Bloomfield, CT
–
Foodshare has served more than 135,000 households over the past four months at its drive-thru food distribution at Rentschler Field.
“Starting in September we will be distributing food at Rentschler Field on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Over the next few weeks we will continue to educate our community on the resources available to them throughout Greater Hartford to access free food,” said Jason Jakubowski, President and CEO.
A recent survey conducted by the Foodshare Institute showed that over 80% of visitors to the East Hartford site were willing to go to other sites to get food but most were unaware of existing programs. With over 60 Mobile Foodshare sites throughout Hartford and Tolland counties and with a strong community network of nearly 200 pantries and meal programs, Foodshare is encouraging people to access these resources.
“We remain grateful to Governor Lamont, Lieutenant Governor Bysiewicz for allowing us to continue to use Rentschler Field,” said Jakubowski. "In particular, we also want to thank Mike Freimuth and the Capital Region Development Authority for all of their support over these past few months. Distributing food is certainly not the intended use of the Rentschler complex, but the CRDA has been incredibly understanding of our critical work at this very difficult time."
Important information to share with the community:
- Distribution dates: A NEW SCHEDULE STARTING SEPTEMBER 1st
We will be distributing food at Rentschler Field on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8:30 am – 12:00 pm - CLOSED on July 3
- Address: 615 Silver Lane, East Hartford, CT 06118 – Silver Lane entrance; gates will close at Noon
- One allocation of food per car to ensure that we have enough food for everyone.
This emergency distribution at Rentschler Field is in addition to Foodshare’s ongoing efforts to provide food to a network of over 260 pantries, community kitchens, and Mobile Foodshare sites throughout the region. We will continue to support our network to ensure they are prepared to handle the increased attendance as a result of COVID-19 and that all safe, social distancing measures are in place.
Community members can access help through the following:
- Mobile Foodshare an outdoor pantry-on-wheels, to find a site near you please text “FOODSHARE” to 85511 or go to www.foodshare.org/mobile.
- To find a food pantry and other resources near year, call 2-1-1 or go to www.211ct.org/.
If you are interested in volunteering or would like to donate to help us continue to serve our neighbors visit www.foodshare.org.
About Foodshare
Foodshare is leading an informed, coordinated response to hunger in our community. Foodshare is the Feeding America food bank serving Connecticut’s Hartford and Tolland counties, where 119,000 people struggle with hunger. In partnership with the food industry, donors, community leaders and volunteers, Foodshare works to maximize access to nutritious food and other resources that support food security. Last year, Foodshare distributed nearly 14 million meals worth of food to a network of more than 260 local food pantries, meal programs, and Mobile Foodshare sites. And, because it takes more than food to end hunger, Foodshare collaborates with anti-hunger organizations, policy makers, and the broader community to build effective solutions to end hunger.
Foodshare is changing what it means to be a food bank. For more information, visit www.foodshare.org, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
