but they still need help with food.

“The Map the Meal Gap report confirms what we see every day: the struggle to put food on the table is a growing reality in every corner of the Granite State,” said Elsy Cipriani, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Food Bank. “What is most heartbreaking is the toll this takes on our children.”

To address the growing demand for healthy and nutritious options, Cipriani said the Food Bank is significantly expanding its fresh rescue operations, increasing deliveries to remote communities, providing more fresh produce and protein through Mobile Food Pantries, and supporting partner agencies with capacity-building grants.

The “One Big Beautiful Bill” also shifted program costs to the states.

Under the legislation, states now pay a greater fiscal share of administrative costs growing from 50 to 75 percent beginning Oct. 1, adding $4.4 million to the $11 million in the state budget for this fiscal year.

And next year New Hampshire and other states must reduce their error rates or face significant penalties. For New Hampshire the penalty could be $15 million.

According to Milliken the state had done a good job reducing its error rate which occurs when a case worker or an applicant makes a mistake on a form — “we’re not talking fraud,” she said.

This past year the state’s error rate went up which Milliken said is to be expected as there were significant changes in the program and the bureau that administers it is short of staff.

The growing food insecurity due to reductions in SNAP not only impacts the lives of program recipients, but also hits school districts who lose the $2,300 per student for those on the free and reduced lunch program. Students receiving SNAP benefits automatically qualify for the free and reduced lunch program.

With the number of children removed from the program in the last year, schools across the state would lose $2.5 million in state aid.

Those children’s families who have been removed from SNAP because of the work requirement may still qualify for the free and reduced lunch program, said Milliken, but they need to apply.

The current outreach for families eligible for SNAP benefits receives no state dollars. It is run by the New Hampshire Food Bank, which raises money for it that is matched with federal dollars.

Milliken noted other states have several agencies reaching out to eligible families and helping with the paperwork. The Food Bank does a tremendous job, she said, but they only have three people doing the work, when a state agency would be able to reach more people.

The ripple effect of losing SNAP benefits also extends to grocery stores and their employees, as well as farmers and their workers and those who are part of the supply chain, she said.

The program is an economic stimulus, Milliken said.

The state needs to ensure the program runs efficiently and is fully staffed which will ensure those eligible receive the benefits and would cut down on the error rate, she said.

The more barriers you put up and the more people have to jump through hoops, the more errors will be made, she said.

“This is just not the time to cut back on the food help people receive across the country,” Milliken said.

The state ended the 2026 fiscal year with an estimated revenue surplus of $170 million.

Some of the that money will go to offset money budget writers expected to draw from the state’s rainy day fund to balance this year’s budget, and the administrator of the Youth Development Center settlement fund is seeking about $50 million to continue settling abuse claims from victims of sexual, physical and mental abuse at the hands of state employees. The Education Freedom Account program will need about $65 million which is tens of millions more than budgeted, and the Department of Health and Human Services will have a difficult time finding the $25 million for this fiscal year, of the $50 million the agency has to cut from its budget that is required.

The revenue surplus will disappear quickly.

Putting food on the table of families who battle affordability daily does not put money into politicians’ campaigns, but it does make life a little easier for millions of people.

That may not be enough for the billionaires now running the country who want that couple of million dollars in taxes to stay in their pockets.

A couple million dollars would go a long way to feeding children in schools so they are ready to learn and the richest country on earth can have a bright future.

Garry Rayno may be reached at garry.rayno@yahoo.com.

Distant Dome by veteran journalist Garry Rayno explores a broader perspective on the State House and state happenings for InDepthNH.org. Over his three-decade career, Rayno covered the NH State House for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Foster’s Daily Democrat. During his career, his coverage spanned the news spectrum, from local planning, school and select boards, to national issues such as electric industry deregulation and Presidential primaries. Rayno lives with his wife Carolyn and their two rescue dogs.

This story was originally published by InDepth NH.