When Dignity Is The First Course On The Menu And There Are No Substitutions Allowed

When Dignity Is The First Course On The Menu And There Are No Substitutions Allowed.

That was my impression last week from a morning at Gather, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, bearing witness to one of the most impressive community organizations I’ve seen yet. This “Community Food Center” represents a new model for addressing hunger, by both “serving the line, and shortening the line.” From a beautiful pantry, and 40 mobile meals sites, to culinary workforce training designed to launch careers in food service, more than 120 towns are served.

Thanks to CEO Anne Hayes and her colleague Tania Marino and the entire Gather team for opening all of our eyes to what is possible in the food assistance space. They’ve prevailed over the greatest obstacle of all – not money, time, talent, or strategy – but the failure of imagination that keeps most organizations constrained by the scarcity mentality that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Hayes explained what makes Gather so special when it’s new expanded facility opened at the end of last year: “Gather’s new Community Food Center will enable us to both serve the line, by feeding more people, and shorten the line, by bringing in wrap-around support and offering education and workforce training to build skills and confidence. The expansion is the next chapter in Gather’s mission to nourish, educate and empower individuals and families across the Seacoast region.”

It’s all based on a philosophical commitment to try to meet people where they are. As Hayes told New Hampshire Public Radio: “We try to be a really low barrier to people because there’s so many things that require them to jump through so many hoops. We’re trying to make life easier for people who are living on that edge.”

In a recent keynote to a Blue Meridian Partners convening, filmmaker and founder of ARRAY Ana Duvernay said: “Some moments can’t be met with the tools we know. Not every moment bends to what we’ve used before. There are moments that ask us to reach into the corners of our own capacity – toward new ways and ideas waiting to be discovered.” She could have been speaking about GATHER.

Like many food assistance orgs Gather measures guests served (90,000 in 2025) and pounds of food distributed (1.6 million lbs). But it’s that ounce of dignity that goes the farthest.

If we’re being honest, dignity doesn’t come cheap. It means a commitment to the highest quality nutritious foods, the warmest and most welcoming hospitality, the lighting, cleanliness, efficiency, convenience and comfort that go into the best customer service experience. And its worth every penny. Hunger and poverty organizations around the country, take note: “new ways and ideas waiting to be discovered.”

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