Connecticut Food Bank Launches Norwalk Mobile Pantry at Ben Franklin Center
Mobile Pantry hosted by Family & Children’s Agency and Funded by Filling in the Blanks, will be Every Fourth Saturday
Norwalk, Conn. – March 12, 2019 – The Connecticut Food Bank is bringing its Mobile Pantry to Norwalk to deliver fresh and nutritious food for Norwalk area families in need. The Food Bank is partnering with Family & Children’s Agency (FCA) to host the site at the Ben Franklin Center, located at 66 Bayview Avenue, in the Center’s parking lot. The Mobile Pantry is made possible with funding from Filling in the Blanks.
The pantry will host its first distribution on Saturday, March 23, from 10:30AM to 11:30AM, and will return at the same time each month on the fourth Saturday.
“This Mobile Pantry is an important expansion of our mission at Filling in the Blanks, fighting childhood hunger in our local communities,” said Sue Mirza, Board member of Filling in the Blanks. “This partnership will benefit the whole family, providing additional nutritious foods which help reduce food insecurity and ensure that children are well-fed and prepared for school success.”
The Connecticut Food Bank Mobile Pantry addresses food deserts and transportation barriers that make it difficult for people with limited resources to access the nutrition they need. The program operates nearly 50 monthly sites, in urban and remote locations, providing access to foods people might not find in a traditional community pantry, including fresh fruit, vegetables, and frozen foods. The Mobile Pantry is open to all in need. Its no-questions-asked philosophy and farmers’ market feel creates a welcoming environment for shoppers.
“FCA is excited to be part of this partnership with the Connecticut Food Bank and Filling in the Blanks. Bringing the Mobile Pantry into the neighborhood offers easy access to this vitally important resource for our clients and the community at large,” said Robert F. Cashel, President & CEO of FCA.
Connecticut Food Bank CEO Bernie Beaudreau said that Filling in the Blanks is providing both financial and volunteer support of the Mobile Pantry site. “Both Filling in the Blanks and FCA have the networks that can help spread the word on this new offering and help us make it a success,” Beaudreau added. “This weekend pantry makes these foods accessible to many households that struggle to put food on the table despite family members working one or more jobs.”
The Connecticut Food Bank Mobile Pantry will be the fourth Saturday of every month at the Ben Franklin Center parking lot at 66 Bayview Avenue. The first Mobile Pantry will be Saturday, March 23, from 10:30AM to 11:30AM, and will occur at the same time the fourth Saturday of each month. The Mobile Pantry is open to all in need. Pantry shoppers are encouraged to bring their own reusable grocery bags. More information about the Connecticut Food Bank Mobile Pantry schedule is available at www.ctfoodbank.org/mobilepantry.
Norwalk based Filling in the Blanks fights childhood hunger by providing children in need with meals on the weekends. Filling in the Blanks will deliver approximately 100,000 meals in the next 12 months to food insecure kids in Stamford, Norwalk, and Greenwich. Filling in the Blanks is feeding Children in Connecticut. Visit Filling in the Blanks website at www.fillingintheblanks.org, like them on Facebook and follow @filling_blanks on Twitter and Instagram.
For more than 75 years, Family & Children’s Agency (FCA) has been helping individuals and families throughout Fairfield County and beyond to realize life’s possibilities. With more than 30 programs serving more than 13,000 of our neighbors in need each year, FCA provides strength-based, solution- focused services to children, families, adults, and seniors.
About the Connecticut Food Bank:
The Connecticut Food Bank is committed to alleviating hunger in Connecticut by providing food resources, raising awareness of the challenges of hunger, and advocating for people who need help meeting basic needs. The Connecticut Food Bank partners with the food industry, food growers, donors, and volunteers to distribute nutritious food to people in need. Last year through a network of nearly 700 community-based programs, the Connecticut Food Bank distributed enough food to provide more than 20.3 million meals. The Connecticut Food Bank provides food in six Connecticut counties - Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, and Windham counties – where nearly 300,000 people struggle with hunger. Visit us on the web at www.ctfoodbank.org, like us on Facebook and follow @CTFoodBank on Twitter and Instagram.