Connecticut Foodshare Headquarters is located in Wallingford, Connecticut. Connecticut Foodshare…read moresupports individuals and families from one end of the state to another by addressing root causes, creating long-term solutions, and distributing nutritious food through local partner programs to alleviate hunger. I got the opportunity to volunteer at Connecticut Foodshare from a fellow foodie who invited other foodie content creators. We had a great time, and we were able to help families all across the world. We had to go through an assortment of foods to ensure they were good, and we made boxes with assorted foods. We packed 16,637 pounds of food that would provide 13,864 meals for families. I'm excited that we had the chance to volunteer at Connecticut Foodshare, where I became an integral part of a team and provided essential support to those facing food insecurity.

Connecticut Foodshare HQ is located in Wallingford, CT with 85,000 square feet of space running…read moreoperations with 120 employees and gets assistance majority from volunteers. They have a beautiful mission to deliver an informed and equitable response to hunger by mobilizing community partners. I got the opportunity to volunteer with a group, all invited by word of mouth to sort produce separating spoiled products from the good ones. The staff were incredible with giving us the information we needed to directing us on how we can assist multiple families in need. At the end of the day, as a group we boxed 16,637 pounds of food that would impact 13,864 meals. That's incredible for 3 hours! It is amazing work and I commend all their staff for what they are doing every day to feed families in need!

"Because I'm hungry for those good things, baby Hungry…read morethrough and through I'm hungry for that sweet life, baby With a real fine girl like you" (Hungry - Paul Revere and the Raiders) "Hungry" should be a word in a song lyric and never a word needed by someone in real life. The Windsor Food Bank's Mission Statement is simple. It strives to ensure "that no resident goes hungry, is cold, or is without basic necessities". They offer community assistance in the forms of food, fuel, prescription medication, public transportation passes, and vouchers and gift cards for their clients to buy household items and clothing. I became involved with the Windsor Food Bank when I was asked to run a charity event at work. After speaking with their Windsor Social Services, we agreed to host a food drive for delivery in early November. The WFB was very responsive to my e-mails and always answered my questions promptly, like when I asked if they had their own collection boxes we could use. We borrowed six of their plastic crates that folded up flat and were very easy to transport and set up. WFB also gave us a list of their most needed items -Peanut Butter and Jelly, Pasta and Spaghetti Sauce, Macaroni and Cheese, Canned Meats, Crackers, Cereal, Baked Beans, Canned Vegetables, Canned Fruit, Fruit Juice, Condiments, Coffee, Tea, Hot Cocoa, Paper Towels, Tissues, Personal Care Items, Soap and Shampoo, and Baby Wipes. They also gave us a list of Thanksgiving items - Instant Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, Gravy Mixes, Canned Vegetables, Bread and Muffin Mixes, and Dessert Mixes. We printed these on some flyers and posted them in four of our different business centers. We set up their collection boxes around our work campus and delivered everything today. They were waiting for us with manpower and rolling carts to unload our three cars and a truck. We all worked together to move the cans and boxes and jars and packets inside. After we took a group photo, we were walking back to our vehicles and it struck us all as to how good it felt to have done this collection program. The WFB needs your help, and they need food donations more than they need volunteer hour donations. They accept donations from 9 am to 4pm Monday to Friday.

December 13, 2020 I…read moreglad support any Food Bank. Each dollar turned into seven dollars worth of food, so if I send dollar five cents, is turned into seven dollars and thirty five cents worth of food. That is the start to help children, this situation children of Windsor, Connecticut. This is second review of this Food Bank. Glad help children of Windsor, Connecticut, The Constitution State. As I write this, I know tomorrow is another date mark of the shooting at the school of Newtown, Connecticut. My thoughts and my prayers still with friends in Newtown and all over state of Connecticut.

You may have donated a few cans of soup to Foodshare over the years, but did you know they have…read moreCommunity Service volunteer opportunities for you and your team, either in Windsor or Hartford? Our offices sent a team of 14 over to Windsor this morning and we spent three hours sorting meats and poultry donated by local supermarket chains. There were many job functions and stations necessary for us to sort through 5,950 pounds of food. When the food is donated by supermarkets, all of the different meats are stored in a Foodshare walk-in freezer in big plastic bins- so the bins were full of every sort of meat found in your supermarket's meat and poultry cases. Here is what we did: Station # 1 - Big pallets full of the bins that the frozen meats were packed were delivered to us via forklift. We opened up the bins and sorted the meat by type- beef, ground beef, poultry, pork, lamb, veal, specialty, sausage, bacon, etc. Stations # 2, 3, 4, 5, -The sorted meats went to a dedicated line where teams packaged cartons for the specific types of meats. We put a sticker on the outside of the carton (beef or poultry, etc.), inspected each package for damaged packaging, marked over the UPC with a Sharpie, put a Foodshare sticker on each package, and weighed the cartons we were creating so they clocked in between 28 and 32 pounds. When a box was completed, it was stacked on a rolling cart. Station # 6 -The rolling carts were brought over to a ten degree walk in freezer where the finished cartons were stacked by category onto pallets - 24 boxes to a pallet. Station # 7 -The bins we emptied out had to be wiped down, sanitized and restacked. It was a lot of fun to see how everyone worked together doing all of these different tasks. After a while, we were efficiently working as though we were a team that had been doing this work for 5 years. It was quite a rewarding experience. Go grab your work buddies and give it a go.

In lieu of favors at our wedding last month, Jason M. and I made a donation to Foodshare. It was a…read moreno-brainer to select this charity because they have served many families in-need in the Hartford area. Making a donation was very easy to do online. Not only did I get a thank you card, I also got a thank phone call from a representative! I felt good that my donation was very appreciated. Thus, I will continue to support Foodshare whenever I am in the financial situation to give.

Connecticut Food Bank is doing a great work for many of the organizations that help those that are…read morein need. Companies should continue to give, or start giving toward CFB, especially during times like these. There are many people that benefit from the CFB and the generosity of others. Staff is friendly, helpful and love what they do, keep on doing CFB... you guys ROCK!

The Windsor Locks Food Pantry, under the umbrella of Social Services, provides food weekly for many…read morefood deficient families in town. I've been volunteering there since the beginning of this year (minus the three months when I was recovering from a broken wrist). Couple things. Stockpiles / shelves are getting seriously low. Our pantry is mainly dependent on Foodshare and donations from locals. Families are vetted. Some of the recipients are homeless or live in cars. Consider volunteering at a local pantry or soup kitchen, and consider donating money and / or food. It seems as though our director is weekly shopping at Walmart to buy canned and boxed non-perishable items that we would otherwise run out of. Finally, if any of the readers of this review want to donate to the Windsor Locks Food Pantry, message me and I'll send you specifics on how to do so. Thank you

I really love this goodwill. It's a little cramped and the racks are packed tightly. I feel like…read morethe customer service is really good. I did see a worker take a pair of Micheal Kors Sneakers from someone (after they set them down) and never bring them back out. But I kinda can't blame him. Gotta feed your family. There is a bathroom but it's 1/2 decent. There are dressing rooms that are great. Sometimes a line. You have to comb through and sometimes wait in a line but I always find something I love.

One of the few Goodwills that is large, clean, and had some quality items. The aisles were wide and…read moreorganized. Scored an LL Bean fleece for $10. Saw a pair for LL Bean duck boots for $15. There were a bunch of brand names for cheap. The cashier was friendly at checkout. They don't have bags so I recommend bringing your own or just carrying your stuff out. All on all, definitely the best Goodwill I've been to and I've been to quite a few.