17/Jan/19 / 12:30
Connecticut Food Bank Mobile Pantry in New Haven on Saturday
Food Distribution at John Martinez School is a Community Partnership

 

WALLINGFORD, CONN., January 17, 2019 – The Connecticut Food Bank Mobile Pantry will be at the John Martinez School, 100 James Street in New Haven, on Saturday, January 19, from 11:00AM to 12:00PM. The Mobile Pantry is one of 46 monthly Mobile Pantries operated by the Connecticut Food Bank in its six-county service area. The Mobile Pantry at Martinez School is operated in partnership with Fair Haven Community Health Care and Junta for Progressive Action.

 

Connecticut Food Bank CEO Bernie Beaudreau said the food bank and its partners expect more attendance at the Saturday Mobile Pantry because of disruptions caused by the federal government partial shutdown. “There are people in Connecticut who are now furloughed or working without pay who may require help with basic needs like food. And people participating in the SNAP program are seeing schedule changes in receiving their funds, as well as questions about what will happen to future payments. We expect that there will be more people at Saturday’s pantry and more at our future sites, as well as at our Pop-Up Pantries.”

 

Fair Haven Community Health Care Associate Director of Care Coordination and Patient Support Services, Vivian Acevedo-Rivas, said the Mobile Pantry was especially important now because of the impact the partial shutdown is beginning to have on people who access Fair Haven’s programs. “Many of our patients face food insecurity every day. The shutdown has raised their levels of stress and anxiety significantly – how they will feed their families is a daily concern. Not having access to healthy food creates an even greater challenge to their health.” Adds Acevedo-Rivas, “These folks are already struggling and now they have good reason to fear that what little they have may go away.  It’s just heartbreaking.”

 

Beaudreau said the Mobile Pantry program is an important part of the Connecticut Food Bank network. “Our partner agencies operate nearly 700 community-based programs across our service area. The Mobile Pantry an important addition to that network, providing fresh and frozen foods that not all of the community-based sites have capacity to keep on hand.” Beaudreau also said the Mobile Pantry can bring foods to communities where people have difficulty getting to other community resources.

 

The Saturday Mobile Pantry at John Martinez school is on the third Saturday of each month, from 11:00AM to 12:00PM. “Our Mobile Pantry schedule is on our website, www.ctfoodbank.org, where people can click on ‘Get Help’ to find our mobile schedule and a tool to locate Connecticut Food Bank member agencies in their area,” Beaudreau said.

 

The Saturday Mobile Pantry at John Martinez School in New Haven is open to all people in need of food assistance. The Mobile Pantry will be staffed with volunteers from Fair Haven Community Health Care and from Junta for Progressive Action. The pantry distribution will take place from 11:00AM to 12:00PM at John Martinez School, 100 James Street, in New Haven.

 

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 distribute nutritious food to people in need. Last year through a network of nearly 700 community-based programs, the Connecticut Food Bank distributed enough food to provide more than 20.3 million meals. The Connecticut Food Bank provides food in six Connecticut counties – Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, and Windham counties – where nearly 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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