Food Pantry in New Haven, Connecticut

This ministry through partnerships with area food banks seeks to provide food for those in the community who are in need each month.

Every Saturday morning from 9:00-10:30 hundreds of people gather outside the Church of St. Paul & St. James for our Loaves & Fishes ministry. This ministry began with a food pantry, but it much more than a food pantry. Each person is valued and we do all we can to extend radical hospitality to all who enter through our doors. We serve the working poor, unemployed, and all those in need by providing a bag of groceries to each person who comes through our doors on Saturday mornings. No one is turned away and by the grace of God we now serve 200 to 300 households each Saturday. Our hospitality extends way beyond providing food.

Food insecurity is the new name for hunger in America, as unprecedented millions of Americans struggle to put food on the table for their families. Borrowing an idea from a recent documentary film about this crisis, A Place at the Table, we are putting a face on these stories from CAANH's Open Choice Food Pantry. Even though most of our clients work, they are still unable to make ends meet. Our Food Pantry allows clients to choose the foods they want, rather than making the decision for them, not always the way most pantries operate. Whenever possible, CAANH chooses healthful food items. Every year, Community Action Agency's Open Choice Food Pantry distributes more than 30,000 pounds of food. Through our ChiliFest and grants, we are able to buy the food provided in our pantry. The current economic situation is creating a greater need now more than ever. People who've never needed food assistance are now visiting the CAANH Food Pantry. CAANH provides an emergency food supply to eligible low income households in New Haven, once a month by appointment only. Customers can choose what goes into their bag(s) from different food groups (fruits, vegetables, cereals, rice and pasta, tuna, peanut butter, soups, meat as available), rather than receiving a pre-packed bag of food. Please schedule an appointment by calling 203-387-7700 X172. Food Pantry visits occur on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

The Morning Manna was the first program that was conceived by Bishop Brooks. It is an outreach of the Beulah Heights Church to the “unchurched” who have never had an experience with traditional religious experience. The Morning-Manna is now the name given to the soup kitchen. A person's body and spirit must both be fed in order to function at his or her peak. A nutritious meal can help keep the body healthy and aid in the healing process. Words of faith, encouragement and wisdom can lift a person's spirit and give them a brand new outlook on life. The Morning Manna is non- traditional faith- based, religious experience offered to the homeless, ex-offender and those dealing with substance abuse. It is a place where hope, faith, love is found and nurtured to give the worshippers hope in a hopeless situation. Beginning October 1, 2013, hot breakfast will be served on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 8:15am - 8:45am. Lunch will is served on Saturdays during the summer at 11:30am - 12:00pm and in the winter from 12:00pm - 1:00pm. Transportation is offered by calling 475-238-8270 by Friday at 12:00 p.m.

In 1984 a group of faculty and students got together to discuss starting a soup kitchen to serve lunch on Wednesdays. I imagine at the time that they hoped their efforts might be temporary; in the current economy they could not have been more wrong! The vision and creativity that surrounded that collaboration continues each week as we prepare to welcome over 250 guests to The Thomas E. Golden, Jr. Center. To see the enthusiasm with which talented Yalies debate over how best to prepare the pile of potatoes before them is a unique experience indeed! The most rewarding work though is witnessing the interactions that take place around this meal: the song requests a student takes as she plays the guitar during lunch; the proud smiles on the faces of the guests as they stand and sing with her and the kids dancing along with the beat; the generosity the guests show one another by carrying soup and an extra dessert; the mother who let me rock her three month old to sleep so that she could eat her lunch … with 2 hands; all moments that glimpse the extraordinary in the ordinary moments. The laughter that fills our dining hall each Wednesday gives witness to our hope of providing a pleasant and respectful atmosphere for our guests. It has been our profound privilege to have known each volunteer and guest that has been a part of this project and we are grateful to you all! Student volunteers are always needed to prepare food, serve, greet and converse with our guests, make scarves and much more!

Cathedral of Higher Praise C.O.G.O.P. is made up of various ministries that support being equipped in the Word of God and stands together to accomplish your Spiritual Growth.

Today, the JFS Pantry and its food programs serve people near or below poverty line, or who are nutritionally at risk. Our food pantry, located at 1440 Whalley Ave., offers non-perishables to needy families as a once monthly supplement to food stamps. The Food Pantry is open each Tuesday from 9-12 and two Fridays per month. Emergency food assistance can be obtained after 10:30 a.m. on the days we are open. A current photo ID/license, proof of dependents and income are required during the emergency food application process. For emergency food, please call 203-397-0796. More than 5,000 pounds of nonperishable food are distributed through JFS each month! The food distributed is purchased from the Connecticut Food Bank, in addition to food received from donations from individuals and from food drives by synagogues, schools, organizations and local businesses.The pantry is funded in part by a grant from the United Way of Greater New Haven.

Community Soup Kitchen provides lunch weekdays (except Wednesday) at our Broadway location, in the Parish House of the Christ Church, Episcopal. Working with four other sites, we also offer breakfast to the homeless and hungry four days a week. In addition to providing free nutritious meals, Community Soup Kitchen acts as a host site for agencies that offer various assistance to our guests, such as Hill Health Center, and the ACCESS mental health outreach team, as well as employment and pre-employment resources. Twice each week we work with Saint Luke’s Services to provide lunch for needy women and children. We also provide bagged lunches for the homeless outreach program at Fellowship Place. Community Soup Kitchen’s operating budget is approximately $375,000. We do not receive state or federal funds. We do, however, receive some food from government programs, and have received grants from the City of New Haven to sustain our work. Community Soup Kitchen has a paid staff of three, and a volunteer coordinator and all-volunteer Board. We also have many dedicated volunteers from Yale and the wider community, court mandated workers, and clients of Chapel Haven who participate in rehabilitative programs featuring work in our kitchen and dining room. Our guests include the jobless, homeless, elderly, those living with AIDS, those living on welfare, the mentally ill, chronic substance abusers, single parents, the working poor, veterans, and the lonely and hungry people of our community.

Since the early 1970’s, CCA has made a food pantry available to families with children, senior citizens and people with disabilities in the Hill section of New Haven, Connecticut. Over the years we have served more than 50,000 people. Starting in the spring of 2001, we have offered a "Client Choice" Program. Food pantry participants are given the opportunity to "shop" for their food items rather than receiving a pre-made bag. CCA maintains membership with the Connecticut Food Bank.

Project M.O.R.E., Inc. provides Basic Needs Services that address the fundamental needs of its clients and their families. These services ensure that each client is provided access to essential supports throughout their transition. They can be utilized at any point in which extra assistance is vital to the well-being of themselves, their families, and/or their successful transition. Through a partnership with the Connecticut Food Bank, the New Haven AIC provides non-perishable foods to both program clients and the community at large. The food pantry is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11AM – 4PM. Access to the food pantry is available while supplies last. All patrons must fill out a form in order to determine household size. Clients should contact the AIC at 203-865-5700 prior to pick up to ensure availability of food.