Refrigerator and Freezer Grant from the Walmart Foundation Helps Member Programs

The Corner Food Pantry in Lakeville is glad to have their new freezer.

In 2016, the Connecticut Food Bank received a $50,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation to fund infrastructure that will ultimately

The team at Agape Soup Kitchen in Bridgeport is stocking their new freezer chest!

help partner agencies secure and distribute more nutritious food for families in need. In 2017, the Walmart Foundation awarded an additional $75,000 to the Connecticut Food Bank for the same purpose. The grant supports purchasing the equipment necessary to handle perishable products, such as refrigerated vehicles; coolers and freezers for transporting, storing and distributing food; and thermometers and temperature calibration devices.

Sunrise Cafe in New Haven shows off their new refrigerator.

Connecticut Food Bank CEO Bernie Beaudreau stated, “We are thankful to the Walmart Foundation for helping to ensure that people who struggle with hunger have access to nutrient-rich food. This grant will go a long way in helping the Connecticut Food Bank and our partner agencies provide much-needed food to hungry neighbors in the six Connecticut Counties we serve.” Beaudreau noted that 57 programs located throughout the Connecticut Food Bank’s six-county service area received refrigeration equipment through the grant. Equipment included 20 two-door freezers, 14 two-door refrigerators, 10 one-door freezers, 10 one-door refrigerators and four chest freezers. “It’s a tremendous capacity builder for programs,” he said.

Thumbs up from the North Branford Food Pantry on their new freezer!

The Connecticut Food Bank secures fresh, perishable food from retailers throughout its service area, as well as from national donors,

All smiles at TEEG in North Grosvenordale for their new refrigerator.

through partnerships made possible by Feeding America. Distributing this food into the network of local food assistance agencies creates a need among those agencies for refrigerated storage. The Walmart Foundation grant has helped the Connecticut Food Bank increase capacity its local network to store and distribute healthy, fresh food.

Our friends at Community Kitchens of Northeastern Connecticut in Danielson are happy to have their new refrigeration equipment.

The Walmart Foundation has been instrumental in helping food banks rescue and distribute more perishable food from retailers across the United States in a sustainable, cost-effective way. This grant is a part of Walmart’s and the Walmart Foundation’s ongoing commitment to helping families who struggle with hunger by providing 4 billion meals to people in need in the U.S. by 2020.

Since 2009, the Walmart Foundation has been a leading supporter of infrastructure grants to Feeding America food banks and their member agencies. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation provide donations of both food and funds to the Feeding America nationwide network of 200 food banks. Locally, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have given nearly $1 million to the Connecticut Food Bank in support of its work.

Happy faces at Loaves & Fishes in New Haven with their new refrigerator.

With food insecurity remaining high throughout the country, the ability to distribute more food is critical for food banks. According to the USDA, more than 42 million people nationwide are food insecure, which means that they may not know where they will find their next meal. In the Connecticut Food Bank six-county service area, nearly 300,000 residents are food insecure.

Volunteers from Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen in New Haven show off their new freezer.

Could your program use a new refrigerator or freezer? Let your Member Services Coordinator know as we prepare for next year’s grant cycle.