New Hampshire Food Bank Recognizes 40 Years of Nourishing NH

In October, the NH Food Bank recognized our 40th anniversary of nourishing New Hampshire and welcomed supporters to our Manchester warehouse to celebrate this milestone. We’re grateful to our event sponsor, Elliot Hospital, for making this event possible, as well as a number of in-kind sponsors.

Guests enjoyed creative, small bites courtesy of the NH Food Bank’s Culinary Team, music from Justin Rigoli Music and The Joey Placenti Trio, and were able to mix, mingle and view our warehouse facility and culinary job training kitchen. Manchester Mayor, Jay Ruais as well as Maggie McSherry, representing Congressman Chris Pappas' office joined Catholic Charities NH’s President and CEO, Tom Blonski and the NH Food Bank’s Director of Development, Nancy Mellitt in some remarks recognizing this milestone. Thank you to Senator Shaheen's office for their recognition of this event as well.

As we said earlier this month, we can’t help but look back with gratitude on the incredible growth of our organization over the last 40 years. None of it would be possible without your partnership, the generous support of our community and the hard work of our staff and volunteers.

A note from your Agency Relations Team:

CLICK TO SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK!!

We enjoyed being able to celebrate all of you at our Agency Appreciation Luncheon. We hope you learned some things, had some fun, and left feeling appreciated! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to join us. Please take a moment to give us some feedback so next year we can show our appreciation even better!

NH TACKLES HUNGER

This fall, the NH Food Bank once again partnered with WMUR, Dead River Company and local high schools across the state to Tackle Hunger! Each year, participating teams pick one game to collect food donations that will benefit a local Partner Agency. They are also able shop for food donations thanks to gift cards from Dead River Company. This year, 47,604 lbs. of food was collected in total! Thank you to all of the Agencies that participated and had your weights reported to Abby promptly!

Preparing Your Turkey Safely

How to thaw your frozen turkey:

Keep your turkey in original packaging. Place the turkey in the refrigerator on a baking sheet or pan to catch the juices. Allow 24 hours for every 4 to 5 lbs.

Pounds	Approximate thawing time needed
4-12	1-3 days
12-16	3-4 days
16-20	4-5 days
20-24	5-6 days

How long to cook your turkey:

The following cook times are for cooking your turkey at 325 degrees. Always remember to use your food thermometer to check the internal temperature of your turkey!

Weight	Unstuffed	Stuffed
8-12 pounds	2.75 to 3 hours	3 to 3.5 hours
12-14pounds	3 to 3.75 hours	3.5 to 4 hours
14-18 pounds	3.75 to 4.25 hours	4 to 4.25 hours
18-20 pounds	4.25 to 4.5 hours	4.25 to 4.75 hours
20-24 pounds	4.5 to 5 hours	4.75 to 5.25 hours

Indoor Shopping Training Video

Indoor shopping is accessible to agencies after completing the required training video. After completion you must fill out and sign the NHFB Indoor Shopping Agreement. Once that is returned to your Agency Relations Coordinator you will have access to the shopping floor. Below you will find the required video and Indoor Shopping Agreement. If you have any questions please contact your Agency Relations Coordinator.

Click For Indoor Shopping Agreement

Upcoming Classes

To enroll in any upcoming session, please contact your Agency Relations Coordinator. A zoom link will be sent out prior to the class for those who signed up to attend.

New Shopper Orientation

(2 Hour online training)

Please contact your NHFB Coordinator directly for options.

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Food Safety Training

(2 Hour online training)

SAFE Food Handling For Food Pantries:

Monday, December 9th @1:00pm

SAFE Food Handling For Soup Kitchens & Prepared Meals:

Wednesday, November 6th @9:30am

All sessions are held online via Zoom.

If you need to acquire food safety training (non-meal sites) but unable to attend a live zoom session, a similar training can be done online at workhub.com/features/training/food-safety or Alison.com/course/food-safety-and-hygiene. Both courses are free, but Alison.com charges to print a certificate. So instead just send us a screenshot of the certificate or a screenshot of your “Learner Record” with the date of completion found in your Account Settings. Please be sure to provide your NHFB Coordinator with proof of completion for either course.

All programs are required to have at least one person at their facility that is Safe Food Handling certified (or a similar certification) at all times. Programs that serve meals are required to have at least 1 person that has SERVE Safe Food Handlers certification. By June 1st 2025, this requirement will be for SERVE Safe Manager. All certification is good for 3-5 years depending on the exam.