‘Gus the Bus’ to provide free food at Lamprey Health in Newmarket

Gather, a Portsmouth-based food pantry, is bringing its fresh food bus, nicknamed “Gus the Bus,” to Lamprey Health Care’s community health center in Newmarket.

The bus will be at the facility’s parking lot — 207 South Main Street in Newmarket — every other Thursday from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. starting Oct. 15. The bus will provide free food to Lamprey patients and community members who show proof of New Hampshire or Maine residence or employment, Gather said. No financial information is required. The bus, which already operates in Portsmouth, Somersworth, Rochester and other towns and cities, provides fresh produce, dairy, meats and dry goods in an effort to address hunger and food insecurity in the region.

This comes amid growing food insecurity in New Hampshire. Feeding America, a national nonprofit, reports that 11.7% of New Hampshire residents were food insecure in 2024, the most recent data available. In 2023 that number was 10.7%. The problem is more severe among children. Child food insecurity rose in the state from 14.4% in 2023 to 15.5% in 2024. Food pantry and bank officials say they’re confident the problem has only worsened since that data was collected.

Meanwhile, the federal government has rolled back its investments in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP or food stamps. In 2025, Congress’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act implemented a number of cost-saving measures to the country’s marquee food assistance program. It decreased the share of program funding the federal government will cover, capped future rate increases at the rate of inflation and made work requirements stricter, among other things. Food pantry and bank officials worry these changes will worsen the problem.