To help high-risk Connecticut residents in need of some help because of the Covid-19 pandemic, a program that delivers boxes of food to residents will be expanded to Bridgeport, Torrington and Waterbury.
Gov. Ned Lamont said the Salvation Army and United Way have partnered with DoorDash to expand the delivery of food boxes.
People who are in need of food can call United Way 2-1-1, which will communicate the request to the local Salvation Army pantries to prepare food boxes.
DoorDash will pick up the food boxes at the Salvation Army and deliver them to people in need.
The governor’s office said food boxes are filled with non-perishable foods, including canned goods, apple sauce, rice, beans, peanut butter, tuna and granola and recipients are those identified as homebound, high-risk individuals, typically over 65 years of age.
“This pandemic forced our state to think outside the box when it has come to the delivery of services, and even the delivery of food to those who need it,” Lamont said in a statement. “This collaboration is critical to making sure families across our state do not go hungry, and it’s a creative use of resources to help so many of our residents get through this crisis, which has impacted both our public health and our economy.”
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Connecticut Agriculture Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt said in a statement that individual organizations stepped up and came together to be creative and use existing systems to meet the needs of residents.
“While The Salvation Army has been actively serving food boxes to families in Connecticut since last March, we are especially grateful for this new partnership with the State of Connecticut, United Way 2-1-1, and Door Dash, where we can ensure people in quarantine may continue to have meals delivered to their place of residence,” Major Gregory Hartshorn, Divisional Commander for The Salvation Army Southern New England Division, said in s statement.
The governor’s office said the effort is serving as a pilot project for a larger, soon-to-be-executed effort between the Connecticut Department of Social Services and The Salvation Army that will enable ConneCT Resource Coordinators to have a referral service for people who test positive for COVID.
