COMMUNITY NEWS

VOLUME 2  |  ISSUE 1 |  January 2021

An element of a Happy New Year would be the experience of a Healthy New Year for all of us! And yet, for an increasing number of people, happiness and health are challenged by very real issues of food insecurity. Exacerbating that situation has been the onslaught of COVID-19.  Amidst the horrors of an international health crisis, the demand for our services increased significantly in 2020. We count it a blessing that we were able to rise to the occasion and meet this demand.  We count you as a blessing for helping us to do so!  A summary of what we were able to accomplish with your help and God's grace concludes this month's newsletter.  But first, let's consider where we hope to go from here!

A New Road for the New Year

Unfortunately, we have not seen an end to the increased demand for food assistance brought on by the onslaught of COVID-19. People are still out of work and struggling.  Our ongoing commitment is to make a meaningful difference in hurting households throughout the community.  

With the continuation of USDA Farmers to Family Food Boxes still being negotiated, we needed to have a contingency plan in place and make sure that food continues to flow to the families who need it most. What is not negotiable is our determination to be an ongoing, uninterrupted link in the food supply chain to those who have come to depend upon us.  We have come to an agreement with the Connecticut Food Bank for a pop-up food pantry on Saturday, January 15.  We will work in collaboration with Kingdom Life Christian Church, Cornerstone Christian Center and other local partners to get food into the homes of those who are suffering from food insecurity.  Both before and after that event,  our biweekly stationary pantry, mobile food pantries, two dining center operations and pop-up clothing boutique will continue to serve clients.

In this new year we are determined to move forward, enlarging both our scope and capacity to help people in their time of need.  A new year brings new opportunities.

NEW BREADTH AND DEPTH

It continues to be a privilege for us to provide a helping hand to those who are experiencing food insecurity.  We will always hold a significant space in the business of alleviating hunger.  And yet, our hearts yearn to do more. Stay tuned as our board strategizes ways in which we can go deeper and provide help that goes beyond the surface. We do a lot. We can and will do more.

NEW FACILITIES

We are already busting the seams of our facility at 192 Meadow Street.  As we add services, it is inevitable that we will require either additional space or entirely new space. The long-term vision is a big one. 

 NEW SOURCES OF FUNDING

Along with a big vision comes the necessity of having to generate new sources of funding. Toward that end, we will be contracting with a consultant and grant-writer. We are determined to move both wisely and assertively into new realms of helpfulness. 

We provided food to people in need:

• Provided 189,674 meals through our stationary food pantry.
• Provided 23,483 meals through our mobile food pantry.
• Distributed 944 Thanksgiving baskets with turkeys and all the holiday fixings.
• Served 1,902 meals (to go) at the Beth El Soup Kitchen.
• Served 8,693 meals (to go) at the Wheelers Farms Road Dining Center.
• Initiated a wonderful collaboration between Cornerstone Christian Center, Kingdom Life Christian Church,  and ourselves to distribute 3,726 USDA Farmers to Families Food Boxes. 
• In collaboration with the Connecticut Food Bank and Kingdom Life Christian Church we conducted a pop-up food pantry where we provided food to 508 households. 

We took steps beyond food provision: 

• In partnerships with the Cornell West Hill Health Center and Optimus Healthcare we conducted 4 pop-up COVID-19 testing events. 
• We also conducted two online pardon workshops to help individuals navigate the   Connecticut State pardon application.

We received a great honor from Gateway Community College:

• The Storehouse Project was a proud and grateful honoree of Gateway Community College Foundation’s 2020 Hometown Hero Award for our work of food provision to their campus through our mobile pantry.

We expanded our capacity to serve:

• We purchased an 8’ x 12’ outdoor freezer to greatly enhance our ability to store food. Not only has the freezer proven to be an invaluable resource to us, but it has also enabled us to help out another community service provider in their temporary need for freezer space. We endeavor to be good neighbors. We are all in this together. 
• We also purchased an amazing mobile pantry vehicle with stainless steel interior, refrigeration and a generator. 

We successfully navigated staff changes:

• It’s hard to say enough words of gratitude for the scores of volunteers who have helped The Storehouse Project touch thousands of lives.
• We bid “Happy Retirement” to Joan Peret, who for 18 years, directed our pantry with love and excellence.  Thanks and God bless you Joan! To fill those enormous shoes, faithful leader in the pantry Deborah Gallon was introduced as our new Pantry Director. 
• Similarly, after 8 years of serving in the program and four years as our extraordinarily energetic Director of Logistics, Ray Mendoza also retired at the end of the year. Thanks and God bless you Ray! He was replaced by two part-time logistics coordinators, Alex Christiana and Dennis Edgeworth.
• We appointed Robert Guidry as our new Director of our mobile operation.  He has already increased the number of communities that we are able to serve to a total of eight from Bridgeport to New Haven. 

And now. . .we need YOU!

We’re surely moving forward, but we recognize that we can’t go very far without your ongoing support. 

With or without new major sources of funding, we need the ongoing support of those who appreciate the work that we do. If  that’s you, thank you. Here are two ways that you can come alongside of our mission.

Make a donation. A donation of any size will be welcomed, greatly appreciated and put to very good use. Please click the red donation banner  below. It will bring you to the donation page of our website.

Volunteer. We have many volunteer openings available, especially weekly on Monday afternoons/evenings and Thursday mornings. We will also need help during special periodic events. For further information, please contact us at info@storehouseprojectct.org.

Challenging times bring out the best in those of us who have a desire to be even just a small part of bringing relief. We are at our best and most effective when we come together. Thank you for whatever role you can play. God Bless You!

Sincerely,

Rev. Todd C. Foster

Executive Director

The Storehouse Project