June Lemen

New Hampshire is a wealthy state, but no amount of charity in this state can replace SNAP. Not only does SNAP provide 9 meals for every one that the NH charitable system provides, it is impossible for the 420 agencies in the states to replace SNAP's 154 million dollar capacity. If SNAP fails, the resulting demand will overwhelm New Hampshire's charitable food pantries and feeding programs. I work at the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter. We have been seeing demand for our services increase for months now. When SNAP stopped a few months ago, we had to scramble to give out supplementary food boxes, which put a lot of strain on our staff and our resources. The private charitable food network does not have the capacity to serve everyone who is food insecure. SB 603 is a minor administrative investment that protects $154 million in federal resources.