Gather receives a new truck after an accident thanks to donations from the community

No one was injured in the accident, but the loss of the refrigerated truck shone a spotlight on a critical aspect of Gather's food supply program.

“Every morning we load the truck up with pallets of food to distribute to our mobile markets in several communities up and down the coast, including Rochester, Somersworth, Portsmouth and Seabrook,” said Kate Constantine, community engagement manager at Gather. “We also use the truck to pick up food from the New Hampshire Food Bank and other partners who donate food. The truck is absolutely essential to our operations.”

According to Constantine, there was a tremendous response after the organization released a statement about how the loss of the truck affected Gather's ability to provide access to fresh food across the coast: “Many people asked us on social media how they could help. The CEO of The Brook (Casino in Seabrook), Andre Carrier, saw our post and offered a very generous donation of $25,000. With that, we started a fundraiser for a new truck – and the community pitched in!”