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Connecticut Foodshare is excited to launch a second cohort of the Neighbor Council in 2025! The goal of the Neighbor Council is to center neighbors' expertise in our work and educate and train neighbors to engage in public policy and systems change. Neighbors should apply if they are interested in raising awareness of food insecurity and want to use their voice to engage in public policy. This year we are excited to be offering the program in both English and Spanish. The application for the Neighbor Council is available online with a deadline of Friday, January 31, 2025. We will host conversations with potential candidates in February, and final decisions will be made in March. Accepted applicants will receive a $150 Visa Gift Card per session, in addition to the transportation costs being covered for the in-person sessions. We are looking for support from our key stakeholders/ community partners to promote this opportunity and refer applicants. To learn more about last year’s Neighbor Council cohort, please click here .  If you have any questions, please contact us at institute@ctfoodshare.org with your questions or to schedule a 15-minute virtual call to learn more.

Connecticut is one of the wealthiest states, but close to half a million people don’t know where their next meal is coming from, and 1 in 8 Connecticut residents experience food insecurity. That's where Connecticut Foodshare comes in and bridges that gap, allowing a dignified way to put food on the table. Nancy Barrows hosts The CT Paid Leave Podcast on YouTube, featuring Jason Jakubowski, Connecticut Foodshare President & CEO, and Maria Paredes, Connecticut Foodshare board member and resident services coordinator at Monterey Place in New Haven.

For over five decades, the response to growing food insecurity was often met with increased food distribution, but the root causes are much more complex, including lack of affordable housing, low wages, high living costs, and systemic inequities. Connecticut Foodshare recognizes that ending food insecurity requires addressing these root causes and has created the Connecticut Foodshare Neighbor Council to engage with neighbors and influence food bank and government policies.

Our neighbors are at the center of everything Connecticut Foodshare does, and that includes our mobile food pantries.

Positive, energetic, and talkative: that’s how we would describe Thomas.