Thanks for Your Support

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 is just one day. In Connecticut alone, there are approximately 400,000 people who struggle to put food on the table. And nearly one in five children in Connecticut doesn’t always know where his or her next meal will come from.

We can’t justify people living with hunger. We must do all we can to change this. And as we learned this Thanksgiving, we have the ability and fortitude to feed thousands of individuals who were in danger of going without a holiday meal. Let’s carry that resolve beyond Thanksgiving and into the days and months that follow.

On behalf of Connecticut Food Bank and the 600 food-assistance programs we serve, thank you for your wonderful support this Thanksgiving and all year long.

Sincerely,

Nancy L. Carrington
President & CEO
Connecticut Food Bank

Read Full Post »

More Donations Needed this Thanksgivng

Our “Thanksgiving for All” campaign is under way with special events, food drives and fundraisers to help individuals and families in need of food assistance during the holiday season and the cold winter months that follow.

The turkeys and “trimmings” collected will be distributed by Connecticut Food Bank to food-assistance programs in the days before Thanksgiving. The funds will be used to buy more holiday food and for the distribution of the donated food throughout Connecticut. Last weekend’s Stuff-a-Bus food drive sponsored by Unilever at the Silver Sands Stop & Shop in Milford yielded 1,600 pounds of food.

Last year, we distributed enough turkeys and trimmings to provide an estimated 790,000 meals for people in need during the holiday season. This year, every food and fund drive is critical, not only to collect food and funds, but to increase awareness about the ongoing problem of hunger and poverty that many Connecticut residents continue to face. One out of every seven households in Connecticut is struggling to keep food on the table.

You can watch our President & CEO Nancy L. Carrington on News 8 today, talking about the need this Thanksgiving.

CT Food Bank in need of donations: wtnh.com

“Thanksgiving for All 2011” Food Drive events include:

• 99.1 WPLR “Phil the Bowl” Food Drive. November 16 -18. Donate 10 non-perishables, a frozen turkey or $10 and receive two tickets to the Yale vs. Harvard game on Saturday, November 19, kick off at noon. WPLR is broadcasting live throughout the drive. Wednesday and Thursday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Big Y, 345 Washington Avenue, North Haven.

• “Star 99.9 Food for Friends. November 17, 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Star 99.9 is collecting non-perishables, frozen turkeys and financial donations to support Connecticut Food Bank!
Stop & Shop, Orange, 259 Bull Hill Lane
Stop & Shop, Shelton, 898 Bridgeport Avenue
Stop & Shop, Westport, 1790 Post Road East

• KC 101 Stuff-a-Bus. November 18 & 19. Collecting frozen turkeys, non-perishables and financial donations. Friday, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ShopRite Plaza, 2100 Dixwell Avenue, Hamden

• WATR Big Heart at Big Y. November 18 & 19. Collecting frozen turkeys, non-perishables and financial donations. 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Big Y, 85 Bridge Street, Naugatuck

• “Fill the Bowl” at Yale Bowl. Saturday, November 19. Presented by News 8, 99.1WPLR and Yale Athletics. Support Connecticut Food Bank by donating a frozen turkey or non-perishables and receive 2 tickets to the Yale vs. Harvard game! Collection takes place when gates open until halftime. Kick-off at noon. Yale Bowl, 250 Derby Avenue, New Haven.

• Radio 104.1 Friends of Maze Food Drive. November 20 & 21. Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Monday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Connecticut Food Bank and friends at Radio 104.1 will be collecting non-perishables, frozen turkeys and cash donations. ShopRite, 846 North Colony Road, Wallingford.

• i95 Camping for Cans. Monday, November 21 – 23, 5 to 10 a.m., Stop & Shop, 72 Newtown Rd., Danbury

Connecticut Food Bank Fund Drives include:

• Check Out Hunger. Price Chopper, ShopRite and Balducci’s stores through November 30. Add a $1, $3 or $5 donation tag to your grocery bill and the funds will be donated to Connecticut Food Bank.

• Food for Friends. Stop & Shop stores through December 8. Add a $1, $3 or $5 donation tag to your grocery bill and the funds will be donated to help those in need!

In addition, Connecticut Food Bank warehouses in East Haven, Fairfield and Waterbury will have extended holiday hours to accept food and monetary donations from the public. Visit www.ctfoodbank.org for holiday hours and directions.

Those unable to get to a food drive may donate a turkey or other items at Connecticut Food Bank’s Virtual Food Drive at http://www.ctfoodbank.org.
For event or warehouse information call (203) 469-5000 or visit http://www.ctfoodbank.org.

Read Full Post »

Connecticut Food Bank 2011 Hunger Action Heroes Honored

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 exemplary service, ongoing dedication and significant support of the Food Bank and its mission. The award was named after Bill Liddell who supported the Food Bank by donating a total of 104 tons of fresh produce, as well as time and funds. He spent six years on Connecticut Food Bank’s Board of Directors.

“Since her election to Congress in 1990, Rosa DeLauro is one of the strongest voices in for local, national and global hunger relief efforts,” said Carrington. ”We are grateful for her tireless work to help those who face the struggles of food insecurity.”

Other 2011 Connecticut Food Bank Hunger Action Heroes are:
• Carl Asikainen: Advocacy Hero
• A-1 Toyota: Business Hero
• Junior League of Greater New Haven: Civic Hero
• Walmart: Corporate Hero
• Anthony DiBenedetto, Hallock Orchard (Washington Depot): Farm Hero
• ShopRites of Hamden, Milford, Stratford and West Haven: Fundraising Hero
• Ocean State Job Lot: Food Industry Hero
• Michael Maze: Media Hero
• Waterbury’s Evangelical Christian Church: Member Program Hero
• Sam Greco: Student Hero
• Jeremy Titus: Volunteer Hero

In addition, Connecticut Food Bank recognized top individual and team fundraisers who participated in the annual Walk Against Hunger, held in New Haven, Bridgeport and Waterbury. Those events raised more than $240,000 to support hunger-relief efforts in Connecticut.

A-1 Toyota received Connecticut Food Bank’s Business Hunger Action Hero Award.

Michael Maze receives the Media Hunger Action Hero Award from Connecticut Food Bank’s Events & Promotions Coordinator Stefanie Stevens.

A-1 Toyota received Connecticut Food Bank's Business Hunger Action Hero Award.

Michael Maze receives the Media Hunger Action Hero Award from Connecticut Food Bank's Events & Promotions Coordinator Stefanie Stevens.

Read Full Post »

Connecticut Food Bank Helps Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger May 14

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 because recent data tells us that 52 percent of the nearly 400,000 people in Connecticut who struggle with hunger do not qualify for financial assistance. They are going to our network of food pantries and soup kitchens for help.” Over the last five years, the food drive has donated 109,500 pounds of food to Connecticut Food Bank.

Residents are encouraged to take part in the Stamp Out Hunger food drive by leaving a sturdy bag containing non-perishable food items, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, canned fish or meats, pasta, rice or cereal next to their mailbox before the regular mail delivery time on Saturday, May 14. Letter carriers are collecting these food donations as they deliver the mail and are taking them to a local agency or Connecticut Food Bank.

For more information about the Stamp Out Hunger food drive in Connecticut, ask a letter carrier, contact a local post office, or visit www.helpstampouthunger.com, www.facebook.com/StampOutHunger, or www.twitter.com/StampOutHunger.

Read Full Post »

Unprecedented New Study Paints a Detailed Portrait of Food Insecurity in Connecticut

Connecticut Food Bank and Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, today released a landmark study, “Map the Meal Gap,” providing the first detailed look at the food budget needed by families struggling with hunger here in Connecticut each year – an estimated $199 million.

The study takes a look at ‘meals’ in a whole new way, using county-level data on food costs from The Nielsen Company to break down the food budget shortfall of our residents into an approximation of the meals missing from the tables of people at risk of hunger in Connecticut each year.

“Map the Meal Gap” also compares food costs across counties, showing Fairfield County to have among the highest food costs in Connecticut,” said Nancy L. Carrington, Connecticut Food Bank’s President & CEO. “And although New Haven County has some of the lowest food costs in the state, food insecurity was still among the highest in Connecticut at more than 13 percent. In Connecticut Food Bank’s service area, 53 percent of the food insecure population does not qualify for food stamps or other government programs, so they often must rely on other sources such as Connecticut Food Bank and others to help feed themselves and their families,” she said.

Map the Meal Gap provides the following data by state and county in an interactive map format:

- The percentage of the population who is food insecure.
- The percentage of the food insecure population who qualify based on income for SNAP (Foods Stamps) and other federal nutrition programs.
- The percentage of the food insecure population who do NOT qualify for federal nutrition programs and often must rely on charitable food assistance programs and who also need better wages and employment opportunities to help them meet their basic needs.
- The average price per meal based on new research by The Nielsen Company.

“The interactive map will, for the first time, allow policy makers, state agencies, corporate partners and individual advocates to develop integrated strategies to fight hunger on a community by community level,” said Carrington.

According to Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey data analyzed as part of “Map the Meal Gap,” people struggling with hunger estimate they would need about $56 more each month on average during the months that they are food insecure to address the shortages in their food budget. On a county by county level, “Map the Meal Gap” shows that this shortfall represents more than 49 million meals in Connecticut Food Bank’s service area (71 million meals state wide) on an annual basis.

“Map the Meal Gap” also provides critical information that has never been previously available — food insecurity rates for Congressional District. Previously, food insecurity data was only available at the state level in the USDA’s annual report. The study further analyzes each district’s food insecure population to determine their income eligibility for federal nutrition assistance. This data has the potential to redefine the way service providers and policy makers address areas of need.

The findings of “Map the Meal Gap” are based on statistics collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Census Bureau, and food price data from The Nielsen Company. The study was supported by The Howard G. Buffett Foundation and Nielsen.

A summary of the findings, an interactive map of the United States, and the full report are available on Feeding America’s web site at www.feedingamerica.org
Join the national conversation on hunger and learn more about Feeding America: http://blog.feedingamerica.org/
For more information on Connecticut Food Bank’s response to hunger in the state, visit www.ctfoodbank.org.

Read Full Post »

Connecticut Food Bank Receives $30,000 Donation from Wells Fargo Bank

Wells Fargo Bank’s Regional Vice President Joseph Kirk, Community Banking President for Connecticut Kent McClum and President of the Connecticut Chapter of Wells Fargo Volunteers Renee Rovelli (far right), present a $30,000 check to Connecticut Food Bank’s President & CEO Nancy L. Carrington.

Connecticut Food Bank is the recipient of a $30,000 donation from Wells Fargo Bank presented today at a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the official opening the new Wells Fargo brand in Connecticut. Wells Fargo Bank recently asked its customers in Connecticut to vote for their favorite nonprofit, with the top vote getters being the recipients of community-based grants.

Connecticut Food Bank President & CEO Nancy L. Carrington accepted the check from Kent McClum, Wells Fargo Bank’s Community Banking President for Connecticut. “This generous donation from Wells Fargo will help us provide more than 100,000 meals to people in need,” she said. “We are extremely grateful to Wells Fargo and its customers for selecting Connecticut Food Bank to receive these funds to enable us to help Connecticut residents who continue to struggle to put food on the table in this challenging economy.”

According to the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), one in seven households in Connecticut is struggling to keep food on the table. In addition, a 2010 U.S. Department of Agriculture report indicates that 400,000 Connecticut residents could not afford balanced meals and had to cut meals or go without food.

Connecticut Food Bank is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger. The organization supplies food products and resources to eligible programs throughout six of Connecticut’s eight counties and promotes public awareness about the problem of hunger. Founded in 1982, the Food Bank is the largest centralized source of emergency food in Connecticut.

Read Full Post »

Our Thanks

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 today’s recession continues to push more of our neighbors over the brink of financial security, we have to do more. Hunger is a year-round issue that doesn’t end on Thanksgiving weekend. You can help Connecticut families year round by making a donation at http://www.ctfoodbank.org/donate.

Since this current recession began, Connecticut saw one of the most significant increases in households grappling with food insecurity according to a federal report released days before Thanksgiving.

We can’t justify people living with hunger. We must do all we can to change this. And as we learned this past Thanksgiving, we have the ability and fortitude to feed thousands of individuals who were in danger of going without a holiday meal. Let’s carry that resolve beyond Thanksgiving and into the days and months that follow.

On behalf of Connecticut Food Bank and the 650 food-assistance programs we serve, thank you for your wonderful support this Thanksgiving and all year long.

Sincerely,

Nancy L. Carrington
Chief Executive Officer
Connecticut Food Bank

Read Full Post »

Tell Congress Right Now to Help Hungry Kids

The child nutrition bill, which will be before the House on Wednesday, December 1, impacts over 41 million children in every community across the country, yet Congress is at risk of letting it slip away. While child nutrition may not command the megaphone like the tax debate, it should. Our children’s health is no small thing.

That’s because the cost of poor nutrition is staggering, and not just to the individual child. In 2005, the impact of our nation’s hunger problem was estimated at over $90 billion per year – $800 million in Connecticut alone. And the annual health care cost of obesity is estimated at $147 billion dollars a year.

Our leaders often remark that there is no greater investment that we can make than in our children. These numbers demonstrate that’s not just a feel-good saying. The child nutrition bill matters to our children, it matters for Connecticut and it should matter to Congress.

Please call or contact your Congressperson and ask him or her to help hungry kids. Call 877-698-8228 or visit http://www.congress.org to locate your Representative.

Congress must not miss this opportunity to invest in our children.

Read Full Post »

A Message From the Archives

Editor’s Note: Connecticut Food Bank was incorporated in 1982 as the state’s first regional food bank. Since then, the Food Bank has been focused on one mission: ALLEVIATING HUNGER. Below is a reprint of a message Nancy L. Carrington, Chief Executive Officer of Connnecticut Food Bank, wrote for the 1990-1991 Annual Report. Unfortunately, the message continues to resonate two decades later.

Connecticut Food Bank does make a difference, and that deserves reflection. Let’s all take the time to consider the children who can concentrate in school because they’ve had a good breakfast, the working families who can pay their rent, but without the local food pantry, would go hungry.

Consider the elderly, living on social security, who eat well at senior citizen homes, and the many treatment centers who can help more people for the same money by “shopping” for food at Connecticut Food Bank.

While reflecting, I can’t help but realize the tragedy behind this success: The tragic need for food. Connecticut Food Bank, like the other Second Harvest Food Banks (now Feeding America) across the country, strives to provide people with the wholesome food they need, but cannot afford. Our efficiency and cooperation with others in the field of feeding, along with great public and private support, has enabled us to reach people with the least financial and physical effort. This effective system means we can reach the maximum number of people in need.

Which makes me ask: why must there be people in need? I love this work, we all do. But there isn’t one of us—Board, staff, volunteers, donors—who doesn’t hope for the day when we’ll have to close Connecticut Food Bank, due to a lack of need.

We’re not here for us, but for the hungry.

Posted by Nancy L. Carrington, Chief Executive Officer of Connecticut Food Bank

Read Full Post »

Looking back at a difficult summer

This summer has been a challenging season. First, we were faced with a food shortage that prompted us to send out a public plea for help, a plea that we rarely send out. Second, we received news from a Feeding America report that more children in our state know the cruel reality of hunger. And third, we continue to hear about men, women and children in our communities struggling to keep food on their tables.

But in the midst of those challenges, we find hope in the grace and generosity of the people we serve and the supporters who share our conviction that food is a basic human right and hunger in our communities is unacceptable.

In June, we sent out the plea for help after we saw our food supply dwindle as food donations dropped and the demand for food assistance continued to be high. Last summer, our food supply was buoyed by a
one-time $593,000 federal allocation to help address the growing need after the recession pushed thousands of Connecticut residents into financial insecurity. That one-time allocation for additional food is no longer available, yet many people who were hurting from the recession last year are still hurting today.

After we sent out the plea for help, we saw a great outpouring of support, including People’s United Community Foundation, which gave a $20,000 gift for our summer distribution. As a result, we purchased food to help supplement the supply we provide to the 650 food-assistance programs we serve.

Then came the news we long suspected: More children in our state are struggling with hunger, specifically one child in six, as compared to one child in eight last year. Sometimes, news of this kind makes us think our fight against hunger is a never-ending battle.

But we are reminded of the successes, such as the family we wrote about last year. Paul had lost his job in the mortgage industry. After months of being unemployed and depleting his 401(k) plan to pay for his family’s expenses, Paul eventually ran out of options. He went to TEEG’s food pantry in North Grosvenordale to seek help for his family, including three children between 8 and 17 years old. He knew about TEEG from helping his church pack holiday baskets for the food pantry.

We have now heard that Paul found a job. Instead of pushing forward and not looking back, he and his family called TEEG this past holiday season to help another family struggling through a difficult time. Paul’s family “adopted” a family and gave gifts to that family’s children so that they did not have to go without during the holidays.

It is through the grace and generosity of people like Paul—and you—that we find inspiration and resolve to continue our work of alleviating hunger one person at a time, one family at a time and one neighborhood at a time.

Posted by Nancy Carrington, Chief Executive Officer of Connecticut Food Bank

Read Full Post »