Category Archives: Food Pantry

Editor’s note: Today’s blog entry is submitted by Cheryl Kaiden, a Board member of Branford’s Community Dining Room. With the sun shining and temperatures warming, summer feels like it’s arrived. At the Community Dining Room (CDR) in Branford, CT, we’re more focused than ever on helping our clients to enjoy the outdoors in mind and body! This is the time of year, when many local farmers and neighbors share their bounty with us, dropping off vegetables and fruits that we can incorporate into our daily meals. CDR kitchen volunteers have made an increased commitment to focus on developing healthy, nutritious meals using whole grains and natural ingredients whenever possible. We’ve increased the number of vegetables and fruits we serve and decreased sugary desserts. To help clients make life-long changes, we regularly offer nutrition and health clinics for adults during our Noon Lunch Program, and hands-on education programs for children at...
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Connecticut Food Bank is joining the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) on Saturday, May 14, to Stamp Out Hunger. The Stamp Out Hunger food drive is the nation’s largest single-day food drive, representing 1,500 local branches of the postal union. Letter carriers across the country are collecting non-perishable food donations that day along their postal routes. Held annually on the second Saturday in May, the event helps replenish food banks and pantries in more than 10,000 communities. Last year the Stamp Out Hunger food drive collected a record 77.1 million pounds of food donations, pushing the 18-year total to more than one billion pounds of food. “Connecticut Food Bank is glad to assist the letter carriers in Bridgeport, East Haven, Hamden, Stratford and Waterbury in their efforts to help us alleviate hunger in Connecticut,” said Nancy L. Carrington, Connecticut Food Bank’s president and CEO. “This food drive is important...
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Connecticut Food Bank has a new partner in its efforts to fight hunger in the state. Since September of this year, the state¹s largest food bank has operated a Mobile Pantry Program that brings nutritional items to food insecure families and households in six Connecticut counties. The Mobile Pantry Program gives Connecticut Food Bank the ability to distribute fresh food items including dairy products, fresh vegetables, fruit, whole grain goods and other perishable items directly to individuals in need. The healthy food choices are due in large part to a $100,000 grant from Wal-Mart employees submitted through the Wal-Mart Foundation¹s Associate Choice Program. “We are extremely grateful for this generous donation that will make a world of difference in the lives of people struggling with food insecurity in the communities we serve,” said Nancy L. Carrington, Chief Executive Officer of Connecticut Food Bank. “Connecticut Food Bank is proud to be...
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This past Thanksgiving Day, many of us sat around the dinner table surrounded by friends and families expressing our gratitude over heaping plates of food. Thousands of men, women and children who are struggling to survive in today’s economy were also able to share in the spirit of the holiday thanks to the generosity of their neighbors. Scores of individuals, families, civic groups, schools, religious organizations and companies came forward in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving to help make Connecticut Food Bank’s “Thanksgiving for All” campaign a success. Together, we collected 24,516 turkeys and more than 360 tons of trimmings. With everyone’s help, we were able to provide nearly 779,503 meals for people in need of food assistance this holiday season. The kindness demonstrated throughout our Thanksgiving campaign was not only awe-inspiring, but also a testament to what we can do when we work together as a community. As...
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The Connecticut Food Bank is more than 4,000 short of its expected demand for turkeys this holiday. The shortage means thousands of residents, many of them children, will not have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner this year. There are difficult financial strains due to the economic environment in our state. Connecticut Food Bank is asking everyone who is able to please consider donating a turkey to help others. This holiday represents an opportunity to reflect on those things we are all thankful for, a time for family and friends. Those who donate make it possible for everyone to be a part of the sharing process of Thanksgiving. Last year, Connecticut Food Bank distributed 26,503 turkeys and 491,000 pounds of food, which provided an estimated 590,000 meals for people in need during the holiday season. Every event planned for this month is critical, not only to collect food and funds, but also...
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WHEAT, the West Haven Emergency Assistance Taskforce, will mark its 35-year anniversary this year. Since 1975, WHEAT, a predominantly volunteer-run organization, has given out 864,000 meals, feeding more than 32,000 West Haven residents. WHEAT will hold its 35th anniversary fundraising dinner 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 19at the Italian American Club, 85 Chase Lane, West Haven. Tickets are $12 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under and free for children under 3. The event will feature a pasta dinner, cash bar and anniversary cake. WHEAT provides a variety of social services for people in need, including a food pantry, a sign-up center for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called food stamps, and the Project MotherCare medical clinic operated by the Hospital of Saint Raphael. WHEAT also serves the Spanish-speaking community with the help of a Spanish interpreter. “We’re the central charity for the city of West Haven....
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