CONCORD – Hannaford Supermarkets announced the donation of $40,000 dollars to the New Hampshire Farm Bureau (NHFB) Young Farmers Committee Harvest for All program on Sept. 25, as well as donations to other groups and organizations in New England serving those at risk of going hungry. The donations, part of the Hannaford Helps initiative, were announced at Brookdale Fruit Farm in Hollis, where the NHFB Young Farmers were picking up farm fresh produce to deliver to the New Hampshire Food Bank.

Each year, as part of the Harvest for All program, the Young Farmers organize the collection and donation of healthful, nutritious, and locally raised produce and meat to food banks and soup kitchens across the state. In 2015 and 2016, the group transported over 13,000 pounds of food from NHFB member farms to the NH Food Bank and other local agencies. That dedication was noticed by Hannaford Supermarkets and their grant will help the project continue and expand.

“We can’t thank Hannaford Supermarkets enough for this contribution to our project and the awareness it brings to the efforts of groups like ours, and many others, who are working to fight hunger here in New Hampshire,” said Amy Matarozzo, Young Farmer Committee chairperson. “This will increase our efficiency and reach in ways that would not be possible without it.”

The group plans to use the funds to rent refrigerated transportation in future Harvest for All collections and to explore new ways to support hunger relief. Plans are already underway for the donation of holiday food baskets, in conjunction with the Boys & Girls Club of Central NH this fall, filled with NewHampshire-raised turkeys, vegetables and canned goods.

This year’s efforts provided over 5,000 pounds of local food including peaches, apples, tomatoes, butternut squash, cabbage, corn, peppers and beans along with fresh ground beef to the NH Food Bank and the Friendly Kitchen in Concord. NHFB member farms Apple Hill Farm in Concord, Brookdale Fruit Farm in Hollis, Carter Hill Orchard in Concord, Duane Family Farm in Barnstead, LaValley Farms in Hooksett, LorrenJoyce Farm in Center Barnstead, McQuesten Farm in Litchfield, and Sunnycrest Farms in Londonderry all contributed to the cause.

“And we can’t forget to thank our Farm Bureau member farms,” Matarozzo said. “Without their generous donations, we wouldn’t have anything to deliver.”

The Harvest for All campaign is a partnership between American Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers Program and Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks. Statistics show that approximately 10 percent of all men, women, and children in New Hampshire are food insecure, meaning they don’t know where their next meal will come from. To find out how you can help the NHFB Young Farmers with future Harvest for All projects or to learn more about the NHFB Young Farmers you can call the New Hampshire Farm Bureau Office at 224-1934, visit nhfarmbureau.org, or email editor@nhfarmbureau.org.

– Submitted New Hampshire Farm Bureau