New Hampshire Food Bank and Citizens Bank Nothing Campaign Reaches 1 Million Meals

To mark Hunger Action Month, the New Hampshire Food Bank and Citizens Bank announced today that the Nothing Campaign has surpassed 1 million meals with donations totaling over $567,000 over the past 5 years. The statewide campaign features cans of “nothing” representing the reality that thousands of New Hampshire residents have nothing to eat.

“Citizens Bank continues to be an incredible partner to the New Hampshire Food Bank, providing critical funding to support our ongoing effort to eliminate hunger in New Hampshire, and we are tremendously grateful for the support,” said Eileen Liponis, executive director of the New Hampshire Food Bank. “The NH Food Bank is able to turn every $1 donated into two nutritious meals, we can turn the $96,000 raised to date during this year’s Nothing campaign into 192,000 meals. While the need continues to grow, this support is making a profound impact on those who are most in need.”

Citizens Bank and the New Hampshire Food Bank launched the Nothing Campaign in New Hampshire in 2013 to spread awareness and raise funds for those in need—and the need is growing. In New Hampshire, 10% of residents, including 13% of children, are food insecure, meaning they do not know where their next meal is coming from. Throughout April and May, participating grocery stores sold cans of nothing for $5 each to raise funds and awareness for the New Hampshire residents who have nothing to eat.

Citizens Bank has been the sole underwriter for the Nothing Campaign since it began five years ago.
“Citizens Bank is proud that, in partnership with the New Hampshire Food Bank, we’ve been able to raise awareness about hunger and provide 1 million meals to New Hampshire residents through the Nothing Campaign,” said Joe Carelli, president, Citizens Bank, New Hampshire. “One hungry family or individual is one too many. Through our partnership with the New Hampshire Food Bank, we are making a difference for individuals and families across the state who are facing food insecurity.”

All proceeds go to the New Hampshire Food Bank to buy meals for the hungry. So far this year, the Nothing Campaign raised more than $96,000 and provided more than 180,000 meals for those in need. To learn more, visit nhfoodbank.org/nothing.

The New Hampshire Food Bank, which receives no state or federal funding for food distribution, continues to address the growing need in New Hampshire. In 2016, the New Hampshire Food Bank distributed nearly 13 million pounds of food to its more than 400 partners statewide, an increase of 55 percent over the past four years.