Plant a Row Seeks Donations | Voices

WOODBURY - Plant a Row of Woodbury is accepting donations of excess produce from home gardens to help those in need.

Produce collection is ongoing at the Woodbury Farmer’s Market from 3 to 6 p.m. every Wednesday until the end of September at Hollow Park.

Donations may be dropped off at the Plant a Row booth beside the main booth for the Farmer’s Market.

Woodbury’s Plant a Row is coordinated by Nonnewaug High School seniors Chris Mooney and Alex Côté.

After the produce is collected, Chris and Alex immediately deliver it to the Woodbury Food Bank and the Connecticut Food Bank’s warehouse in Waterbury the following morning.

Read more here.

State Police to hold food drive | The Day

Middletown - This weekend, the Connecticut State Police is holding its 13th annual food drive at four locations across the state.

The drive will be held Aug. 15 to 17 in Southbury, Manchester, Wallingford and Westport.

State troopers will donate their time to greet all patrons at Shaw’s Supermarket stores. Troopers will have state police equipment on display and children can expect a small gift when they stop to visit with the troopers.

State police stocking up food bank | WTNH TV

Middletown (WTNH) — The Connecticut state police are helping to stock up the food bank.

The state police is kicking off its 13th summertime food drive. Families make a lot of trips to food pantries when their children are out of school.

You can help out by going to Shaws Supermarkets in Wallingford, Westport, Manchester and Southbury.

Restock Those Shelves | Westport News

We are going to get right to the point: The next time you are at the supermarket, buy an extra bag of groceries and donate it to the Connecticut Food Bank (CFB).The shelves of Connecticut’s food banks, including those run by organizations in individual communities, are depleted. Even Gov. M. Jodi Rell has issued an urgent call for help. In late July, she launched the statewide “Governor’s Care & Share” fund-raising drive to help the Connecticut Food Bank, which aids people in the lower half of the state, and Foodshare, which covers the Greater Hartford area. She hopes to reach her $100,000 goal by the end of September.

To donate to the Governor’s Care & Share, visit the website here, or make checks payable to the CFB Food Bank or Foodshare and mail to Care & Share, P.O. Box 120065, East Haven, CT 06512.

Read more here.

Local singer’s cabaret show to benefit Connecticut Food Bank | Stamford Plus

Bridgeport resident Megan Owen, cabaret artist and versatile singer who also trained as a chef at the Culinary Institute of America, will present her new one-woman show, “Food of Love & Vice Versa,” to benefit Connecticut Food Bank, on Friday, September 5, 8 p.m., at Playhouse on the Green in Bridgeport.

Read more here.

SM&NC partners with local food bank to help Make A Difference | Norwalk Plus

Stamford Museum & Nature Center is making it easy and rewarding for visitors to help make a difference in Fairfield County. For every non-perishable food item donated at the gate, visitors will be rewarded with $1 off admission as part of Make A Difference Day. All items received will be donated to the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County.

Read more here.

Our View: Make effort to help as many as possible | Norwich Bulletin

The impact of the economic downturn is now being seen in yet another category. The number of homeless individuals, families and children is on the rise.

The results of the annual Point-in-Time survey of homelessness shows a 13 percent increase compared to last year, much of that increase attributed to difficult economic conditions. It is estimated there are now more than 4,000 homeless in the state, as many as 200 or more here in Eastern Connecticut.

On the plus side, the numbers of people — including children — living in unsheltered environments is down. However, more homeless finding shelter isn’t anything to cheer. As we have noted in previous editorials, homeless shelters are merely a stopgap, not a solution to the problems of homelessness.

What this latest survey clearly shows is the dire need for increased supportive housing — the opportunity to lend a helping hand to those who need assistance in getting back on their feet. Supportive housing provides the security of having a place to go, and the access to the services needed to address the root causes of homelessness.

There are 3,800 supportive housing units scattered across the state. There are plans to add another 300 units — but more are needed.

That will take money and the political will of state and local officials to do. But it should be viewed as an investment in people, and one that offers tremendous return on the investment.

Limit impact
Homelessness will never be completely eradicated. There are those who will consistently travel between the streets, the shelters and the available resources and services offered — and always opting to settle nowhere. But there are far more people, if given the opportunity, who would take advantage of the help in turning their lives around. We need to increase our efforts to provide that opportunity for anyone wanting it.

If not, we run the risk of allowing a solvable problem to worsen.

As the cost of energy, food and rents continue to climb, the number of homeless will grown even higher in the coming year.

Homelessness cannot be solved overnight. But at the very least, we should commit ourselves to ending the rise in the number of homeless until we muster the resources to begin bringing those numbers down.

Food pantries struggle to stretch smaller donations | Norwich Bulletin

For months, Donna Grant had heard and seen predictions for skyrocketing food and fuel prices and the coming of hard economic times.

But then the executive director of the Thompson Ecumenical Empowerment Group started to see a shift at her nonprofit organization.

“We have absolutely seen people who were donors to our program in the last four to five months come in as clients,” Grant said. “That’s when I knew the tide was shifting markedly.”

She is among many regional nonprofit directors who have seen the hard-hitting reality of the nation’s economic situation, marked by significant increases in food and fuel prices.

Read more here.

Local singer’s cabaret show to benefit Connecticut Food Bank | Bridgeport Banner

Bridgeport resident Megan Owen, cabaret artist and versatile singer who also trained as a chef at the Culinary Institute of America, will present her new one-woman show, “Food of Love & Vice Versa,” to benefit Connecticut Food Bank, on Friday, September 5, 8 p.m., at Playhouse on the Green in Bridgeport.

Proceeds from “Food of Love & Vice Versa” will be donated to Connecticut Food Bank (CFB).  CFB has more than 120 partner programs that depend on the Fairfield County Warehouse for their food distribution needs.  CFB distributed nearly two-and-a-half million pounds of food last year to partner programs such as youth and day programs, food pantries and emergency shelters.  More information on CFB is available at www.ctfoodbank.org.

Tickets to “Food of Love & Vice Versa” are $40. For tickets, visit www.theatermania.com, “Food of Love & Vice Versa” or phone 212-352-3101 or 1-866-811-4111.

Playhouse on the Green is located at 177 State Street between Main Street and Markle Court in downtown Bridgeport.  Exit 27 on I-95. For more comprehensive directions, go to the Playhouse’s website:  www.playhouseonthegreen.org. Free, secure parking one block from the theater is available.

Read more here.

Troopers ready food drive | Connecticut Post

Food drives abound in the fall and winter, when the holiday season makes people both generous and aware of the need faced by the state’s low-income residents.But the state’s hungry require assistance all year round, including the summer. To help fill that need, the Connecticut State Police will hold its 13th annual statewide food drive next week.

From Aug. 15 to 17, state police will collect non-perishable food at four area Shaw’s Supermarkets. The drive was first held in 1995 to fill a vacuum in food donations, said Lt. J. Paul Vance, state police spokesman.

“It was recognized by troopers that the food banks weren’t being replenished over the summer,” Vance said. “We took this on as a project to give back to the community.”

The Shaw’s locations hosting food drives are: 605 Post Road East, Westport; 775 Main St., Southbury; 846 North Colony Road, Wallingford; and 425 Broad St., Manchester … Last year, the state police drive collected more than 18,000 pounds of food and about $3,500 in donations. Vance said he’s hoping people will continue to be generous this year, as high gas prices and other economic issues have put additional strain on the state’s food banks.

Read more here.