The Connecticut Food Bank will open its Wallingford warehouse for a Pop-Up Pantry on Wednesday, January 23, 2109, from 4:00PM to 7:00PM for a food distribution. The Connecticut Food Bank is located at 2 Research Parkway in Wallingford. The pantry is open to all in need of food assistance.
Connecticut Food Bank CEO Bernie Beaudreau said the Connecticut Food Bank, which normally distributes foods to a network of partner programs and regularly scheduled Mobile Pantries, is taking the step due to increased need because of the partial government shutdown. “We are doing this in addition to offering more mobile distribution sites through our Pop-Up Pantry,” Beaudreau said. “We are working hard to meet needs in the community.”
Like the Connecticut Food Bank Mobile Pantry and Pop-Up pantry, the Wallingford distribution will be open to all in need, Beaudreau said. “The foods we distribute will also be the same foods we focus on delivering to everyone we serve – fresh and frozen produce, frozen meats, fresh dairy products, breads, and a variety of nonperishable foods.”
Beaudreau said that federal workers affected by the shutdown are “neighbors who did not expect to be without paychecks and find themselves in an emergency situation,” and that the food bank is committed to meeting the spike in need. In addition to federal workers who are not receiving paychecks, other people are affected who may be seeing disruptions in their federal assistance programs, or are seeing their workplace affected by reduced contract work from the federal government.
“But this is a reminder that hunger and food insecurity are emergencies that many in Connecticut face daily,” Beaudreau added. “Recent reports have shown that most Americans have little or no savings for an emergency. An illness, a major car repair, or a broken furnace could be the one big expense that requires someone to make a choice between eating or paying their bills,” Beaudreau said.
The Connecticut Food Bank Warehouse Pop-Up Pantry is Wednesday, January 23, from 4:00PM to 7:00PM, at 2 Research Parkway in Wallingford. People are encouraged to bring shopping bags to carry home items they receive. All who need food assistance are welcome.
About the Connecticut Food Bank:
The Connecticut Food Bank is committed to alleviating hunger in Connecticut by providing food resources, raising awareness of the challenges of hunger, and advocating for people who need help meeting basic needs. The Connecticut Food Bank partners with the food industry, food growers, donors, and volunteers to distribute nutritious food to people in need. Last year through a network of nearly 700 community-based programs, the Connecticut Food Bank distributed enough food to provide more than 20.3 million meals. The Connecticut Food Bank provides food in six Connecticut counties - Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, and Windham counties – where nearly 300,000 people struggle with hunger. Visit us on the web at www.ctfoodbank.org, like us on Facebook and follow @CTFoodBank on Twitter and Instagram.