Every Little Bit Counts, Ridgefield Emergency Fund in need of donations!

Inside Town Hall: Updates from the Office of the First Selectman

Every Little Bit Counts

The Ridgefield Social Services Food Pantry has a long history of providing food to individuals and families who struggle financially. When the pandemic hit and the world shut down in 2020, the Food Pantry did too. With the restrictions and uncertainty that COVID brought about, the physical collection and distribution of food was not an ideal scenario. Luckily Social Services had a plan.

Moving from a conventional food pantry to the distribution of grocery store gift cards allowed Social Services to continue providing assistance to those in need while following COVID protocols. Director of Social Services, Tony Phillips, had been thinking about this change for several years and the pandemic provided the perfect chance to move forward with it. Gift cards give people the opportunity to choose healthier, unprocessed items such as produce, proteins, dairy and bread. In addition, they offer people a bit of normalcy during a difficult time, allowing for independence and a more dignified way to provide for themselves and their families. Giving people the choice to pick foods they like and know their families will eat also reduces food waste.

Since 2020, the need for assistance has increased significantly. Many people have lost their jobs while others have been required to work from home causing an increase in utility and household bills. At the same time, necessities such as food, oil, electric, gas etc. have been on the rise. More and more people are reaching out for help, but the funds are not being replenished at the same capacity as they are being used. Donations are now more important than ever and every little bit helps.

“I have always said we will help however we can for as long as we can. But unfortunately, with rising needs and costs, our assistance spending has outpaced our donations. We continue to adjust as we can, but it seems we have more and more people to help every week. And those adjustments get passed on to our clients who are already struggling to make ends meet.” commented Phillips.

Pre-pandemic, the Food Pantry received an estimated $100,000 worth of food each year on top of financial funding. The absence of donations of food needs to be made up for in monetary contributions in order for Social Services to meet the demands they are experiencing. “Now that we are gift card based, we still need the same or more funding to meet the demand, rather than food items. Besides food assistance we still help with rent, heat and so much more and are always thankful the Ridgefield community supports our work.” said Phillips.

In addition to helping put food on tables, the Emergency Fund can provide relief for individuals or families struggling to pay their utility bills. Ridgefield has been known for being a neighbor helping neighbor community. Let’s help our town live up to its reputation!

Donations to the Emergency Fund can be made here.