Concord, Milford, Other Rotary Clubs Donate $21K To NH Food Bank

CONCORD, NH — Rotarians in Concord, Milford, Newport, Manchester, and other clubs in New Hampshire and Vermont donated $21,225 to the NH Food Bank to purchase dairy products for Granite Staters in need.

The orgs spent the summer raising funds for milk and other dairy products since the NH Food Bank found that these items were some of the most requested products during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The food bank is working with the Granite State Dairy Promotion and the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food to implement the program. It is contracting with Contoocook Creamery to purchase nearly 7,900 gallons of milk and 20,000 cups of yogurt from Stonyfield Organic in Londonderry.

"This generous donation from the Rotary Clubs of New Hampshire and Vermont is making a substantial impact on our ability to provide our partners with critical dairy products, which can be very difficult to procure," Eileen Liponis, the executive director, the NH Food Bank, said. "These dairy products sourced locally from New Hampshire dairy farmers and manufacturers is a win-win and further helps to support our efforts to provide nutritious food to those most in need in the Granite State. We are extremely grateful for this funding."

Building on a long-standing relationship with the food bank, Stonyfield has provided more than 200,000 products this year to help the families most effected by food insecurity at this time, she added.

Amy Hall, the executive director of the Granite State Dairy Promotion, said farmers were committed to "addressing hunger in their local communities" while Shawn Jasper, the commissioner of agriculture, markets, and food, called the donation "a wonderful example of community partnership to benefit those in need as well as the New Hampshire dairy businesses."

Mobile Food Pantries This Week

The food bank is hosting a mobile pantry from 1 to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8, at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, 33 Arch St. in Keene. And from 1 to 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, in the Comcast Parking Lot, 676 Island Pond Road in Manchester.

Full caption, from left to right: Tony Gilmore, past district governor, Rotary District 7870, Monique Ruth, past president, Rotary Club of Queen City-Manchester, Steve Puderbaugh, district governor, Rotary District 7870, Shawn Jasper, commissioner, NH Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food, Eileen Groll Liponis, executive director, New Hampshire Food Bank, Bram Robertson, Contoocook Creamery at Bohanan Farm, Lisa Drake, director of sustainability innovation at Stonyfield Organic, Nancy Mellitt, director of development, New Hampshire Food Bank, and Martin Cohn, past president, Rotary Club of Brattleboro.

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