United Way of Southeastern Connecticut and Connecticut Foodshare announced that they are working together to better serve people who are food insecure in New London County. Together, both organizations will work with the network of community-based hunger relief programs, bringing more food to those in need. By partnering together, both organizations will operate more efficiently and deploy more resources into the community
United Way of Southeastern Connecticut has operated the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center (Food Center) since 1988 to serve all towns in New London County, which include mobile, drive-thru distributions every month.
“We are excited to enter into this partnership with Connecticut Foodshare,” said Dina Sears-Graves, President and CEO of United Way of Southeastern Connecticut. “Both organizations have a deep desire to get food to families struggling with hunger, whether it’s through emergency food sites or mobile deployments. This arrangement will further enhance that work.”
“At the end of the day, we are all working towards the common goal of addressing the needs of those struggling with food insecurity here in Connecticut. Through this partnership we will be able to continue meeting those needs in New London County, and hopefully will increase our collective impact,” said Jason Jakubowski, President and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare.
Connecticut Foodshare and United Way organizations in Connecticut work together in sharing data to better understand the challenges facing people in the state, including United Way’s ALICE Report (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), which has highlighted the need for a living wage. ALICE households are employed, but still struggle to afford basic needs such as food, shelter and childcare. In the last ALICE Report, 33% of households in New London County were either ALICE or living below the Federal Poverty line.
The ALICE population has been especially hard hit, noted Sears-Graves. “Many households are still recovering from the impact of stay in place orders, furloughs, and job loss as a result of the pandemic. Many have never had to ask for food before, so more food is needed to help individuals and families. In addition, this population have budgets that, when food prices increase like we are seeing now, impact them significantly. The partnership with Connecticut Foodshare is bringing more food into the county that will greatly help.”
The overall food insecurity rate before the pandemic in New London County was 11.7% and the child food insecurity rate was 14.9 %. However, the pandemic impacted so many individuals and families, so it is expected that these numbers will rise. The Food Center and Connecticut Foodshare have been working hard to meet the demand and this new partnership will assist in this effort.
