Healthy FoodXChange

Foodshare's Promise Zone Hunger Action Team (HAT) will be hosting a food exchange program at Hartford Public Library! See flyer below for more details.

Asnuntuck Community College Provides Student Nourishment

Since its opening in February, The Pantry at Asnuntuck Community College has expanded to 166 enrolled recipients and 27 student volunteers. ACC Women’s Leadership Institute graduate Tracy Ouelette, ACC alumna Jordanna Fallon, and Student Activities Director Sherry Paquette founded the pantry after noticing a need among the student body. The Pantry is open Monday-Saturday and provides each student with up to 40 food items per month. It is located in the cashier hallway, and participants need to show a current student ID to be eligible.

Pictured (L-R): Sherry Paquette (ACC), Bea Maslowski (Foodshare), Elizabeth D'Alessandro, & Kathleen Souvigney (Enfield Food Shelf)

The Pantry is sponsored by the ACC Student Government Association, Foodshare, Enfield Food Shelf, ShopRite, Johnson Brunetti Financial Services, and G. Donovan Associates. Sherry Paquette, Tracy Ouelette, and Enfield Food Shelf Executive Director Kathleen Souvigney are all members of Foodshare’s Enfield Hunger Action Team (HAT), which collaborates on efforts to end food insecurity.  To learn more about the Enfield HAT, you can contact our Community Network Builder, Beatrice Maslowski. 

Hunger is big. Our community is bigger.

Thousands of walkers came together on Sunday proving that 

our community is bigger than hunger. 

Our new look, revealed at Sunday's Walk Against Hunger, reflects this new focus, honoring the connection and energy between all of us, the people we help, our community partners, and the real heroes—our donors and volunteers.

Hunger is bigger than food, and it takes hard work and commitment to build a healthy future for everyone in Greater Hartford. You have truly made it possible for people who rely on Foodshare’s programs to keep food on the table, and we certainly could not do this work without you!

It's not too late to make a gift and help us reach our goal of $575,000. Your support keeps us moving forward. It makes a difference...YOU make a difference. Or check out our photos from Walk day >

Celebrity Chef Seeks to End Hunger in USA

Rachel Martin of NPR's Morning Edition recently spoke with celebrity chef and hunger advocate,Tom Colicchio to discuss hunger related issues described below:

"An estimated 13.1 million kids live in homes with insufficient food, according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And the number of college students struggling with hunger has prompted more campuses to open food pantries.

Seniors and people with disabilities also suffer from hunger, and federal money for programs like Meals on Wheels may face cuts under President Trump's proposed budget."

Source: NPR, 5/1/17, Read More >

UConn is Helping our Hungry Neighbors

Foodshare would like to acknowledge UConn Help the Hungry, an initiative to end food waste within the UConn family. The five students set 3 goals: educating students, helping UConn give back, and putting healthy food on the table for our food-insecure neighbors. 

For more information, watch the UConn Help the Hungry campaign video above. #GYSD

National Volunteer Week: Thank YOU!

Here at Foodshare, we would not be able to lead an informed, coordinated response to hunger without help from our volunteers. Last year, more than 4,700  people donated 44,000 hours – the equivalent of 22 additional full-time employees – through opportunities like Mobile Foodshare, Retail Pick-up, office work, food sorting, Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) boxes and SNAP Outreach.

National Volunteer Week is a chance to inspire, recognize, and encourage volunteers and demonstrate that, by working together, we have the fortitude to overcome challenges and meet our goals.

To celebrate, we will be showcasing some of our dedicated volunteers and their stories as well as providing treats at both our Hartford and Bloomfield locations. If you're interested in sharing your own experience with Foodshare or any of our 300 partner agencies, we'd love to hear from you!

On behalf of Foodshare, and the 137,000 food insecure people you are helping here at home, thank you for sharing your time and talents to make food accessible for all! #NVW2017  #GYSD

Celebrating Global Youth Service Days

1 in 8 Connecticut residents are food insecure.

Our volunteers help provide over 11.5 million meals to these hungry neighbors, and connect these same individuals and families with long-term support building a stronger community for us all.

In collaboration with Youth Service America (YSA), and in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Foodshare is celebrating the impact made by young volunteers in our community.

Take action alongside millions of other youth around the world April 21-23, during YSA’s Global Youth Service Days. Foodshare offers many volunteer opportunities, including Mobile Foodshare, Retail Pick-Up, e-Advocacy, and SNAP Outreach.

Watch the video for more information on #GYSD. 

Talking Poverty With State Officials

On Thursday, February 16th, the 4th annual #TalkCTPoverty Advocacy Day and Breakfast will be taking place at the Legislature Office Building in Hartford from 8:30-10:30am. Join us!

A Partnership to Reduce Hunger Locally and Nationally

The NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures launched the Hunger Partnership in 2010 to raise the visibility of hunger in America and highlight innovative and lasting solutions.  Together, Representative Toni E. Walker and Elaine Zimmerman--Executive Director for the Commission on Children--are leading the charge here in Connecticut

The Hunger Partnership links legislators, legislative staff, and interested businesses to identify innovative and successful programs and develop bipartisan and balanced materials and mechanisms to support legislators in their efforts to reduce hunger in America. State legislators oversee the administration of federal programs, regulate and fund state programs, and convene otherwise disconnected partners to promote effective programs.

Source: NCSL, 1/25/17, Hunger Partnership

Conservatives Find SNAP Works, But Needs Reform

The conservative think tank, American Enterprise Institute (AEI), observes that a large body of research shows that SNAP* reduces poverty, improves food security among low-income households, and has positive effects on infant health and long-term benefits for children. It also finds SNAP to be fairly efficient.

In FY 2014, the error rate (that is, the percentage of dollars that go to ineligible households or get over- or underpaid) was extremely low at 3.66%, and 99% of households that received benefits were eligible.

In addition, 92% of spending is for benefits that go directly into households, with only 8% supporting administrative and other efforts.

But AEI believes SNAP would benefit from several reforms. It proposes a pilot program in a few states to test distributing SNAP benefits through block grants. This, it contends, would allow states to experiment with work requirements, efforts to improve nutrition, and ways to better tailor benefit levels to local conditions. Besides block grants, pilot programs could be implemented and rigorously studied to determine whether work requirements for all able-bodied recipients could be effective and whether they increase employment among SNAP recipients. Other reforms include changing the SNAP benefit calculation to adjust for local cost of living and not allowing SNAP participants to purchase unhealthy nonfood items linked to obesity, such as sugary beverages.

Source: American Enterprise Institute, 1/25/17, SNAP Reforms

*Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly food stamps)

FPA Launches "A Place at The Table" Campaign

"The Food Policy Action Education Fund just recently announced the launch of A Place at the Table, a three-year national media campaign to inspire America and our leaders to make ending hunger in the U.S. a national priority.  Backed by $300M of donated media from major media partners; including broadcast, digital, out of home and print advertising."

The campaign kicked off with a public service announcement made by First Lady Michelle Obama:

 

Source: Food Policy Action, 1/4/17, Learn More...

Birthday Gift Puts Food On The Table

The Minkos Family & James

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Minkos family of Glastonbury, visited Foodshare to make a very special donation.

For Max’s seventh birthday he asked his friends to make a donation to Foodshare instead of buying him gifts and toys. He got this great idea from his older sister, Ania, who did the same thing when she turned six. We are excited to announce that the $240 Max collected in lieu of gifts for his birthday, will provide 600 meals for our hungry neighbors!

Max, thank you for helping Foodshare! We encourage you to continue to be a leader in hunger-prevention across Greater Hartford!

Fueled by Compassion

Windsor Food and Fuel has been a Foodshare partner since 1997. Over the years they have done phenomenal work connecting local residents with an array of services. Andy and Ted, who run the program, have made sure that a social worker is present during pantry hours to make the process of getting food simple for their guests. They operate a Mobile Foodshare site to connect those same people with fresh produce twice a month, and they recently started a backpack program to help kids, and families, get access to food every weekend.

On a recent visit to Windsor Food and Fuel, our team learned more about a shopping experience they created at the nearby senior center, to encourage elderly residents—many of whom live on a fixed income—to take advantage of their programs.

Foodshare is so fortunate to partner with an organization, like Windsor Food and Fuel, working on the front lines day after day, and showing such commitment to meeting the needs of our hungry neighbors. Thank you for all you do!

Windsor Food and Fuel is open Mon - Tues 9:00 - 11:15 AM, Wed 1:00 - 3:15 PM, and Thurs 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM and 5:00 - 7:00 PM. 

Mobile Foodshare visits every other Friday from 8:45 AM - 9:30 AM.

Ever wonder what happens?

Foodshare Hunger Action Teams (HATs) have been hard at work for over a decade now, fighting hunger town by town. Communications VISTA, Carissa, had an opportunity to attend one of these meetings and if you've ever wondered what exactly a HAT does, keep reading...

  

"On  a cool Monday night I went to my first Hunger Action Team (HAT) meeting at Frog Hollow in Hartford. The members of the team were welcoming and willing to hear what I had to say about their projects. The main focus of the meeting was to discuss a proposal for Foodshare’s Partnership Fund. 

Kate Shafer, from Hands On Hartford, presented a Kitchen to Pantry project that would be started at a nearby pantry. The goal is to introduce fresh produce in new ways. As one member mentioned, the target is to fight child hunger, and the presentation of new food is just as important as informing them about nutritional benefits and preparation. Another member asked about the kinds of recipes they intended to utilize based on the community’s cultural diversity. There was discussion about how the organizations would work together and what other agencies could be useful resources or partners with Hands On Hartford to make it a success. Ultimately, it came time to vote, and there was unanimous agreement among all present parties.  

Next, I listened to an update from the Frog Hollow Street Team on their efforts to increase SNAP outreach and inform visitors at their farmers markets that they not only accepted EBT cards but doubled the SNAP benefits on fresh produce. While this is still a work in progress, it was informative to hear about what they will be improving on for next summer. Summer meal counts within the Frog Hollow neighborhood dropped within the past year, possibly due to the reduction of summer school days. The HAT will work on increasing participation for next summer.  

Finally, announcements were made regarding upcoming events and resources that would interest the group. One note that I found particularly interesting was on Hartford Decide$. The participatory budget program allows residents (13 and older) to choose where to allocate $250,000 to better Hartford neighborhoods. I thought attending the meeting was valuable because I saw the dynamics and the cooperation among organizations and citizens in the area who are devoted to ending hunger."

For more information on Hunger Action Teams or to join one, please contact Jim Palma or learn more online at site.foodshare.org/HAT.

Performing Arts Connects with Our Hungry Neighbors

Recently, our hungry neighbors had the opportunity to take center stage thanks to an energetic group of employees from The Bushnell.

During the month of November they collected both monetary donations and non-perishable food to help our hungry neighbors in Greater Hartford.

Thank you to everyone who helped organize this event, and to all those who made donations!

My Giving Story: There’s nothing to be ashamed of

Paul Ferri is a devoted husband, and father to two active little boys. For 19 years, he served his neighbors as a firefighter and EMT in Greater Hartford. If you were the victim of an emergency, there was a very good chance Paul would be the man on the scene to help. But then Paul became the person who needed help. He lost his job, and his life fell apart in less than two months. His family was hurting and his sons were hungry.

“I never thought it was going to happen to me, especially once I had my two boys. I actually cried because I was ashamed that I couldn’t provide for my family. I accept it much more now. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. People fall on hard times. The most important thing is your family…if that means asking someone for help, you’ve got to ask them for help.”

In exchange for receiving food, this dedicated husband and father volunteered to provide food for others.

How will you give back today?

 

My Giving Story: The last thing on my mind

"I was unemployed for 8 months in 2014. I did end up finding temporary work, but as a single mother it wasn't enough...I was served with an eviction notice. While I was scrambling to figure out what to do, I received a letter from our town offering to provide us with an entire Turkey dinner for Thanksgiving. I was blown away. Honestly, Thanksgiving was the last thing on my mind but the gesture meant so much more to me than I can put into words. It gave me hope and showed me that people really do care."

This mom just donated to help other families who are living with hunger enjoy a real Thanksgiving.

How will you give back today?

 

Bloomfield Fire Department Blazes as Beacon of Turkey Hope

Thank you to the firefighters, dispatchers and commissioners from the Bloomfield Fire Department for donating 45 turkeys to Foodshare to feed our hungry neighbors!

L to R: FF Mike Riley, LT. Jim Simone, Capt. Brendan Riley, Deputy Chief Peter Barnard, FF Carlos Lazu

Food Waste in Connecticut Will Be Reduced Thanks to Federal Funds

"A $50,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a $25,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have been awarded to the Massachusetts-based Center for EcoTechnology, which is executing projects across Connecticut to help businesses and institutions minimize wasted food. The center expects to provide technical assistance to up to 20 businesses in 2017 and ultimately divert 600 tons of wasted food."

 Source: NBC CT News, 11/19/16, Federal Funds to Help Reduce Foods Waste

Local Kids Promote the 'Power of Peace'

Foodshare extends its gratitude to Power of Peace members Abhiram B. (15), Meghana (15), Sreenidhi (16), Neha (14), Kumar (15), Abhiram T. (15), Aravind (12), Akshatha (13), Vaishnavi (12), Rushil (13), Arvind (11), Varun (11), Abhinav (13), Sivani (12), Goutham (14), Bhavana (15), Mantra, Sreekar, Ankith, and Arun and their families for their donation. Thank you for living up to your motto: “For the Kids, By the Kids.”

Six school kids: that’s all it took to start a grassroots movement for positive change. In 2013, Power of Peace was founded by Abhiram B., Meghana, Sreenidhi, Neha, and Kumar. Power of Peace stepped forward to raise money for an orphanage in Bangor, India, as well as “close-to-home” charities, mostly those focused on children. The group has since expanded to 20 members, and one of their goals for the past few years has been to eradicate hunger.

Earlier this year, they held their annual fundraising event, filled with music and dancing. They used a portion of that to donate $3,200 and 23 turkeys to Foodshare last week after United Way matched their donation. The founders shared that they they hope to break the stereotype that you need to be of a certain age to promote change.

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