Welcome to what I intend on being a monthly report from my desk to you. I think it’s vital to maintain open communication with our community, our network partners, our guests, our fervent supporters, and our blessed donors.
This evening, I was honored to be invited to speak at the Sullivan County Democrats Listening Session. Here is the link to the session, courtesy of our very own Newport Community Television!
The NH representatives were attentive – and the audience members were incredibly supportive of our mission. (I am ever-impressed with the love and care in this community!)
I personally connected with several of the representatives and invited the Republican and Free-State Libertarians to offer similar events and outreach opportunities. Aside from my New Jersey accent mangling of “Concord” – we received amazing feedback, thanks, and donations! (Personally thankful!)
I’m including the text of my speech here for your kind consideration. I improved a bit when on my feet – so this is the original. (The emcee was not informed that I was an invited speaker with a 5-minute speech – the organizer’s later apologized for the mix-up. No matter: I delivered our message and am so thankful for the opportunity to share with a panel of state reps.)
Good evening, everyone. Thank you for inviting me tonight.
My name is Christy Schmidt, and just last month, I took on the role of Director for the Newport Area Association of Churches Food Pantry. We’re located here in Newport, at 95 South Main Street, across from the Senior Center.
I believe there’s one thing we can all agree on: no one should go to bed hungry. Not a child, not an elder, not anyone.
That’s the straightforward, powerful mission that drives our organization. We’re a registered 501(c )(3) non-profit, supported by seven local churches, and have served this community for over 30 years. Specifically, we serve 12 towns, with Newport as our hub: Newport, Goshen, Croydon, Lempster, Marlow, Sunapee, Newbury, Washington, Acworth, Unity, Springfield, and Grantham.
In a typical month, we provide over 5,000 meals to between 100 and 120 families—that’s 250 or more individuals. Think about that for a moment: half of those we serve are children, and a quarter are elderly.
We receive much of our food through our partnerships with Catholic Charities NH Food Bank, which is part of the Feeding America network, and the USDA TEFAP program. While we’ve seen some minor shifts in the USDA program, we’ve been fortunate to build strong local relationships and secure other resources. We rely on private donations, grants, and incredible in-kind support from places like Ocean State Job Lot, the Newport Police, and Shaw’s.
Our intake process is designed to be as straightforward and welcoming as possible. If you live in one of the 12 towns we serve, and you say you need food, that’s enough for us. We don’t ask for proof of income, citizenship, or any organizational affiliation. If someone is at our door, we provide. We also connect people with other vital programs like SNAP.
We recently renovated the interior of our pantry, thanks to some dedicated volunteers and slim funds. We painted, refinished floors, and built shelving – over 200 hours of volunteer labor (at the time of this speech) went into making our space more efficient and welcoming. But there’s always more to do. We desperately need a new freezer and repairs for our walk-in refrigerator. We also need exterior renovations and signage to make our pantry more visible and accessible, and our truck needs maintenance to keep our operations running smoothly.
In the next two months, we’ll be launching our new website and implementing a donor-relations system to connect with more supporters. We’re actively pursuing grants, reaching out to old and new corporate donors, and exploring ways to partner with local farmers to bring more fresh, local produce to our community.
Our initiatives have one core goal: to increase the number of community members we can serve.
The statistics are stark. In New Hampshire, 1 in 10 residents and 1 in 7 children face food insecurity. Look around you, go to the market, play at the rec center—for every ten people you see, one might not have eaten today. This isn’t a problem far away; it’s right here, in our towns, affecting our neighbors.
While we are blessed by the support of our local community, especially Newport, many of the towns we serve contribute very little financially. We can’t rely on government programs. But we know policy changes, like the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, can inadvertently impact charitable giving.
So, how can we, as a community, bridge divides and work together? How can we ensure that state resources are aligned with our local needs, and how can we encourage more support across the political spectrum?
Let me share one story: Ms. J knocked on our door two Saturdays ago. She had been a guest before – but recently lost her job and needed assistance. Noticing we were renovating, she returned later that afternoon with paint brushes and the offer to help with the landscaping project.
This is our community. This is Newport. This is Sullivan County. This is New Hampshire.
We are a rich country, and a rich state, with abundant resources. We have the means. We, at the NAAC Pantry, are fortunate that we haven’t been swept up in political tides. We know that our community truly takes care of its own. And that’s exactly how it should be. We don’t need to depend on the whim of a politician in D.C. or even in Concord. We can do this ourselves, right here.
Together, we can make food insecurity a thing of the past. We can ensure that every child, every elder, every community member has enough to eat.
Thank you.
