Helping Foodshare get the word out about what we do

Name: Amanda Renna  

Role at Foodshare: As the Communications Specialist Amanda is responsible for managing and creating content for the website and most external communications, devising and implementing a social media strategy, issuing press releases and working with the media to further Foodshare’s work and mission within the greater Hartford community.

How long at Foodshare? 2 ½ years

Hobbies: travel, travel and travel!

Why I do what I do: "I’ve always dreamed of having a job doing what I love, but working at Foodshare also allows me to make a meaningful contribution to the local community. And I like to think it helps better the world in some small way."

Most recent accomplishment: "Becoming a mom, and loving it so much more than I ever imagined possible"

A personal/professional goal: To continue reaching and growing as a professional, while still being able to maintain a healthy balance between work and family.

Last read: The Help (great book!)

What was the hardest thing you’ve had to learn at Foodshare? "How to handle constructive criticism with poise…it’s a work in progress"

What others say about Amanda:  Amanda is not only smart and talented, she is whiplash levels of fast!  While we’re still muddling through what we want to communicate, Amanda has simplified it, put it on paper, and provided a draft to start the conversation and move the creative process forward.

If you could be, or do, anything else – what would it be? "I’d love to have my own travel special, like Samantha Brown or Anthony Bourdain – eating amazing foods, visiting extraordinary places. But I’d want to bring my family along!"

What one word would you use to describe yourself? Inquisitive

What are you most proud of? My daughter Evie

In the community, representing Foodshare

One of the roles I play is to be the face of Foodshare in the community.  Yesterday, that was an interesting role to play as I joined a number of Bloomfield officials and a couple of hundred Bloomfield High School students to hear a speech by His Excellency James Kimonyo, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to the United States of America.  (Hartford Courant coverage here.)

The Ambassodor's presentation, covering the Rwandan genocide, was part of a program Bloomfield High has developed which includes a trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC.  Their thinking is that the only way to prevent future genocides is to teach people about it.  Makes sense to me, and while Ambassador Kimonyo's message was a hard one to hear, I'm glad I had the chance to do so.

American Eagle Federal Credit Union supports Foodshare

Last week, American Eagle Federal Credit Union sent employees and a $2,500 grant to benefit Foodshare’s  Annual Turkey and a Twenty Drive. On Tuesday, November 22, nine employees served as turkey tossers, warehouse shopping assistants, stuffing handlers, warehouse assistants, and
office assistants at the Foodshare distribution center in Bloomfield.

This grant will be used to sustain Foodshare’s year-round work, helping the more than 128,000 hungry residents living in greater Hartford. 

Bank of America supports Foodshare

In the last two weeks, Bank of America has really stepped up to help Foodshare meet our mission of ending hunger in greater Hartford.

In addition to hosting Turkey Tuesday back on November 15 and having dozens of bank employees involved in donating and volunteering that day, bank President Kevin Cunningham presented me with a $20,000 donation to support Foodshare's work.


Then last week, the Bank held their annual Neighborhood Excellence Initiative awards program for organizations and volunteers in the Hartford area.


Jim and Sandy Varney were honored with the "Local Hero" award for their work with Foodshare.  Jim and Sandy grow vegetables on their four acres of land in South Windsor.  They spend their own money to buy the seeds and tools and put a tremendous amount of time into recruiting and training volunteers to do the planting, weeding, and harvesting.  Over the last few years, they have grown and donated 91,887 pounds of healthy fresh produce to Foodshare.

Bank of America provides a $5,000 donation to the charity of each Local Hero winner's choice and the Varney's chose Foodshare to receive this gift.  Unfortunately, Jim could not be at the awards ceremony, but Sandy was on hand to accept the award.

This might seem like a year’s worth of activity, but it really does just represent a good week out of year-round involvement from Bank of America.  In fact, this year they will be a part of Foodshare’s President’s Circle for their employee involvement.  In addition to their financial support and coordination of Turkey Tuesday, Bank of America team members volunteer regularly at the Regional Market (like the group pictured below who were helping out last April), formed a Walk Against Hunger Team, got an article about Foodshare placed in their employee communications, and hosted a Hunger 101 program this year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Foodshare

Words of thanks

From a letter received in today's mail:

On behalf of Safe Net Ministries, thank you for Foodshare's generous donation of 2,000 pounds of turkeys for our Thanksgiving turkey distribution.  It is through gifts of generosity such as yours that Safe Net Ministries is able to continue its mission of assisting those less fortunate in the Stafford community.  Safe Net Ministries' mission is to work in concert with Stafford Human Services and the Stafford Clergy Association to act as a safety net, meeting the special needs of Stafford and Union resident who are caught in a difficult transitional time in their lives.  We offer assistance in the following areas:  food, utilities, rent, and transitional short-term housing.

Words of thanks

From today's e-mail:

I want to thank you and all the folks at Foodshare for all you did to get us the extra turkeys we needed for this year’s distribution.

Sending my best wishes to all of your for a happy Thanksgiving holiday.

Sincerely,

Mary

Community Renewal Team
Hartford

November golf tournament!

In this morning's inbox, an e-mail from a group that does a golf tournament the Sunday before Thanksgiving, no matter the weather (at least it was good last Sunday!):

"Gloria, just wanted to let you know that we had another successful Turkey Shoot golf tournament on Sunday and raised $1,960.00 for Foodshare. I’m putting the checks in the mail today, so you should get them in the next couple of days. Congratulations on meeting your turkey goal. Hope you and everyone at Foodshare enjoys a wonderful Thanksgiving. We all appreciate your good work. Cheers, Rick"

Thanks for this fun and creative way to support Foodshare!

One family's story

We recently received the following e-mail:

"How do you go about finding out if you can get assistance..   I can’t afford to have Thanksgiving dinner for my mother and daughter but I have a job and my local food bank said 'no' when I asked for help, I can’t afford it because of having to replace all my food twice due to the storms…   people who actually work should be able to get help once in a while too…"

After Community Programs Coordinator George Lombardo responded to her with some suggestions, she sent the following message:

"Thank you for the response.   I did call the local food bank in my home town they are the ones who turned me down for too high of an income…   I decided to call back and explain that I am not looking for a weekly handout only help for the holidays, with having to replace all my food twice in a short time all my savings is gone, we live hand to mouth every week, don’t know how Santa’s going to make it to our apt. either, I’m starting to really hope he’s real, LOL.  They told me to come in today and they’d see what they could do to help with a holiday meal.   I appreciate your help and I’ll let you know how I made out, thanks again, you gave me hope and the motivation to try again.   Happy Holidays."

A word of thanks

First Congregational Church in Coventry recently began hosting a Mobile Foodshare site, where they serve 60-70 households every two weeks.  As a new partner, this was their first year receiving turkeys from Foodshare.  After they picked up their allotted turkeys and trimmings, we got this e-mail:

"Every one was so impressed with your operation when they came up for the turkeys. Thank you all so much for what you do ... all our people are so thankful for what they get every other week.  I expect we will be busy on Wednesday this week (at their Mobile Foodshare distribution). See 'our' guys on Wednesday. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you."

Glastonbury Rotary / Liberty Bank donation

While I was at the Glastonbury Rotary last week, they told me about their fundraising efforts, but that they did not have a check to present because Liberty Bank was giving them a matching gift.  Today, Foodshare Executive Vice President went to pick up the donation.

According to Maria from the Rotary, "This is the first year the Rotary Club of Glastonbury participated in this fundraiser. The club raised $3,514. The club made an additional contribution of $820. The Liberty Bank Foundation has made a matching contribution of $978.  This is a grand total of $5,312!"

Thank you to everyone in the Glastonbury Rotary Club and their partners at Liberty Bank!

From left to right, Glastonbury Rotary Club President Kevin Flanagan, Foodshare Executive Vice President and COO, Chris O'Rourke and Liberty Bank Assistant Vice-President Susan Philipchik.

State Senator visits Mobile Foodshare

Even in the midst of the "Turkey and a Twenty" campaign, Foodshare's regular work goes on.  Our Mobile Foodshare trucks are still running and we're still meeting with people to talk about year-round needs.  Today, Foodshare staffer Krista Ostaszewski went to the Mobile Foodshare site in Southington to meet with State Senator Joe Markley.  Here's her report:

"Today I met with Senator Joe Markley at Mobile Foodshare in Southington.

"With over 80 people waiting to receive the fresh produce, Greek yogurt and bread from the truck, the Senator spoke about the importance of  healthy nutritious foods going to those in need. After explaining that most mobiles are considered 'open sites' where anyone can come to receive the food being distributed, the Senator was interested to learn that many use the mobiles as a way to make ends meet while also utilizing the pantries in the area. We also discussed how the mobile is an important option for those individuals that are over income and not eligible for government assistance but still struggling to get by.

"Thank you to Senator Markley for coming out to a Foodshare location and learning more about the needs in his community."  

Word from the grocery store

My teenaged son, DJ, works at the Price Chopper in Windsor.  He is working today and sent me a text that said:

"I keep getting people asking for stuff to be bagged separately because it's going to Foodshare!"

Thanks for sharing, DJ, and thanks to everyone who is donating to Foodshare today.

A very special donation

We took a call this morning from a disabled woman who had heard about the need and wanted to help.  She did not have a credit card to make an online donation and she does not have a car.  Foodshare staffer, Vinh, went to meet her and here's what he said:

"Caring is one word to sum up a Windsor donor named Joann.  Even though she was not able to make it to Foodshare, she took the bus and purchased 6 turkeys at her local Price Chopper to help Foodshare meet our turkey goal.  Her determination has been inspirational! Thank you, Joann."

Lunch for volunteers

Thank you to our friends at Iglesia Ebenezer Food Pantry who provided a great lunch to the Foodshare volunteers and staff today.

Generosity Abounds...

A local Brownie troop stole the show last night in Manchester, encouraging Highland Park Market shoppers to make a donation of turkeys and twenties - and who could say no to those faces? A group of Boy Scouts from Colchester even stopped by with 45 turkeys to proudly represent the male contingency.

Overall, the last night of the Traveling Caravan was an incredible success, bringing in 382 turkeys!! Thanks to DRC-FM and the Devanney Family (owners of Highland Park Markets) for supporting Foodshare and local families in need...And of course, thanks to the many, many donors who are making a difference for  our hungry neighbors this holiday season!

 

 

Collecting donations at home

For years Pat and Paul Robotham hold their annual turkey drive for Foodshare with an open house and coffee hour for all their donors. This year the Robathams collected 27 turkeys and $565 dollars!

Thank you to long time volunteers and supporters Pat and Paul for their ongoing support and dedication!

Credit Unions donate

This morning, the Credit Union League of Connecticut presented a donation of $25,000 to Foodshare and the Connecticut Food Bank, with the Governor at the State Capitol.

Biosafe Systems employees donate

A big thank you to the team at Biosafe Systems, shown here dropping off their annual donation.  They collected 3 turkeys are over $9,000 from the company's 35 employees, with 100% participation in the effort! 

They have been participating in the Turkey and a Twenty campaign annually, since 2003, and consider Foodshare to be their primary charitable activity.

Thanks to everyone at Biosafe Systems!

Turkey and a Twenty updates

At noon today, WFSB Channel 3 meteorologist Scot Haney came to Foodshare to do a live update on the status of the Turkey and a Twenty campaign on the midday news.  We announced an emergency appeal and that we are staying open until 8:00 tonight to accept donations to try to meet our goal.

Several large donations came in while Scot was here, including 100 turkeys from Aiello home services and 100 turkeys collected by the Old Saybrook Police Department.

Turkey donations

Thanks to everyone who donated today, but we still have a long way to go to be able to keep all of our distribution appointments on Monday and Tuesday.

A rather large turkey! :-)

I had to be away from Foodshare two days this busy week due to a death in my family.

While it may have been for a sad occasion, it's always good to catch up with family, and I got a little quality time with my nephew, Sydney, age six months, and as you can see, all outfitted for the holiday!

First Town-wide Drive Complete!

 

I just wanted to offer up a huge thank you to our friends in West Hartford who organized a town drive on both Thursday and Friday. It brought in 111 turkeys, which means 111 families will now be able to celebrate a traditional Thanksgiving meal!

Thanks also to Self Stor for donating the use of one of their trucks for storing the turkeys and The River 105.9 for being on site Thursday. It is because of community efforts like these that we are able to help so many families in greater Hartford year after year.

A Year-Round Partner...

Tuesday, we had the pleasure of meeting Rob Hayes,  the new general manager at Burris Logistics in Rocky Hill.  In the process of moving to the area to be closer to his new position, Rob has had extensive food industry background with such industry leaders as US Foodservice and Target Stores.  

Burris Logistics has been a partner of  Foodshare since 2008 when the new building opened, initiating the relationship when they saw the opportunity to recover food for redistribution through Foodshare rather than throw out perfectly good but unsalable food.   Year to date recovery efforts have resulted in over 344,000 pounds of food, most of which has been nutritious produce and dairy products! 

In addition to their recovery efforts the team at Burris has hosted several Hunger 101 events in the past two years, offers Foodshare emergency temporary storage space at their facility if it is ever needed, participates in the Food Industry’s Convoy of Caring , and  most recently starting playing a very active role on Foodshare’s Food industry Advisory Council whose overall purpose is to further develop Foodshare’s relationship and partnership with the food industry throughout the Hartford area,  work closely with Foodshare staff to maximize the food industry’s recognition and understanding of Foodshare’s work, and can also provide advice to the President and to the Board of Directors on trends in the food industry and other related issues that might affect Foodshare’s programs and planning.

Thank you Rob for your time, your genuine interest  and for all that Burris continues to do to support Foodshare in our mission to end hunger!

Another great lunch

The Felician Sisters of Enfield donated the lunch for Foodshare staff and volunteers today.  It was a welcome break after a busy and blustery morning receiving donated turkeys at one end of the parking lot and distributing them to food pantries at the other end of the lot!

Turkey and a Twenty volunteers

The enthusiastic group of volunteers who covered the 3:00 to 4:00 shift at the Turkey and a Twenty drive in West Hartford Center today!

Go team and keep up the good work!

It takes donations of all sorts...

All of these Turkey and a Twenty drives require trucks and Foodshare's trucks are often tied up with our regular pick-up and delivery of food, which cannot stop because of the extra work needed this week.

Thanks to Dan Siracusa, owner of Siracusa Moving and Storage, who provided a truck for yesterday's Jack Bannan Turkey Trot.  The driver pictured here stayed on site all day and pitched in and helped out.

And Connecticut Self Store donated the truck for the drive in West Hartford Center today and tomorrow.

Thank you to all the donors who make these efforts possible.

Speaking of volunteers...

Name: Robert Dodd

Occupation/employer: Retired from Hartford Financial Group

Role at Foodshare: Volunteer in the Speakers Bureau

How long with Foodshare? 9 months

How I first became involved with Foodshare:  “Read about volunteer opportunity with speakers bureau in Foodshare newsletter.”

Why I support Foodshare:  “Foodshare provides a valuable roll in helping the many people who struggle to provide for their families.”

Most recent accomplishment:  Conducting Hunger 101 programs at colleges and churches and speaking about Foodshare at the Bloomfield Rotary Club meeting with Gloria in the audience!

Last read: That Used To Be Us by Thomas Friedman

What one word would you use to describe yourself?  Motivated

From where does your inspiration / motivation to volunteer come?  “I have been very fortunate in my life and I want to stay active and be productive in helping others.”

Anything you would like to add about your volunteer experience at Foodshare?  “The people who work at Foodshare are terrific to work with and do an outstanding job.”

What others say about Bob:  “He is a powerful and passionate speaker when he talks about Foodshare and shares some of his own experiences with living at the edge.  We are lucky to have him in our speakers bureau.”

A Lunchtime Donation...

A big THANK YOU to The Market Restaurant for providing lunch for the volunteers and staff working today.  Located at the Regional Market in Hartford, owner Brian stopped by to feed our staff at the market before sending lunches to Bloomfield.  When you visit his restaurant, be sure to tell him his “Favorite Aunt” (Chris Franzosa, Foodshare’s Technology Services Manager) sent you!

Volunteers in turkey hats!

Some of the great volunteers working under the tent at Foodshare receiving the donations.

I arrived with a couple of our turkey hats and they put them right on!

Thanks to all of the volunteers who are helping us out this week.  Hope you're having as much fun as these two!

Come on Down...

Town of West Hartford Turkey & A Twenty Drive

Today & Friday, November 17 and 18

from 7am - 5pm 

 Main Street in West Hartford

Town Center Building  

A BIG thanks to Renee from The River 105.9 and CT Self Stor for supporting this event!

SNAP Replacement Benefits...

According to an article I read this morning on Patch.com:

"Current recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as food stamps) can apply for replacement benefits if they lost food from storm-related power outage, Social Services Commissioner Roderick L. Bremby said Wednesday.

To be eligible, recipients must have lost food costing more than 15% of their October SNAP benefit amount.  Reports may be made by calling 2-1-1 or visiting www.211ct.org by midnight Saturday.

Determination of replacement benefits will be made after return and review of signed affidavits, in accordance with federal rules.

Bremby said the over-15% threshold for reporting food loss stems from the federal government already approving across-the-board replacement of 15% of October benefits for SNAP recipients in Connecticut.  The Department of Social Services is issuing those federal replacement benefits to SNAP recipients Thursday."

Urgent need to call Congress today!

Right now, the Super Committee is racing against the November 23 deadline to draft legislation that would cut at least $1.2 trillion from the federal deficit.  Meanwhile, the House and Senate Agriculture Committees are still working to finalize the details of their recommendations to the Super Committee, which we expect will include $4-5 billion in cuts to SNAP.   

Final decisions are being made this week, and the stakes are high.  

Also this week, the House and Senate will consider the final FY12 Agriculture Appropriations bill (H.R. 2112), which includes funding for TEFAP, CSFP, and WIC. Thanks to your advocacy efforts, funding for anti-hunger programs was protected in the final package, and we are urging Congress to pass H.R. 2112 (also known as the “Mini-bus” Appropriations).  Votes could be as early as Thursday. 

Our window to influence these two important measures is closing fast, and we need everyone to join our national call-in day to urge Congress to protect anti-hunger programs in the Super Committee and to pass the FY12 Agriculture Appropriations bill. 

Call Today!

Your calls and emails are making a difference, but more pressure is needed if we hope to protect programs important to our mission.  Here’s how you can participate in this important national call-in day. 

1. Call Congress!  Time is running out.  We must continue to keep up the pressure and demonstrate strong constituent support for programs that feed the hungry.  Dial 1-877-698-8228 to connect to your members of Congress.  Just stay on the line after your first call and you’ll be connected to your next member of Congress.
    
2. Deliver this simple message:
   
   I am a (volunteer,  donor, supporter, employee) of Foodshare, which serves your constituents.  There are two important issues currently before Congress that will affect hungry people in our community, and I’m counting on your support.  First, I ask that you personally weigh in with the Super Committee to urge them to reject any proposals to cut anti-hunger programs like SNAP, TEFAP, CSFP, or WIC as part of any deficit reduction agreement.  Second, I urge you to vote YES on H.R. 2112, which contains the FY12 Agriculture Appropriations bill.  My food bank can barely meet the need right now, and cutting anti-hunger programs will increase hunger in our community. 
    

Share!  One call from each food bank is not enough.  Share the action alert and our toll-free hotline, 1-877-698-8228, with your friends and family, and be sure to promote it on your social media channels.  We need to generate thousands of calls nationwide to influence this process.  Help us mobilize the public across the country in support of hungry Americans! 

Pounds of Pears!

Thanks to Mike Draghi from Rose’s Berry Farm in South Glastonbury, who just brought us 7,282 lbs. of Bosc pears.  Volunteers from Fairview Capitol Partners have been busy sorting and packing them in preparation for distribution.

Thanks to Vito's...

A big THANK YOU to Melissa and all of our friends at Vito’s by the Water in Windsor!  They provided pizza for the volunteers and staff working today.

Kicking off the "Turkey Trot"

Today is the 19th annual Turkey Trot in the Farmington Valley.  Originally conceived and organized by Jack Bannan, a World War II veteran and well-known volunteer in Simsbury, this drive has been carried on over the years by his children and a team of dedicated volunteers and spread throughout the Valley.

Donations can be made until 8:00 PM today at:

• Andy's in Simsbury
• Big Y in Avon
• Fitzgerald's in Simsbury
• Geissler's in Bloomfield and Granby
• Henry James Middle School in Simsbury
• Kane's Market in Simsbury
• Miller Foods in Avon
• ShopRite in Canton

• Stop & Shop in Granby and Simsbury

We kicked off the drive early this morning with WFSB meteorologist Scot Haney at the Simsbury Stop & Shop.  Scot did his forecasts live from the Stop & Shop and accepted donations from the early risers like this family who brought their donation all the way from Middletown.

In addition to Scot Haney's turkey hat, many donors arrived in turkey hats, also, or in one case in full turkey costume.

But it wasn't only the people in costumes, Cory, the dog owned by Avon's Animal Control Officer, arrived in a full pilgrim outfit and helped deliver the thirty turkeys donated by the Avon Police Department.

Turkey Tuesday

Sponsored by WDRC AM-1360, Bank of America, IGA, and UnitedHealthcare, Turkey Tuesday was held this morning in downtown Hartford’s City Place building.

Collecting 1,171 turkeys and $29,898 in support of Foodshare’s Turkey and a Twenty Campaign, the event brought in double the number of turkeys from individual donors this year, as compared to previous years – emphasizing the importance of all donations, large and small.

Thanks to all of the donors, volunteers and staff who showed up to support our hungry neighbors this holiday season...your efforts make a huge difference in the lives of so many each and every day!

You can check out all of our photos on our Facebook page here.

Lunch break

Thanks to our partners at Community Solutions, who provided lunch for Foodshare's hard-working staff and volunteers today!

Turkey and a Twenty is up and running!

It’s a very exciting day here at Foodshare! Our turkey tent is up so please stop by and donate. We are open from 8:00am to 5:00pm today.

Land O' Lakes and Highland Park Market donation

Land O’Lakes and Highland Park Markets ran a promotion this summer between June 1^st and July 30^th.  During this promotion not only were Highland Park Markets’ customers  able to purchase LOL Eggs and save on every dozen purchased but by making a purchase during this period they were able to help Foodshare.   For every dozen package of eggs purchased during this time frame, HPM’s and LOL Eggs  donated 35 cents to Foodshare!

Highland Park Markets has 4 locations in our area – Manchester, Suffield, Farmington, and Glastonbury, and Molly Devanney along with the store managers and our friends at Land O’ Lake Eggs worked tirelessly to make this promotion a great success by creating very attractive advertisements for each store’s dairy department as well as by  advertising the promotion  on the Highland Park Market website and in their flyer a number of times during those two months.

As a result of everyone’s hard work  and the support of the Highland Park Markets customers,  $2,500 was donated to Foodshare.  Pictured here at the check  presentation today are (from left to right) are Joe Panaro and Molly Devanney from Highland Park Markets, Gloria McAdam from Foodshare, and Andy Linsky and Craig MacDonald of Land O’ Lakes Eggs.

Volunteer recognized

Today, I was pleased to attend the annual AARP luncheon, where volunteer Betty Domer was recognized for her work with Foodshare's SNAP outreach program.

Betty became interested in food insecurity through Leadership Greater Hartford in 2007.  During that year a task force from Leadership Greater Hartford's Third Age Initiative studied the issues of Connecticut’s SNAP application process. This group of 9 people proved that dedicated, trained volunteers could augment professional staff in helping clients fill out the complicated SNAP application. When the 3^rd Age Initiative ended in 2008, the task force helped Foodshare create and pilot an ongoing, viable program along with a comprehensive SNAP manual with which to train additional volunteers.

Betty has continued her interest in SNAP by offering application assistance every month for the past three years at the Enfield Food Shelf and last month helping for days to process the thousands of people hoping to receive Disaster SNAP benefits. She has also developed the current SNAP screening program used throughout Connecticut.  It is a quick assessment tool to estimate eligibility and possible SNAP benefits.

Betty is on the board of CHR ,a behavioral health agency serving thousands of clients in northeast Connecticut. She was recently appointed to the Somers town government Ethics Committee and is an amateur actress appearing on stage most often with the Village Players in Somers. Betty is also the parent, along with her late husband Fred, of Jennifer (New Jersey) and Michael (Minnesota) who have blessed her with 5 wonderful grandchildren.   

Congratulations, Betty, on this well deserved recognition.

Replacement SNAP benefits announced

This information just came in from the state Department of Social Services...

Starting next week all households that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will see an automatic reissuance of 15% of what they normally receive on their SNAP card. This will be on top of their normal allotment and is intended to cover the costs of food lost due to power outages after the October snowstorm. 

For SNAP households  that lost food valued more than 15% of their replacement SNAP, an additional request can be made to 2-1-1 before November 19^th. Households will be asked to complete a loss of food request form, and the amount of the individual request must be based on the value of the food bought with SNAP by the household that was lost in the storm.

Church involvement with Foodshare

It may be Sunday, but I spent a portion of my day working.

First, I attended the services at Rehoboth Church of Christ in Bloomfield.  This congregation relocated to Bloomfield two years ago, but maintained their operation of a food pantry in Hartford.   Elsa Smith Pleasant, a member of the church and the retired Hartford WIC director described how the pantry started as a simple sandwich ministry, but when the volunteers saw the level of need, they got the church to agree to a food pantry.  The first year, they had fifteen families to serve for Thanksgiving and only three turkeys, so they cut each turkey in half, but that still left nine families without a turkey.

The church then partnered with Foodshare and today serves over 725 families each year!  While they asked me to join them today so that they could present me with a recognition plaque for Foodshare, I extend my thanks right back to them.  This church and their members are the ones on the front lines, feeding people in need every week, week in and week out!  Thank you for all that you do!

After a brief stop at home to change out of church clothes and walk the dog, my teenaged son and I returned to Foodshare to meet the youth fellowship from our church home, Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford.  The young people came to Foodshare for a tour and spent an hour helping us get donated bread packed up and ready for distribution.  They worked faster than most any group I have ever seen!  Thank you each and every one!

To learn how your faith congregation can support Foodshare's mission to end hunger, visit our website at http://www.foodshare.org/ or give me a call at (860) 286-9999.

Cross-country team run-a-thon

The cross-country team at Watkinson School recently held a "run-a-thon" to raise money for Foodshare.  Each team member solicited pledges per mile from families, friends, and teachers, and then did what they do best - they ran!

The team raised over $2,000 for Foodshare and today they delivered the donation and I gave them a tour of our Bloomfield distribution center.

They asked great and enthusiastic questions.  A big thank you to all of your for your efforts and support!

Turkey and a Twenty campaign launches

Foodshare's annual Turkey and a Twenty campaign launched today with a goal announcement:

The goals are to raise 19,000 turkeys and $800,000!

Read our full press release here.

And if you ever wondered why it's Turkey AND a Twenty, here's a good demonstration of what a difference that $20 donation can make:

Helping people get the assistance they need

Name: Krista Ostaszewski

Role at Foodshare:  As the SNAP Outreach Coordinator, Krista trains volunteers in SNAP prescreening and application assistance and schedules them at a variety of different locations throughout Hartford and Tolland county to conduct outreach. She also trains agencies in SNAP outreach and works on educating the public about the importance of SNAP.

How long with Foodshare? Four years, including her first year as an Americorps Public Allies intern

Hobbies: Going to concerts, cooking, her puppy Lola

Why I do what I do:  “I have always been passionate about working on human rights issues especially on a local level. We are the richest state in the nation and there are still people who do not have their basic human needs met! Our neighbors are hungry and it’s unacceptable! Foodshare’s work is really dedicated to using the resources within our community, state and government to ensure that no one goes hungry.”

Most recent accomplishment:  Presenting at a Feeding America national conference in Chicago on SNAP Outreach.

A personal/professional goal:  To eventually get a masters in social work

Last read: Freakonomics

The hardest thing learned at Foodshare?  “To take a deep breath! The need we face everyday can be overwhelming. The people contacting me are in difficult, delicate and sometimes emotional situations. It took time for me to learn how to handle it all!”

What has changed the most at Foodshare?  “The increase in staff! I haven’t been here very long but in my four short years we definitely have grown in size!”

What has stayed the same?  “Every staff member here, new and old, is completely dedicated to their work and Foodshare’s mission.”

If you could be, or do, anything else – what would it be?  “I would love to start a dog rescue/shelter.”

Something that few people know: “I was a vegetarian for seven years.”

What others say about Krista:  She is an amazing, talented, and dedicated young woman who cares passionately about the world around her and making it a better place for everyone!