800 Bags Of Free Food Packed & Delivered

A bag full of fresh peaches, Frosted Flakes, bread, milk, and peanut butter was packed to its brim and readied for delivery to a New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) family in need during the final week before school begins. 

That was one of 800 bags of food packed by volunteers outside of NHPS’ central kitchen building at 75 Barnes Ave. Tuesday morning. 

The bags were prepared and loaded into four Board of Education trucks to be delivered to four neighborhood sites for distribution Tuesday afternoon. 

NHPS’ central kitchen team hosted summer meal distributions via school buildings and community sites through June to mid-August. 

Tuesday’s Coordinated Food Assistance Network (CFAN) collaboration hosted the late August distribution for its second year in a row to aid families in need of food for students during the final two weeks of summer break before students return to school and get free daily meals starting Aug. 31.

The volunteers filled each truck with 175 bags to be delivered to four accessible community sites including The Shack on Valley Street, John Martinez School, Truman School, and Lincoln Bassett. 

“This is community helping community,” said Loaves and Fishes executive director Lorrice Grant. 

Partners included the New Haven chapter of Witnesses to Hunger, United Way, Cathedral of Higher Praise Church of God of Prophecy, CT Foodshare, Haven’s Harvest, the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (DESK), Loaves and Fishes, and the New Haven Inner City Enrichment (NICE) Center.

“It can be something as small as a peach or pear and that excites them,” United Way Volunteer Manager Dennis Velasquez said. 

The distribution sites were selected based on being central locations within a variety of neighborhoods that have the capacity to act as food providers and have access to local pantries to donate the extra food items to. 

Grant, who was newly appointed as executive director of Loaves and Fishes in July, spearheaded the ordering of all of Tuesday’s food products with financial support from United Way. 

“Partnerships are helping us to reach more people,” Grant said.

Grant said Loaves and Fishes is committed to collaborating for efforts like Tuesday’s despite its financial impact. Between dedicating time, staff, and resources to the initiative, Grant said ​“we might have less egg for this week.” 

Grant referred to Loaves and Fishes’ Saturday food distributions out of its 57 Olive St. site. One of the most requested food items from visitors of the food distribution site are eggs, which Grant said have become significantly more costly over the last year. 

She emphasized the ongoing need for donations and volunteers to Loaves and Fishes and the many other social service organizations collaborating Tuesday. 

To donate to Loaves and Fishes click here.

On one side of a line of tables, several volunteers unloaded boxes full of produce and food items while on the other side of the table a number of volunteers moved boxes full of bags down the line to be packed with each item. 

Bags were filled with boxes of fruit loops, cheerios, jelly, chips, juice, plums, macaroni and cheese, oranges, onions, carrots, and tuna. 

The first shift of about 40 volunteers worked from 9 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Then a second shift of volunteers packed bags until 2 p.m.

Once loaded, the trucks made the deliveries to the four community sites which then distributed the food bags until 5 p.m.

The first two trucks were loaded with 175 bags each by 11 a.m.

Reached by phone Tuesday afternoon, West Rock/West Hills Alder Honda Smith said Tuesday’s pop-up distribution was well received at The Shack. The more than 200 bags received were picked up by families in less than an hour. 

“They gave us some great items to nourish the children and help families with children on their way back to school,” Smith said. 

The 200-plus bags were gone in minutes. Some families told Smith they visited three pop up sites around the city and were not able to secure one bag at any of the sites because of the high demand. 

“People here in this city are really suffering and need help,” Smith said. 

Due to reconstruction projects happening at the Shack and Smith’s recent knee surgeries, she had to pause her partnership with Haven’s Harvest to offer regular food distributions to the neighborhood. 

Once she’s recovered, she said, she hopes to resume the partnership with Haven’s Harvest and establish new partners to open a food pantry at the Shack. 

“There’s a definite need and I think the city really needs to invest and help United Way and these groups to bring forth more,” Smith added. 

After packing the bags and loading each truck, volunteers took donut and coffee breaks to recharge.

Velasquez also provided volunteers with water as they worked. 

Mother and volunteer Marinda Monfilston joined Tuesday’s packing alongside her five-year-old daughter Laila. The duo put volunteering Tuesday morning in their schedule before heading to the movie theater to see the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. 

Monfilston has volunteered with United Way since 2019 and often tries to encourage her daughter to join in the volunteer opportunities. ​“I tell her about being a good citizen, which is what she learns about in school,” Monfilston said. 

While packing bags Tuesday, Laila made sure to announce which food items she personally enjoyed, like chips, peanut butter, and juice. 

Now heading to kindergarten this year, Laila and Marinda volunteered for a second year with helping to support the summer meal gap distribution. 

The duo were in charge of packing the bags with tuna, peanut butter, and cherry juice boxes. 

“I really believe in having role models show her the importance of helping people that need a little more help,” Monfilston said.