Over $1.4 million in grant funding awarded to community partners
WALLINGFORD, Conn. – March 31, 2023 – Connecticut Foodshare is pleased to announce grantees from the food bank’s inaugural Community Impact Grant Program. Over $1.4 million is being awarded to 53 partner food pantries and community meal programs to strengthen program operations, expand food access, and improve the experience of obtaining food assistance to be more convenient, dignified, and supportive. Awards were granted to partner programs in every county of Connecticut.
Connecticut Foodshare provides food and support to a network of over 500 local food assistance programs, including pantries, community meal programs, and emergency shelters. These partner programs are on the frontlines providing direct support to neighbors in need of food assistance in communities throughout Connecticut.
“This was a highly competitive grant process which demonstrates both community need and the potential to transform our hunger relief system. We made a commitment to the network partners we serve in our three-year Community Impact Plan that one of our organization’s key initiatives would be to better support their operations. This historic investment is the first step in our commitment, and we look forward to the positive outcomes it will bring to our neighbors,” said Jason Jakubowski, President and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare.
“Our Board of Directors approved this grant funding to support initiatives that align with our goals of improving access to healthy food and making the experience of getting food assistance more convenient, dignified and welcoming. These grants are an integral part of our larger effort to transform and uplift our state’s hunger relief system,” said Beth Henry, Board Chair of Connecticut Foodshare
Funded projects will be complete by December 31, 2023.
Click here for the full list of awardees and a synopsis on their projects.
About Connecticut Foodshare
Connecticut Foodshare is the food bank serving the people of Connecticut and a member of the national Feeding America network. Last year, Connecticut Foodshare distributed enough food to provide 37.5 million meals through a network of more than 650 community-based hunger relief programs, including food pantries, meal programs and mobile distribution sites, while also working on long-term solutions to food insecurity. Thousands of volunteers help power the work of Connecticut Foodshare, and last year, they gave more than 46,000 hours of service. To learn more, visit www.ctfoodshare.org or follow us @ctfoodshare on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin.
Media contact:
Monica Obrebski
Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
860-856-4319
mobrebski@ctfoodshare.org