Connecticut Foodshare Ends Drive-Thru Distribution

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Connecticut Foodshare is announcing that after 18 months, the emergency drive-thru food distributions that began in April 2020 will officially end on October 30. The drive-thru distributions began at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the peak of the pandemic, the drive-thru sites were serving more than 2000 households per day. Connecticut Foodshare has provided over 14 million meals through just these sites alone.

“These drive-thru distributions started as a two-week project, and they ended up lasting 18 months – and we couldn’t have kept them going without our volunteers and support from the state Department of Agriculture,” said Jason Jakubowski, President and CEO, Connecticut Foodshare. “We always said that these emergency distributions would not last forever and given Connecticut’s high vaccination rate and active job market, it’s time for us to shift back to our regular programming. We have nearly 700 community partners throughout the state, which means there are numerous options for people to access food after these drive-thru sites close.”

“We thank the Connecticut Foodshare team – it’s staff, volunteers, and donors – for their tremendous efforts to provide hundreds of thousands of families a safe way to receive emergency food during the course of the pandemic. I am very proud that with Connecticut Foodshare’s partnership we were able to facilitate connections with Connecticut farmers to provide thousands of pounds of CT Grown products as a part of this effort,” said Bryan P. Hurlburt, Commissioner, Department of Agriculture.

Connecticut Foodshare continues to encourage the individuals who depend on these sites for food to reach out to a pantry or meal program in their community. “Many of our community partners offer services in addition to food assistance that help their visitors who are struggling with basic needs. For many households, these additional supports are an important part of progressing toward food security and independence,” said Jakubowski.

To access other food resources, go to www.ctfoodshare.org/find-help, call 2-1-1, or go to www.211ct.org.