Category Archives: Donors

Connecticut Food Bank received a 2013 Excellence in Food Banking Award for Resource Development at the annual Feeding America Network Executive Directors’ Forum being held this week in Nashville. The award is given to the year’s most outstanding resource development program from the 202 food banks across the nation in the Feeding America network. Judges awarded the distinction to Connecticut Food Bank for its fundraising efforts in the past year. In particular, the judges noted the food bank’s push to expand its donor base. Connecticut Food Bank’s work has proven successful, with public support for its work to alleviate hunger more than doubling over the past five years.  The food bank also was recognized for its efforts in Fairfield County where financial support from individuals has grown. The food bank’s online virtual food drives have also increased – with double digit growth in just one year. “Connecticut Food Bank continues to...
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If you’re an Ocean State Job Lot shopper who donates to food banks at the checkout line, you are part of one for the record books.  Today Connecticut Food Bank’s East Haven warehouse received 40,000 pounds of food from Ocean State Job Lot – the first of several full tractor trailer loads it will receive as part of the stores’ Three Square Meals program, which is the largest single food donation of its kind by a private company in New England. How was this done?  Job Lot customers are invited to donate $1 at the register through December 31, to help buy food for food banks to distribute in their local community.  Job Lot then matches the first $100,000 of shopper donations and purchases food from its manufacturers and other sources valued at up to three times Job Lot’s purchase price, and then donates the food to food banks.  This...
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Connecticut Food Bank supporter Bethany Johnson lives with her husband Erik in affluent Old Greenwich. The lively 30-something donor teaches history at several New York State colleges, has run her own non-profit, and has always been passionate about food. Meeting her, you would never know that Bethany faced hunger on a daily basis. But growing up in the rust belt city of Syracuse, New York, Bethany, along with her parents and younger sister, suffered from food insecurity and lived on welfare until she was seven. It was these life experiences that inspired Bethany to donate to Connecticut Food Bank. Bethany’s upbringing belies the stereotype of food-insecure families: both of her parents worked full-time – “under-employed” would describe their plight.   “I grew up relatively poor,” Bethany said, “although I saw people who were worse-off than we were.”  This was the reason her mother gave for refusing the two sisters request...
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Connecticut Food Bank’s 2012 Walks Against Hunger in Bridgeport, New Haven and Waterbury have raised more than $250,000 for hunger-relief efforts in Connecticut.  Nearly 2,000 walkers participated in the three Walks in late April and May.  Funds raised will enable Connecticut Food Bank to transport, warehouse and distribute more than $1.2 million of food at wholesale value for local community agencies such as soup kitchens, shelters, food pantries and adult and child day programs. “We are grateful to the Walkers, donors and sponsors for helping to make 2012 our most successful Walk season to date,” said Connecticut Food Bank President & CEO Nancy L. Carrington.  “The support from individuals, businesses, schools, food pantries, civic groups and clubs is overwhelming and will go a long way to help those who struggle to put food on the table every day.” In Connecticut, more than half of the people who are at risk...
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Stone Gardens Farm of Shelton, Connecticut, is a 50-acre vegetable farm run by down-to-earth Fred and Stacia Monahan, who are passionate about Connecticut-grown agriculture. In addition to growing a wide variety of seasonal produce, they raise grass-fed beef, pork and poultry which is processed and sold directly to customers. The farm runs a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, where customers pay for a share of the farm’s produce harvest at the beginning of the year in exchange for a weekly box of vegetables they can pick up throughout the growing season. When Connecticut Food Bank asked the Monahans if they could donate fresh produce, they mentioned they had CSA shares that people either forgot to pick up or left behind. We suggested an agency partnership and quickly found two that could take the items off their hands. Spooner House of Shelton and Salvation Army of Ansonia picked up unwanted or...
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Today’s generous donation of 96,000 eggs from Kofkoff Egg Farm – Moark, LLC, of Bozrah, will give a boost to our member soup kitchens, food pantries and emergency shelters this Easter holiday. That’s nearly four miles of eggs if stretched shell to shell! The egg donation will help our network of food-assistance programs meet increased demand. Bob Hodge of Moark said he’s proud to be partnering with Connecticut Food Bank, “to provide much needed protein to the most needy in our community, especially during the Easter holiday season.” A Land O’Lakes wholly-owned egg subsidiary, Moark’s donation is part of a national effort, organized by the United Egg Producers and Feeding America, to donate 10 million eggs to food banks around the country. Since 2008, Connecticut Food Bank has received more than 800,000 eggs from Kofkoff Egg Farm- Moark to help with hunger-relief efforts in Connecticut.

We recently met Joe and Tom at The Community Soup Kitchen in downtown New Haven, who are among 150 to 250 people who receive daily hot meals prepared by staff and volunteers.  Joe said although he’s had some financial hardships, he was too prideful at first to eat at the soup kitchen.  He eventually put his pride aside and is now able to use the limited amount of state assistance he receives on things that the soup kitchen is not able to provide for him.  Tom was a bit more quiet about his personal situation, but told us that being able to have a guaranteed hot meal each day from Community Soup Kitchen is making a major difference in his life.  When we asked what they would say to the food industry members who donate product to Connecticut Food Bank on a regular basis, both men smiled broadly and said...
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We recently met Barbara, who is well into her 80s and relies on our Mobile Food Pantry distribution each month in Southbury. She’s never needed food-assistance until her retirement savings ran out.  She lives alone and is collecting Social Security, and finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with her expenses. “I’m not too proud to come here for food because I’m running behind on things,” she told us during her second month in a row visiting the Mobile Pantry.  “After I pay for utilities, medicine and my other monthly expenses, there’s not much left for food.”  While people like Barbara are facing the everyday challenge of paying for housing, utilities, healthcare or food, many food banks across the country are facing a challenge of their own. The supply of donated nonperishable food is shrinking.  The items being made available to soup kitchens and food pantries are changing to more...
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Thank you doesn’t seem enough to express the appreciation felt by Connecticut Food Bank for the great outpouring of support from thousands of individuals, families, civic groups, schools, religious organizations and companies that helped make our “Thanksgiving for All” campaign a success. The people of Connecticut have always been generous—and they proved that again this year. In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene and October’s snow storm, people were generous. Because of that early generosity, we were concerned that donations during the Thanksgiving season would drop. But we put out the call for the need for food and the community responded overwhelmingly. Together, we collected 25,052 turkeys and more than 392,000 pounds of trimmings. With everyone’s help, we were able to provide nearly 600,000 meals for people in need of food assistance this holiday season. As we count our blessings for the outpouring of community support, we have to remember Thanksgiving...
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Connecticut Food Bank recently honored our Hunger Action Heroes at an awards ceremony attended by more than 100 at our East Haven warehouse. The heroes are individuals, businesses and organizations that go above and beyond to support Connecticut Food Bank in its mission to alleviate hunger in Connecticut. The ceremony is held annually in September, designated as Hunger Action Month. “You are our heroes in many ways, but more importantly you are our inspiration, making a difference in the lives of the men, women and children who depend on us for food,” Connecticut Food Bank President & CEO Nancy L. Carrington told the honorees. “We thank you for your extraordinary service on behalf of our mission to alleviate hunger in Connecticut.” Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro was presented with The Bill Liddell Award – the highest tribute paid by Connecticut Food Bank to an individual, organization or corporation in recognition of...
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