Tackling New Hampshire’s Literacy Crisis One Book at a Time
See all blog posts
Recent news headlines focus on the literacy crisis affecting New Hampshire's youth. But what about adults struggling with literacy and underemployment in the Granite State? According to the Coalition for Adult Basic Education (2025), currently there are 22,787 adults in New Hampshire who do not speak English well or at all; 49,157 working age adults (18-64) without high school credentials; and 2,319 working age adults without a high school diploma who are unemployed.
To address these literacy needs, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation (DGLF) recently awarded New Hampshire Humanities’ Connections program a $7,500 grant to support adult literacy. The funds contribute to a record‑setting, single‑day total of nearly $16 million in grants nationwide—supporting adult, family, and summer literacy programs in the 48 states where Dollar General operates.
“The Connections program has been working to address literacy needs across New Hampshire for more than 30 years. We are extremely grateful to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, and their support, which allows the Connections program to improve literacy, work, and life skills of participants, one book at a time,” says Mary Nolin, Connections program manager.
Connections is a book discussion program designed to promote English language skills, cultivate conversations about ideas, reinforce family literacy, and support a culture of reading to more than 600 adult learners across the state of New Hampshire each year. Using a range of literature, from picture books to advanced novels, the Connections adult literacy program provides an accessible pathway into the humanities and discussion for participants to advance language and career goals. Connections participants can receive up to four free books and keep the books they read.
A recent Connections participant from Keene Community Education reflected on the impact the program had on her: “The best part of the Connections program is we read books together and not only read the book, but also connect to our own story, memories, and lives. And [we] get inspired from these stories. After these stories, I become optimistic on my life and things happen. I'm more brave than before. I feel more hopeful than before."
To learn more about or support the Connections program at New Hampshire Humanities, please visit https://www.nhhumanities.org/connections-adult-literacy
[Photo attached, courtesy of the Dover Adult Learning Center: A recent Connections adult literacy book discussion group at Dover Adult Learning Center]
About New Hampshire Humanities: New Hampshire Humanities (NHH) funds and supports programs that inspire curiosity, foster civil dialogue, and explore big questions. An independent, statewide nonprofit, NHH made possible last year 709 free public programs and digital broadcasts reaching 15,118 residents, in partnership with 252 organizations in 145 communities, to engage all citizens, regardless of their age or educational level, with the humanities. For more information, please visit www.nhhumanities.org.
About the Dollar General Literacy Foundation: The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. Since 1993, the Foundation has awarded more than $292 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 25 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency. Each year, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation provides financial support to schools, nonprofit organizations and libraries within a 15-mile radius of Dollar General stores and distribution centers. To learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation or apply for a literacy grant, visit www.dgliteracy.org. The Foundation launched its seventh annual The Yellow Glasses Project campaign in July 2026, in which customers can purchase yellow sunglasses at Dollar General stores for $2 each to benefit the DGLF.
