For immediate release:
Connecticut Food Bank Mobile Pantry in Danbury Serves 227 Households
Mobile Pantry at Rogers Park Middle School is Held Monthly, Open to All in Need
Wallingford, Conn. – June 22, 2020 – A Connecticut Food Bank Mobile Pantry drive-thru food distribution in Danbury on Thursday, June 18, served 227 households. The monthly distribution held the third Thursday of each month is a partnership with Danbury Public Schools and the Danbury Family Learning Center, Inc., which provides the site and volunteer support. Visitors to the site last Thursday received fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as nonperishable food items.
Volunteers from Danbury Family Learning Center and Danbury Public Schools load food into waiting cars.
Connecticut Food Bank Chief Operating Officer Daniel Gomez said the distribution is one of 25 to 30 Mobile Pantry distributions Connecticut Food Bank supports each month. The distributions are a way for the food bank to fill gaps caused by transportation barriers for people in need, or where its network of member agencies does not have the ability to store larger quantities of food or perishable foods.
Mr. Gomez said the social distancing protocols required in the pandemic have transformed the mobile pantries. “Volunteers at the site pre-package the food we deliver so it can be placed directly in recipients’ vehicles without contact. It’s more work for volunteers and we are grateful for their help.”
Commenting on the Thursday distribution, Danbury Public Schools Director of Family, School & Community Partnerships, Dr. Anne Mead, said, “the food from Connecticut Food Bank help the families feed their children, especially in a time when the children are home all day.” Dr. Mead noted the produce that was distributed at site last Thursday, saying that it, “helps the families stay healthy through good nutrition,” noting that the Family Learning Center mission supports the “whole child and family.”
Combined, Connecticut Food Bank member agencies and mobile pantries represent 500 food access points for people in need. The Mobile Pantry schedule is updated weekly at www.ctfoodbank.org/mobilepantry.
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About Connecticut Food Bank:
Connecticut Food Bank distributes food through a network of 500 partners and programs in Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, and Windham counties, representing 71% of the state’s population and where 65% of the state’s food insecure – nearly 270,000 people – struggle with hunger. Last year, Connecticut Food Bank distributed food to help provide 22.5 million meals. 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 struggle with food insecurity. Connecticut Food Bank partners with the food industry, food growers, donors, and volunteers to distribute nutritious food to people in need. Visit us on the web at www.ctfoodbank.org, like us on Facebook and follow @CTFoodBank on Twitter and Instagram.