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Stamford Food Collaborative

 

The City of  Stamford is fortunate to have a number of food pantries and congregate meal providers to address the needs of food insecure residents. However, the city lacked an entity that allowed those providers to meet on a regular basis, discuss shared concerns, coordinate food donations, or jointly apply for grants.

Acting as a convener of these providers was a natural role for United Way of Western Connecticut to play. By bringing the providers together, we were able to help community partners address the needs of people who are food insecure in an intentional, coordinated way.

The Stamford Food Collaborative was launched in 2015. Since then, members have increased their capacities to better serve their clients and they have expanded their ability to offer fresh, healthy food.

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS

  • More than 20 food pantries and congregate meal providers in each community meet on a regular basis to discuss opportunities for food rescue and delivery, client needs and trends, and other shared concerns.
  • The Stamford Food Collaborative has published A Guide to Accessing Food in multiple languages: English (PDF) Espanol (PDF)
  • NEW! Food Guide for Seniors: English (PDF)
  • Working together, the collaborative has been awarded grants to increase refrigeration and freezer space in local pantries, so that more fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, and fish can be offered to clients.

For more information about the Stamford Food Collaborative, contact Cara Mitchell at 203-883-0879 or cara.mitchell@uwwesternct.org.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

$25,000 in grants awarded to purchase new freezers and refrigerators to store healthy food

Fresh food rescued by the Stamford Food Collaborative now helps fill city food pantries.

The Stamford Food Collaborative convenes task forces to focus on addressing food security needs of many vulnerable opoulations across Stamford, including seniors and families with young children.

SUCCESS STORY

We'll be sharing stories of how this program has changed lives soon!

 

If you need immediate assistance accessing emergency food or nutrition programs, please dial 2-1-1 or visit 211ct.org for United Way’s free and confidential database of services and programs for those in need.
 

Download our guides to access food resources in Stamford:

A Guide to Accessing Food in Stamford (PDF)

Una guía de acceso a los alimentos en Stamford (en Espanol) (PDF)

Food Guide for Seniors (PDF)