Neighborhood food drive

NSS Inc. food pantry programs offer assistance with neighborhood food drives.

2021-present

In the Spring of 2021, NSS, Inc had a large quantity of food supplies from the CTFoodShare and became aware of nearby neighborhoods of New Haven where citizens did not have easy access to food. Demographic risk factor data of households in this particular area of Greater New Haven established that households had 4-5 health and economic risk factors, translating into vulnerability to natural disasters and other public health crises.

In 2021 alone, NSS has been able to connect residents in need with over 16,000 pounds of food.

Early in 2022, a new food bank warehouse opened in Manchester, CT, where food assistance agencies can visit once a month to obtain some of the food supplies at no cost for their pantries. Around this time NSS, Inc. joined the Community Food Action Network (CFAN), a monthly roundtable for agencies to share information on issues around their pantry operations.

By mid summer, 2022 food costs were increasing due to supply chain failures and raised costs for transporting food goods.

The regional foodbank, CTFoodShare had a noticeable decrease in the inventory of foods for the charitable food system, reflected in fewer item choices and limited varieties of food items, causing concern for the nutritional quality of foods offered to pantry visitors.

GNHA community food assistance agencies including CFAN cooperated to sponsor pop-up food drives at school sites intermittently during June and July, but these did not serve the total need for food by people in these neighborhoods. NSS, Inc. contributes to these food drives along with other neighborhood food assistance agencies and local churches during stop gap months (Late summer into early winter), especially in the current situation of food shortages and high prices of food at the grocery stores.

Every month NSS, Inc. obtains food from Manchester foodbank and donates some of these food supplies for neighborhood food drives; foods that increase the amount of nutritious foods for a balanced selection when neighbors in need come to these drives for food assistance.