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Last updated on August 25, 2008

Our mission is to relieve hunger in Berwick, ME., and in Somersworth and Rollinsford, NH. We provide families with enough food for 15 meals or more. If the applicant is in dire need, we will provide this service as often as needed. Otherwise, applicants are allowed to use the pantry's services once a month.

Description:
We serve canned, frozen, dry and ready-to-serve foods for a variety of meals that are planned to provide enough meals for 5 days. We also provide other extras, that help stretch the food supply over the month as those items become available. Most of our food is donated. We do receive items from USDA foods and also order from the Good Shepherd Food Bank in Auburn, Maine. The foods from Good Shepherd have a very small maintenance fee of 16 cents a pound. This food must be transported from Alfred, Maine.

We also pick up bread and pastries from Shaw's and Hannaford Supermarkets of Dover, NH, and baked beans and other goodies from B & M in Portland, Maine.

History:
This pantry was started at the invitation of Rev. Mark Rideout to allow the area churches to join in an effort to relieve hunger and to consolidate the services of each of those churches. Eight churches have banded together to provide this service. This action was started in 1991 and it is hosted at First Parish Church in Somersworth, NH. Each participating church is represented on the Board of Directors, and each church provides volunteers and foods. This program has grown from supplying fewer than 50 families a month to nearly 200 in the eleven years during which it has been serving those communities.

Contact people:

Tom Brown, Food Coordinator, (phone), (email) David Vachon, Board President, (phone), (email)

Address:

176 West High St., PO Box 228 Somersworth, NH 03878 (See a map)

Web Site: None specified

Directions:

From Berwick, Maine, cross the bridge into New Hampshire. Stay on Rt. 9 to lights at 5 corners. Bear right onto West High St. (Route 236). Travel about 1 1/2 miles. First Parish Church is at the top of the hill on the left - small white church. Go into drive and go down around the building to the back entrance. From Dover area, go past Wal-Mart to third set of lights at the top of a small hill. Turn left at the 5 corners onto West High St. (Route 236). Follow directions listed above.   Nearest Bus Stop: n-a

Miscellaneous Information

Name of Executive Director (or equivalent) if not listed above:
	Tom and/or Diane Brown
Type of organization
	Nonprofit 501(c)3
Is your organization a Health and Human Service agency?
	No

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