New Haven Summer Mobile Pantry Reaches Families in Need

08/Aug/16 / 19:10
Connecticut Food Bank and New Haven Schools Serving Thousands
as Part of Summer Meals Program at Sites Across the City

 

NEW HAVEN, CONN., August 8, 2016 – Nearly 900 households, representing more than 2,000 adults and children, have visited Connecticut Food Bank summer mobile pantries offered at six sites partnered with the City of New Haven Public Schools summer meals program. Through this partnership, residents are able to select fresh vegetables, fruit, bread and nonperishable food items at the sites where the New Haven Public Schools meal service is providing prepared meals to city children who have access to free or reduced price meals during the school year.

 

“We have been amazed by the response to the program,” said Connecticut Food Bank CEO Bernie Beaudreau. “We knew the need was there and are glad to have created a program that helps families put fresh, nutritious food on the table.” Beaudreau noted that participation is “double the expectation” the Connecticut Food Bank had when planning the program.

 

Beaudreau said the program is important because families that struggle with food insecurity are particularly hard pressed to provide adequate food for their children during the summer, when donations to local feeding programs dip and children who would typically get breakfast and lunch at school don’t have that opportunity. “That means a family might need to replace between 100 and 150 meals for each child during the summer,” Beaudreau said. “This program helps bridge that gap with fresh food that is not always easy for our member programs with limited refrigeration to stock in large quantities.”

 

The City of New Haven lunch and supper meals program focuses on the children not in school during the summer months. The partnership with the Connecticut Food Bank to offer mobile pantries for residents in addition to the New Haven Public Schools meal service is at six of the 83 sites the school meal service program operates in New Haven and Hamden.

 

Mid-way through the summer program, the Connecticut Food Bank is reporting 899 families have participated in the program, representing 2,064 individuals. Of those individuals, 52% are children and 12% are senior citizens. “This program is a great supplement to the City’s meal service because it is helping the entire family,” Beaudreau said.

 

The summer meals and mobile pantry sites operated through the partnership are offered twice weekly through September 1 as follows:

 

Week Tuesday Thursday
Aug

Week 2

9

4:45 pm to 5:45 pm

Cornell Scott

Hill Health Center

400 Columbus Avenue

11

4:00 pm to 4:45pm

Bassett Splash Pad

Bassett Elementary School

130 Bassett Street

Behind school in parking lot

11

6:00 pm to 7:00 pm

John Martinez School

100 James Street

Aug

Week 3

16

5:30 pm to 6:30 pm

Scantlebury Park

Bristol Street

18

4:00 pm to 4:45 pm

Westville Manor Apartments

Corner of Lodge and Level Streets

18

5:45 pm to 6:30 pm

South Genessee Park

35 Genessee Street

Aug

Week 4

23

4:45 pm to 5:45 pm

Cornell Scott

Hill Health Center

400 Columbus Avenue

25

4:00 pm to 4:45pm

Bassett Splash Pad

Bassett Elementary School

130 Bassett Street

Behind school in parking lot

25

6:00 pm to 7:00 pm

John Martinez School

100 James Street

Aug/Sep

Week 5

August 30

5:30 pm to 6:30 pm

Scantlebury Park

Bristol Street

September 1

4:00 pm to 4:45 pm

Westville Manor Apartments

Corner of Lodge and Level Streets

September 1

5:45 pm to 6:30 pm

South Genessee Park

35 Genessee Street

 

About the Connecticut Food Bank:

The Connecticut Food Bank is committed to alleviating hunger in Connecticut by providing food resources, raising awareness of the challenges of hunger and advocating for people who need help meeting basic needs. The Connecticut Food Bank partners with the food industry, food growers, donors and volunteers to provide food, which last year provided 19.2 million meals. We distribute that food through a network of community based programs to six Connecticut counties – Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London and Windham counties – where more than 300,000 people struggle with hunger. Visit us on the web at www.ctfoodbank.org, like us on Facebook and follow @CTFoodBank on Twitter and Instagram.

 

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