Latest news with #ConnecticutFoodshare
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
WTNH News 8 collecting donations for Connecticut Foodshare
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Summer break is coming, but it's no vacation if you're a hungry kid in our community. On Friday, June 20, join News 8 at a food drive for Nexstar's Founder's Day of Caring at the Connecticut Foodshare at 2 Research Pkwy in Wallingford. Drop off items between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on June 20 at the Connecticut Foodshare. Click here to make a monetary donation through Monday, June 23. Items include microwavable meals, applesauce and fruit cups, cereal, 100% juice, snacks, macaroni and cheese, fruit/granola/cereal bars, fruit snacks, and any other shelf-stable or non-perishable items. Every year, Nexstar stations across the country celebrate the day in June by giving back and volunteering as a way to express gratitude to their local communities. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
8 Things to Do This Weekend: Bucking broncos, battling robots and a breadlover's paradise
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Bucking broncos, battling robots, or a bread lover's paradise, a lot is happening in Connecticut this weekend! Here are eight things to do: For a good dose of country living, Goshen is the place to be. The 20th Annual Goshen Stampede runs all weekend. You can check out the state's biggest rodeo, a tractor pull and demolition derby, along with great food and music. Foodies can try some of the best dishes in the capital city at the Harford Taste Street Festival. Some of the city's best restaurants showcase their offerings on Friday and Saturday. The celebration of food, art and music benefits Connecticut Foodshare. More than 200 rescue pets of all shapes and sizes will be up for adoption on Saturday at Catherine's Butterfly Party in Newtown. It's the 9th Annual Rescue Pet Event at The Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary. Bread lovers, this one is for you. The Stonington BreadFest is a friendly baking competition to see how well your cookies, sourdough, and bundt cakes stack up against one another. The bakers square off Saturday at Stonington's Velvet Mill. The Hartford Dance Collective will bring the elegance of dance to the New Britain Museum of American Art on Saturday. Five new choreography creations will make their debut on stage. If a heavy metal battle is more your speed, on Saturday, you can watch robots battle to the death in the National Havoc Robot League. The winner at the House of Havoc in Norwalk will head to the world finals in December. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra will spend the weekend bringing the works of one of the greatest composers of the 20th century to life. The Bushnell in Hartford will host 'Rachmaninoff and Rhapsody in Blue' with shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This is a big weekend for hikers in Connecticut! CT Trails Day 2025 features over 200 events on hiking trails throughout the state. The hiking adventures range from easy hikes suitable for the whole family to challenging trails for seasoned hikers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal funding cuts hit as food insecurity rises in Connecticut
WALLINGFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Paul Cirillo and Tom Miller say the line to get into the St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen sometimes stretches out the door and around the Waterbury building. 'There's new faces,' Cirillo said. 'There's people I don't know that I've been seeing coming here.' USDA funding cuts have harsh impact on Connecticut food pantries New faces are now lining up for help; many part of the Asset Limited Income Constrained and Employed (ALICE) population. The program serves people who have jobs, but just don't make enough to adequately feed their families. 'There's more than 516,000 people who don't know where their next meal is coming from,' Jason Jakobowski, president & CEO of Connecticut Foodshare said. Connecticut Foodshare says the numbers are in from Food America's annual Map the Meal Gap report and they are sobering. Food insecurity is up 11% since last year and up 40% since 2020, which was at the height of the pandemic. A closer look shows, 1 in 6 of those who are food insecure are children and 1 in 12 are seniors. The amount of seniors who are food insecure has increased by 52% since 2020. Jakobowski says the gap is growing. Ninety eight million meals are needed and 44 million meals are distributed by Connecticut Foodshare each year. When the shelves are empty in the warehouse, Jakobowski says that is also when shelves are empty at the more than 600 food pantries Connecticut Foodshare serves, and that's why he says now is the time to take action. He says cuts to the SNAP and Medicaid programs could mean even longer lines at places like the St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen which serves about 300 households in the greater Waterbury area. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers play kickball to benefit CT Foodshare
HARTFORD Conn. (WTNH) — State lawmakers were battling it out in Hartford on Monday evening, but this time it was not over policy. Monday was the Fourth Annual Bipartisan Kickball game between the Democrats and Republicans at Dunkin' Park. USDA funding cuts have harsh impact on Connecticut food pantries Instead of the high-stakes fights during the legislative session, the lawmakers come together on the field for some good-natured competition, which benefits Connecticut Foodshare. Connecticut Foodshare President and CEO Jason Jakubowski noted that for every dollar raised for Connecticut Foodshare, they can provide two meals in the state. 'The more important thing though, we get it, it's 2025,' Jakubowski said. 'Democrats and Republicans don't agree on a whole heck of a lot. But here they are together trying to help solve hunger in the state of Connecticut. We really appreciate it and it has been a good game so far.' Watch the video in the player above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CT Foodshare to lose over 1 million pounds of food due to federal cuts: How it affects Norwich
Budget cuts to food programs from the United States Department of Agriculture can be felt all over the country, including in Connecticut. In March, Connecticut Foodshare experienced 'drastic cuts' to federal funding, including the elimination of the Local Food Purchase Assistance 2025 Cooperative Agreement (LFPA) and the loss of 34 truckloads from The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), the organization stated in press releases. 'This is a huge loss for Connecticut Foodshare, our local food pantries and the Connecticut residents we serve,' the organization stated. Connecticut Foodshare received $3 million in funds from past rounds of LFPA funding, funding 1 million meals. That funding allowed the organization to purchase food from local farms and provide healthy foods to those in need, External Communications Director Ayah Galal said. 'It's a big loss not having that program anymore,' she said. 'Connecticut became a national model for the LFPA program.' TEFAP is a federal nutrition program that moves food from farms to food banks, for people facing hunger. The program, which purchases fruits and vegetables from U.S. growers, is run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The loss of TEFAP means Connecticut Foodshare is out 1.4 million pounds of food and would cost $1.7 million to recoup, Galal said. 'We're a nonprofit, so we don't have endless flows of money,' she said. 'It's been a gut punch.' The current situation is business as usual for the Gemma Moran Food Center, although there's been an increase in demand, and more people using services than before, due to rising food prices, United Way of Southeastern Connecticut President and CEO Dina Sears-Graves said. The Food Center itself isn't dependent on federal funds, relying on community donations and the retail recovery program instead. However, Connecticut Foodshare took a hit from the government cuts, so organizations using Foodshare, including the St. Vincent de Paul Place in Norwich, will look to other sources to make up for that loss, including the Food Center, Sears-Graves said. 'Eventually, we will not have enough food based on that,' she said. This said, Sears-Graves is confident the community will 'rise to the occasion,' and support the Food Center, she said. 'Hopefully through donations, we'll be able to make up some of the difference,' Sears-Graves said. Connecticut Foodshare is supporting state House Bill 7021, which would give the organization additional funds. The State of Connecticut currently gives Connecticut Foodshare $850,000 annually. If the bill passes, annual funding will increase to $10 million, Galal said. 'That's one way to make up for these lost funds, but we've been pushing for this funding before we found out about the federal cuts,' she said. Galal urges the public to donate to and volunteer for Connecticut Foodshare or their local food banks and pantries, she said. 'It's not an easy time, and it's unfortunate to see how drastically those cuts are impacting us as an organization, and the families we serve,' Galal said. This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: How Trump administration's USDA cuts affecting eastern Connecticut
