Our Mission

At the Seacoast Family Food Pantry we strive to fulfill the needs of low-income individuals and families with food, personal care products and education for healthy living. We provide these services on both an emergency and on-going basis, respecting the dignity of each individual.

Food Pantry Hours

• Monday:
• Tuesday:
• Wednesday:
• Thursday:
• Friday:

• 9am - 1pm
• 2pm - 6:30pm
• 9am - 3pm
• 2pm - 6:30pm
• 9am - 1pm

Food Pantry Staff

• Diane Giese
• Executive Director
• Phone: 603-436-6161
• Email: diane@seacoastfamilyfoodpantry.org

• Margie Parker
• Pantry Director
• Phone: 603-436-0641
• Email: margie@seacoastfamilyfoodpantry.org

News & Events

Operation Bag Lunch

Dear Friends,



Summer is approaching once again and there are few if any summer feeding programs for kids on the Seacoast who receive free or reduced meals at school when it is in session. In Portsmouth 24% of the school age population or about 650 kids qualify for free and reduced meals. In Seabrook the numbers jump to 50% or about 750 of the children in that town. Other towns in our catchment area fall into this range.



Last year we began a program called Operation Bag Lunch which was conceived and aimed at helping families suddenly faced with 10 more meals each week for each child in their family. July and August are always our busiest months at the food pantry. While it seemed to take an inordinate amount of time for me to “get” this, it is primarily because families are faced with two more meals a day for each child receiving fee and reduced meals during school.



In an attempt to address this and with the generous support of you and others in our community, we launched Operation Bag Lunch. Qualifying children were invited to visit us on a weekly basis where we provided them with a bag of healthy food to help cover those meals. We offered milk, eggs, cheese, 100% whole wheat bread, fresh fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, hummus and the like. Arming each child with a simple recipe book we hoped to encourage them to try making meals from local and low processed foods. We recognized the difficulty for many to ask and endeavored to keep the program accessible by requiring only a first name, last initial and town for statistical purposes. 
The story I like most was from a household with four qualifying children. The first week the mom arrived with all four and looked suspiciously at us wondering what we were going to exact from her. By the third week she came in pretty much beaming and said that the summer before they had fed their kids peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day. “Now we make hard-boiled eggs and go to the beach!” Needless to say I was tickled by the side effect of a program supplementing summer food, perhaps a lessening of stress in the family, as well.
 This summer we are adding a second distribution center in Seabrook and anticipate a geometric increase in the numbers of children and meals ingredients we give out to Seacoast families.

Postal Workers Food Drive

The Seacoast Family Food Pantry is coordinating this event with the Post Office Workers and is looking forward to a sunny day and lots of food. If you are with a Portsmouth agency and have not heard from me, but want to help and share the food, please contact Diane Giese at 603-436-6161 or email dgiese13@comcast.net.

If you receive a flyer from the Post Office and are able, we hope you will respond with a donation of healthy non-perishable non-expired food.

A Place at the Table

7 PM
The Music Hall, Portsmouth New Hampshire

This is an important film and speaks to our vulnerable children and their family’s access to food and SNAP Funds (new name for Food Stamps), and really what those funds can provide in terms of healthy food.

Visit the Music Hall's website to learn more.

4th Annual Frugal Feast

Join us for our 4th annual Frugal Feast at St. John's Masonic Temple, 351 Middle St Portsmouth NH on March 9th at 5:00 pm.

The evening promises a yummy family supper served in the tradition of local soup kitchens; great auction items to browse and bid on and a chance to hear Ellen Teller of FRAC (Food Research and Action Committee) bring us news from the scene in Washington DC. She is a compelling and energetic speaker
"As director of government affairs, Ellen Teller directs the development and implementation of FRAC’s legislative agenda. Working with Congress, national organizations, and FRAC’s diverse state and local grassroots field network, Ellen advocates for improved access and participation to domestic anti-hunger programs for low-income individuals and families.

Ellen joined FRAC in 1986 as a staff attorney and had previously worked at the American Bar Association’s Section on Individual Rights and Responsibilities, the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the Consumer Federation of America.

Ellen has a BA in Political Science and English Literature (1978) from the State University of New York, College at Oneonta, and a JD from Western New England College School of Law (1983). She is a Member of the DC Bar and serves on a the Boards of the Coalition on Human Needs (Chair); Manna Food Center, Rockville, Maryland; ActionAid USA; and the Bill Emerson Hunger Fellows Advisory Committee, Congressional Hunger Center. Honors include: National WIC Association Leadership Award, 2006; Commodity Supplemental Food Program Association Award, 2003 & 2010; and the Congressional Hunger Center Emerson Fellows’ Fairy Godmother Award, 2008."

Individuals and businesses who are interested in sponsoring this community event and families who with to make early reservations are invited to contact Diane Giese, Executive Director of Seacoast Family Food Pantry at 603-436-6161 or by email at dgiese13@comcast.net.

Dr. Martin Luther King Birthday Concert

7pm to 9pm
at the Middle Street Baptist Church 19 Court Street Portsmouth, NH

Dr. Martin Luther King Birthday Concert to benefit the Seacoast Family Food Pantry will be held from 7pm to 9pm on January 20, 2013 at the Middle Street Baptist Church 19 Court Street Portsmouth, NH. Sunday's concert will focus on Dr. Martin Luther King's message of the importance of human service. In his 1963 writing entitled: 'Letter from a Birmingham Jail," Dr. King stressed each citizen's responsibility for taking action to care for others in need when he wrote: "...I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." The Rev Lillian Buckley, accompanied by Kent Allyn will be performing gospel and civil rights music along with other artists: Voices of New Hope Baptist Church, Kelvin Edwards master of ceremonies, Ben Baldwin and the Stairwells, Bob McCarthy, Chester Buckley, TJ Wheeler, spoken word artist Fredric Taylor, and Matt Langley.

There is no admission charge, but all that attend should bring non perishable food items for the Seacoast Family Food Pantry or a check or cash donation for the Seacoast Family Food Pantry.

Save the Dates!

Fourth Annual Frugal Feast is Coming March 9th 2013!
Eat lots at the Frugal Feast and Run it off at the 5k! How perfect is that!

An Amazing Gesture

We would like to offer both our condolences and gratitude to several recent families who have listed the Seacoast Family Food Pantry as an alternative to flowers at the passing of their loved ones. What an amazing gesture to honor someone who has been well-loved. This is such a good thing to do to help those with less and we at the pantry appreciate in the midst of their grief the clear thinking kindness towards others. Many thanks to both families and friends. We are sorry for your loss but please know this decision helps many families in our community.

PS it Matters

This website sells gift items and gives a percentage to a non-profit of your choosing (please pick us!).



"PS It Matters creates marketing partnerships with Food Banks/Pantries and Non-Profits across the country to eliminate marketing costs (typically 8-15% of sales). Our partners conduct direct outreach to people like you - Donors/Volunteers/Friends - to shop at PS It Matters and benefit the requesting Food Bank/Pantry or Non-Profit with an amount equal to 15% of the value of your gross product purchases."