Carleigh Beriont: Recent food bank lines reminder of neighbors’ struggles

To The Daily Sun,

At the Pumpkinfest last weekend, I heard stories that have become all too familiar in New Hampshire: parents skipping meals so their children can eat, families rationing groceries, and food pantries facing record demand. As Garry Rayno recently wrote at InDepthNH.org, the growing lines at local food banks aren’t just numbers — they are reminders of neighbors’ struggles and the widening cracks in their safety net.

This crisis isn’t limited to the unemployed or those out of sight. It affects working people, seniors, and now, increasing numbers of federal workers in these communities. During the current government shutdown, furloughed — and in some cases, like the men and women at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, unpaid — federal employees are standing in line at food banks. Not because they did anything wrong, but because Washington failed them.

These stories echo a simple truth: food insecurity is often invisible, but it’s everywhere. It’s a symptom of systemic challenges — rising costs, stagnant wages, unexpected emergencies, and federal programs under threat just when they're needed most.

Programs like SNAP and WIC aren’t handouts; they are a promise that no Granite Stater should go hungry due to circumstances beyond their control. But threats to their funding and benefit cuts are making a tough situation even harder for thousands of families in New Hampshire's towns and rural communities.

If elected to Congress, I will fight to protect and strengthen nutrition assistance, support our local food banks, and tackle the root causes of poverty in New Hampshire. We need leaders who understand no one should have to choose between paying rent and feeding their kids — and who treat hunger as an emergency requiring real action, not partisan debate.

New Hampshire has always prided itself on neighbor helping neighbor. It’s time our representatives matched that spirit with action.

Carleigh Beriont

Hampton