Nothing Campaign Raises $86K to Fight Hunger in NH

MANCHESTER, NH — The New Hampshire Food Bank, a program of Catholic Charities NH, and Citizens Bank announced last week that the 2016 Nothing Campaign has raised more than $86,409 to date to fight hunger in New Hampshire, according to a press statement. During the Nothing Campaign, which kicked off in April and is now in its fourth year, cans of “nothing” were sold at participating grocery stores statewide to raise funding and awareness for the 139,730 New Hampshire residents, including 41,350 children, who have nothing to eat. The NH Food Bank and Citizens Bank, the campaign’s sole underwriter, have raised $428,457 and generated 856,914 meals since 2013 through the Nothing Campaign.

Cans were sold for $5 each at 69 participating grocers, including all New Hampshire Market Basket, Hannaford, and Harvest Market locations, as well as Sully’s Superette in Goffstown and Allenstown and Vista Foods in Laconia. All proceeds go to the NH Food Bank to buy meals for the hungry. To date, 15,709 cans were sold during the 2016 Nothing Campaign.

“Citizens Bank has been 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 Robert Gossett, interim director of the New Hampshire Food Bank. “With the NH Food Bank able to turn every $1 donated into two nutritious meals, we can turn the $86,409 raised during this year’s Nothing Campaign into 172,819 meals. While the need continues to grow, this support is making a profound impact on those who are most in need.”

For the fourth straight year, Gov. Maggie Hassan, D-Exeter, helped launch the Nothing Campaign in April by purchasing the first Nothing can at Market Basket in Londonderry. U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-NH, also took part once again this year by purchasing cans during the campaign.

To learn more about the campaign and to donate, visit nhfoodbank.org/nothing.aspx.

“Citizens Bank is committed to helping fight hunger year-round,” said Joe Carelli, president, Citizens Bank, New Hampshire. “We are proud to have had another successful year in partnering with the New Hampshire Food Bank to raise awareness and to provide meals to residents in need.”

Along with its support of the Nothing Campaign, Citizens Bank donated a new, 26-foot, refrigerated box truck to the NH Food Bank last year to support its statewide food distribution efforts. The NH Food Bank, which does not receive any state or federal funding for food distribution, supplies millions of pounds of food annually to more than 400 partner agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters.

Caption: Thomas Blonski, CEO and President, Catholic Charities NH; Robert Gossett, interim director, NH Food Bank; and Joe Carelli, president, Citizens Bank, New Hampshire.

Submitted by Nancy Mellitt.