Support a New Approach to a Food Pantry

Granite Guild, a grassroots nonprofit, located in Northumberland, New Hampshire is dedicated to real solutions to community needs. In 2007, the Wausau Paper Mill closed. In many cases up to three generations of local families had worked there. The closing was abrupt and devastating. Northumberland quickly lost 1/3 of their population and most of the small stores closed. The Town has never recovered. Over 40% of the population is considered low income and many are elderly. Opioids is another issue.

Granite Guild purchased a building in November 2024 with the intent of renovating it to become a Community Center and Food Pantry. A local rubbish removal company has donated their services to do the interior demolition. Several contractors are discounting their services along with a hardware store that is giving us break on building materials. A paving company will be redoing our parking lot this Spring for free. It is all because they recognize the impact our Center & Food Pantry will have for the people of Northumberland and surrounding communities. 

 These contractors are ready to go to work now, before they get busy in the Spring. If we had funds available we could be completely operational as a Food Pantry before April. We need to raise $20,000 to cover labor, materials, two chest freezers and a heating system. 

Our Food Pantry, once opened, will be very different from all the others. When a person arrives, they will be able to enter all of their demographic information and any dietary restrictions onto a tablet. Once the information has been recorded, we print a card with a QR code that has all of the information. Each time they return, we scan the QR code and automatically keep a running tally on that data.  will be bar coding all of our inventory. This provides an accurate count on our stock, tracks expiration dates, and tracks trends. The bar coded information is then interfaced with an online shopping cart. People, either on of off-site can select from menus based on family size and any dietary restriction. They then select the food they want. Their selections are then boxed. They go home with food they will actually eat rather than be handed a box of random groceries. People without transportation orders will be filled and then delivered to their door. We are currently working on a possible weekly shuttle from downtown to our location and back. 

We are installing two greenhouses for vertical hydroponic gardening systems. The greenhouses will provide a regular supply of fresh, organic produce to support our Food Pantry. The University of New Hampshire is providing technical guidance and exploring developing educational opportunity with our greenhouses. There is an excellent opportunity between the hydroponic gardening and the bar coding to develop mentoring programs with our School District and organizations such as 4H.

This approach is a first-of-a-kind, so we can become a Beta site for other food pantries to emulate. The sooner we have the funds to get the renovations done on the Food Pantry, purchase a heating system and two chest freezers, the sooner we can get our doors open and start help our neighbors in need. Please, won't you donate? Consider a monthly donation to continue to support our efforts going forward.