About – NSS Inc.

About NSS, Inc.

Our Mission and Vision for Food and Nutrition Security – A Unique Approach!

NSS, Inc. is a modern pantry service using innovation to promote nutrition security among elderly and disabled individuals experiencing food insecurity.

Through our strategic food conservation approach, NSS, Inc. can serve a growing number of people despite limited food supplies.

Centralized Food Distribution Model

Our operations are anchored by a centralized food warehouse, which supplies a network of food pantry partners throughout Greater New Haven. As outlined in our 2023-2025 plan, NSS, Inc. is developing a Five-Satellite Collaboration Network based on predicted regional food resources.

Modern Advantages from NSS Collaborations

Collaborative Partnerships: We collaborate with other food pantries by processing online orders through our central warehouse, enhancing service capacity.
Regulated Outflow: Our system regulates food distribution through client-choice shopping, accessible via the “Order Food” option on our website. Inventory inflows are expertly managed and balanced to meet our clients’ needs.
Common Inventory Standards: We maintain a common food inventory focused on nutritional quality and dietary specificity, with high standards for safe handling, storage, and distribution.
Consultative Services: NSS, Inc. also provides consultative services to organizations interested in starting and managing e-commerce food warehouse operations.

Support for Small Local Farms

Small family farms struggle due to the withdrawal of federal support.
By fostering these partnerships, we create year-round access to fresh produce, which supports healthy aging.
With fresh produce from local small farms, NSS sponsors fresh produce drives several times a year at partnering community sites.

Impact on Food and Nutrition Security

Our programs empower people with greater autonomy and real choice in the nutritious foods they receive.

NSS, Inc. addresses the social determinants of health (SDOH) that often arise among older populations with poor nutrition and limited healthcare access. We provide foods recommended by healthcare professionals to support clients’ dietary needs.

Our inventory aligns with these dietary requirements, enhanced by filtered client shopping lists that address specific dietary concerns.

This feature can be seen in action on our Food page.

We recognize that aging can make it harder to maintain body weight and muscle mass, and conditions like cancer and COPD require additional calories and protein. NSS, Inc. maintains a supply of calorie and protein supplements and seeks donations to ensure our pantry users’ needs are met, as these supplements are not reliably available elsewhere.
Please support our efforts by donating through our Amazon Wish List or donating directly.

Addressing Homelessness and Daily Living Challenges

NSS, Inc. helps combat homelessness among elderly and disabled individuals by making daily living easier, especially for those in public housing. Many of our clients in Greater New Haven have lived in poverty on fixed incomes for years. Data from “The Logan Report,” January 2020, highlights the founding reasons for NSS, Inc. and the ongoing need in our community.

“The Logan Report”, January 2020: Interview with Dr. Sandra Kops, PhD, RDN, NSS founder and president, by CT State Senator George Logan, outlining the reasons for starting NSS. https://vimeo.com/channels/1451787

Since the COVID pandemic, key indicators of poverty and hunger are now participation in SNAP and the number of pantry visits per month. Individuals living on poverty incomes face difficult decisions between covering rent, medical care, and food. They rely on food assistance programs like NSS, Inc. pantries for essential nutrition to maintain health and manage medical conditions.

All pantry users in the NSS, Inc. network reside in or near rent-subsidized housing due to very low incomes. The current affordable housing crisis and reductions in government support make NSS, Inc. services more crucial than ever. In Connecticut, 22% of seniors work full-time to afford rent. There is no income for shopping at stores for food.

Our goal is to establish the NSS pantry network near neighborhoods with significant elderly populations, particularly those with mobility challenges that limit access to food. We are building partnerships with local community living and healthcare centers to better serve these residents.

Bridging the Nutrition Gap

With reductions in SNAP benefits and new work requirements for those aged 55-65, many face increased difficulty in accessing adequate nutrition. NSS, Inc. is filling the gap left by the loss of the SNAP-Ed federally funded program by including nutrition information flyers in every food assistance package. As nutrition educators, we help clients stretch limited SNAP dollars by ranking all inventory items by nutrition.