State and local officials gathered in the town of Windsor on Thursday to tackle the issue that’s plaguing hundreds of thousands: food insecurity.
According to Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, one in nine adults are hungry. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, one in seven children were hungry.
An Alice study shows that 38 percent of families in Connecticut worry about food insecurity.
“It’s a problem,” said Windsor Mayor Donald Trinks. “It’s probably our second great pandemic going on.”
“Before the pandemic, we received about 450 calls a month. Starting in March, we were fielding about 2,000 calls a month and since the extra pandemic unemployment funds ended in July, we’ve been getting almost 100 calls a day," Robin Lamont Sparks from End Hunger Connecticut said of the problem surrounding food insecurity.
The governor’s office along with End Hunger Connecticut, Feed the Children, Price Rite, the USDA and volunteers have partnered together to bring about lasting change that started with hundreds of families.
During a massive giveaway, nearly 800 families received a five-pound box of food, a 15-pound box of hygiene items, a 10-pound box of Avon items, Disney children books, a case of bottled water, and a select bag of Price Rite food.
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With food pantries in constant need of supplies, Commissioner of Agriculture Bryan Hurlburt announced a new website where pantries can work with the state hand in hand.
“This is a place for pantries across the state to input their need for food," Hurlburt said. “The end result for this will be 40 tractor loads of food which will be coming into the state between now and Oct. 31. That’s 240,000 food boxes, that’s 240,000 families that are going to be assisted by what we can put together."
Food pantries in need of assistance can visit CTPantryResources.com where they can connect to resources on food procurement and distribution, volunteer assistance, shipping and storage supports, and more.
