Monadnock Food Access Alliance
Since 2018, the Monadnock Food Access Alliance (Alliance) one of MFCC’s four work groups, leads the Food Access Community Health Improvement Plan of the Healthy Monadnock Alliance. The Alliance brings together food access experts in monthly meetings to identify and address gaps in current nutrition programming throughout the region.
Beginning with the implementation of the Monadnock Region Food Access Plan (Food Access Plan) with help from the Southwest Region Planning Commission, the Alliance developed a “baseline of hunger” in our region, and co-designed ten projects (The Monadnock Food Access Plan) with households with lived experience of hunger and other community members, to address these gaps.
Annually, the “Plan” is updated by Alliance work group members to streamline outcomes and to adapt to new and developing changes affecting access to food and federal nutrition programs.
If you are interested in joining the Alliance’ listserv or meeting, email coordinator@mfccoalition.org
Alliance co-leaders: Roe-Ann Tasoulas, MFCC and Sarah Harpster, NH Hunger Solutions
Join us for the
“Food Access Advocacy Training + SNAP 10 Campaign Kick-Off”, Monday, June 16, 2025
9am - 11am, Stone Arch Village, Keene.
Check out the “Story Maps” of the
Analysis, below.
ASSEMBLING THE FOOD ACCESS PLAN
Starting in Spring 2021, the Alliance hired SW Region Planning Commission to implement a comprehensive nutrition program gap and asset analysis, and generate a baseline for the experience of hunger in the region. The 2021 Monadnock Region Food Access Analysis (Analysis) includes the findings. The Alliance used report key findings to develop a “Food Access Plan” that fills identified gaps in programs and services and outlines funding opportunities.
In fall 2021, the Alliance hosted a two-hour community forum and four, 2-hour listening sessions with the Food Access Council, a recruited team of voices with lived experience of hunger who could provide feedback on the Monadnock Region Food Access Analysis and inform initiatives going forward.
Subsequently, Alliance members summarized listening session and forum participant feedback and rankings of the key findings of the Monadnock Region Food Access Analysis. Ten projects identifying gaps and addressing needs based on this feedback inform the Monadnock Region Food Access Plan.
