Foodshare, a regional foodbank, is extending its free drive-through food distribution operation at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, which was launched to help families in Hartford and Tolland counties during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The program was scheduled to run April 20-24 and Foodshare said it will continue the drive-thru for the next two weeks because of the overwhelming response from the community.
“Since the start of our distribution this past Monday we have served an average of nearly 1,000 cars per day,” Jason Jakubowski, president and CEO of Foodshare, said in a news release. “We have seen first-hand that our neighbors need our help, and for that reason we have made the decision to extend this food distribution so that no one in our community goes hungry.”
On Monday, a line of cars started to form a couple of hours before food was to be passed out.
Jakubowski said Foodshare will reassess the program in two weeks to determine if it will need to extend it again.
“Our decisions are driven first and foremost by need; and assuming the need continues to exist, we will run this program as long as we have enough food and volunteers, and as long as the state will have us at Rentschler,” he said.
About the Foodshare Drive-Thru Food Distribution
- Dates: Monday, April 27 through Friday, May 1; Monday, May 4 through Friday, May 8
- Address: 615 Silver Lane in East Hartford, Silver Lane entrance.
- Time: Gates will close at Noon
Other resources for those unable to drive to East Hartford:
- Walk-ups are not encouraged.
- Foodshare operates a Mobile Foodshare on the weekdays throughout the region. To find a site near you, text “FOODSHARE” to 85511 or go to www.foodshare.org/mobile.
- To find a food pantry and other resources near you, call 2-1-1 or go to https://www.211ct.org/.
How to Help
To volunteer or donate, visit www.foodshare.org
