Breaking Bread Food & Thrift to reopen in new space next month

MOULTONBOROUGH — Volunteers at the Breaking Bread Food & Thrift have been busy moving items from the former location to 1173 Whittier Hwy, which is expected to be up and running sometime in April, after it passes inspection.

Breaking Bread serves up to 1,000 people each month, but recently the organization faced a challenge when the team needed to leave their space on Bean Road. Fortunately for the many who need their services, they were able to find a home visible and near the road through town.

“I am excited to begin afresh,” said Rhonda Vappi, the executive director of the food pantry and pastor of Turning Point Christian Fellowship. “I am thankful. We are all so thankful. Every volunteer we work with was so afraid we might not be able to keep going.”

The food pantry and thrift store is operated by Turning Point Christian Fellowship, and first opened its doors on April 1, 2024. Since then, the organization has served between 800 and 1,000 people each month, from 53 communities, as far away as Exeter and Berlin.

“Some people come once a week, others only need to come once a month,” Vappi said. “It’s based on how many people are in their family, and their needs. If you have a need, you won’t be turned away.”

Breaking Bread is unrestrictive, and serves well beyond the north shore of Lake Winnipesaukee. Vappi said it's largely because they are open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

She said it is also because of the Fresh Rescue program, which Vappi said is a benefit attributed to the stores around them. Fresh Rescue is a program through the New Hampshire Food Bank that creates a partnership with grocery stores, wholesalers, and retailers to recover fresh, surplus food that, while still safe, cannot be sold.

Vappi said food doesn’t just get thrown away, but instead is sent to the food pantry, and anything not taken goes to a local resident to feed his pigs.

Earlier this month, Vappi said they were notified they needed to leave 80 Bean Road by March 31. They closed the store on March 14, and the pantry on March 21, and since then have been moving into the Whittier Highway location for a lease starting April 1.

The new location is about 900 square feet, compared with about 3,000 square feet, so Vappi said they will need to get creative, especially when it comes to the on-site thrift store, which helps them pay their rent.

“It is not as big as we need, but it saves the food pantry, and that is what is important,” Vappi said.

Vappi said the landlord has been gracious and let them move in early, so they can get settled in. This involves cleaning, moving the refrigerators and freezers from one building to another, and moving the food and clothing items.

“The weather hasn’t made things easy, but we’ve been working on moving between snowstorms,” Vappi said.

They used a Blu Box to move thrift materials from one location to the other, and the portable storage box was delivered to the new store.

Vappi said the food pantry gives a “hand up,” not a handout, and she is looking forward to completing the moving process, so Breaking Bread can get back to helping those in need.

“We are so grateful for all the outpouring of love and support we have received,” Vappi said. “It has been amazing.”

Volunteers were at the new location on March 30, getting set up. Since the pantry cannot legally distribute food until after the inspection, they have been in touch with other pantries and soup kitchens to pick up food items. This includes anything from frozen meats and vegetables to non-perishable items.

“We can share the wealth,” said Pamela Vaughn, a volunteer who was at the new location Monday. “We are so happy to do this, and have so many volunteers.”

Vappi said there are 37 volunteers on the roster, and about 15 who regularly help at the pantry. One is Marcia Chase, who knows first-hand how the food pantry can help.

“I started out as a patron,” Chase said. “My husband had cancer and lost a lung, and losing his income made a big difference.”

Chase said with her husband’s health issues, and the fact she is disabled herself, the food pantry was vital to her.

“I’m so grateful,” Chase said. “More than anyone will ever know.”

Now, she is able to give back. She has been volunteering at the food pantry for 11 years, and said she loves being able to help those in need.

“It’s a great feeling, and plus I meet a lot of great people,” she said.

The pantry will also have a stock of items ready when it opens. Next on the docket is to be inspected by the NH Food Bank on April 7.

“We are a partner agency with them, so things need to be up to par and ready before being approved,” Vappi said. “That shouldn’t be a problem at all, but we are just getting things cleaned up and ready to go.”

Breaking Bread Food & Thrift will be open next month. Vappi said those interested can contact 603-253-9724 or breakingbreadfp@gmail.com, or find them on Facebook at facebook.com/61566316842400.