MANCHESTER, NH – The Boys & Girls Club of Manchester (BGCM) believes that everyone deserves access to healthy, affordable food options. The unfortunate reality is that food insecurity is a problem for many families in New Hampshire. Through a variety of partnerships and programs BGCM has made it their mission to ensure that no child goes hungry.
At the Union St. Clubhouse, they serve breakfast before school, a snack after school, and dinner each day. But they also have Free Food Friday each week, where families can shop for free groceries from the pantry as they pick up their child. This ensures that families have what they need to feed their family for the weekend and into the following week.
Through partnerships with Hannaford and the NH Food Bank, BGCM is able to provide fresh eggs, produce, dairy, meats, and canned/boxed goods. Each week the Club staff lays out the food on the tables in the lobby so that families can easily grab what they need on their way out the door. There is NO stigma attached—the food is simply available for families, and anyone can access it without question. Bags and boxes are also provided to make it easier to take items home.
“We are constantly shifting our services to meet the needs of our families. Several years ago, when food insecurity began rising throughout NH, we knew we had to add to our programs to make food easily accessible. We are proud to say that every Friday for the past several years, we have distributed hundreds of thousands of pounds of food to our families.” – Diane Fitzpatrick, Chief Executive Officer of BGCM
During the summer of 2023, 353 Club families participated in the weekly BGCM Food Pantry.
To learn how you can get involved in supporting BGCM’s food programs, or their other programs, visit www.mbgcnh.org. BGCM offers “Club Evolution Tours” – a chance to visit the Club and learn more about programs like Free Food Friday. Schedule a tour today by emailing Hashira Rodriquez at hrodriguez@mbgcnh.org
About Boys & Girls Club of Manchester
Stewards of a long and proud history, we do whatever it takes to deepen the impact of our work. The Boys & Girls Club of Manchester (BGCM) is one of the 53 founding organizations of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, established in 1907. Operating throughout 4 sites in Greater Manchester, there are no barriers to membership and no limits to what our kids can achieve. Learn more about BGCM at www.mbgcnh.org
