Charitable Programs
NEW - Grace Church Partner program 2012

PROGRAMS THAT HELP PEOPLE

More than 128,000 people throughout Greater Hartford are food insecure, meaning they don’t know where their next meal is coming from. In order to provide the high volume of food needed to ensure our neighbors don’t go hungry, Foodshare partners with 300 local food programs to distribute 16 tons of food each day.

We serve as the liaison between the food industry and charitable programs –community kitchens, emergency shelters, and food pantries – across the region. As Foodshare receives food donations from wholesalers and private individuals, these partner programs receive food from us to help feed hungry individuals and families in their respective areas.

One of our more prominent partners includes The Windsor Food and Fuel Bank : 

Windsor Social Services and The Windsor Food and Fuel Bank continue to advocate for those in need. The mission of the Windsor Food and Fuel Bank is to ensure that no person goes hungry, is cold, or is without basic necessities. One way they accomplish this is through the support of a food bank, located in the L.P. Wilson Community Center. Currently they are the only pantry in town. The Windsor Food and Fuel Bank provides people with pantry items, frozen meats, bakery items, fresh produce and much more. All of this could not be done without the support from nearly 100 dedicated volunteers who work to help pack product, sort and organize the Food Bank. There has been so much support from the community that the Food Bank was able to recently expand their food storage.

In addition to providing supplemental food, the Windsor Social Services provides an abundance of other services, connecting people with resources to improve their situation. This includes screening for SNAP eligibility, an in-house library, emergency funding for utilities, a clothing program, support groups and in 2011 they began hosting a Mobile Foodshare site.

The department even operates a Supplemental Summer Food Program, which offers meals during the summer months when many families face the added challenge of having their children home all day. Deborah Sheldon, a staff member, says, “the families who utilized the program found it to be extremely helpful. A total of 41 families signed up for the program. Fifteen of the 41 families are now using the Food Bank on a monthly basis as they were not aware they were eligible prior to applying for the Summer Food Program.”

Working collaboratively with the Windsor Hunger Action Team, they will soon be adding a backpack program called Weekend Wheels. Windsor Social Services and The Windsor Food and Fuel Bank really serve as a model for other human service agencies and volunteer organizations, with dedicated staff, volunteers and residents who are passionate about working together to help those in need!

To learn more, check out the President's Blog, where we regularly spotlight our hunger-fighting partners. Or discover about how Foodshare partners with other groups in the Greater Hartford community to battle hunger.

Foodshare currently partners with the following local programs and organizations in our region: