Wiping out Hunger in Torrington, CTCenter Congregational ChurchFill the Truck Ministry Team

Free lunches for youths in Torrington

2008-07-09T09:00:00.004-04:00

What a great way to help out the family food budget during the summer months and help to curb hunger. Education Connection has funded the program again this year and 40-70 lunches are distributed daily. Check out the article here. Thank you, Education Connection!

Hey, Can you spare some change?

2008-07-08T11:54:00.002-04:00

The Friendly Hands Food Bank will be placing containers throughout Torrington from now until September 30th in an effort to boost donations. According to an article in the Register Citizen today, the shelves will be empty by the end of this month unless donations are received. Put the word out! Look for containers, bring donations to Center Congregational Church or give Mo Hubert of Friendly Hands Food Bank a call. Everybody is feeling the pressure of high gas prices, increased food costs, etc...but some have been hit harder than others. Please consider a monetary or food donation so that maybe everybody will go to bed tonight with a full belly and the comfort of knowing that they are loved and cared for. Who could ask for anything more than that?

Donation pick-up

2008-07-07T14:25:00.001-04:00

Do you want to donate food to our Fill the Truck Ministry but have no way of bringing it to our church? NO PROBLEM! Call me at 860-469-4497 and I will make sure it gets to where it needs to go.

SAVE THE DATE - September 27th

2008-07-07T13:42:00.002-04:00

September is HUNGER AWARENESS MONTH.

How appropriate that Center Congregational Church sponsors its Fall Festival in the month of September! Center Congregational Church's 4th Annual Fall Festival will be held on Saturday, September 27th, on the grounds of Center Congregational Church, 155 Main Street, Torrington, CT. All proceeds of this day will be donated to agencies that help the hungry, the homeless and those in need in our community including: the Torrington Area Council of Churches, Friendly Hands Food Bank, Susan B. Anthony and the McCall Foundation.

Last year $14,000 was given to organizations...let's top that this year!

If you have never been to the Fall Festival (gasp!!!!) here are some things you can expect: the crowd- favorite SILENT AUCTION, a huge tag sale, yummy chicken dinner (take out is available), exquisite handmade jewelery, a bike sale, games and activities for kids, cookies by the pound, and much, much more. Bookmark this page to quickly come back later for updates.

YOU CAN HELP!!! Volunteers are needed for many things between now and the day of the festival...Don't be shy! You can volunteer 10 minutes or 10 hours. (After working with some wonderful people for 10 minutes you'll sign up for more!) Give me a call 860-469-4497 or send an e-mail to pandadeb@optonline.net to find out what you can do to help us make this a success, and check back often for updates.

Connecticut Food Bank's July Newsletter

2008-07-07T13:41:00.000-04:00

freerice.com

2008-05-12T10:24:00.002-04:00

This is an internet vocabulary game that helps to deliver rice to countries in need. For every word you define correctly, 20 grains of rice are donated by a sponsor. Check out the FAQ page ("frequently asked questions") for details and have fun learning and helping to eradicate world hunger!

Connecticut Food Bank's Newsletter for May 2008

2008-05-09T15:09:00.002-04:00

National Coalition for the Homeless

2008-05-02T10:40:00.002-04:00

I just read an article about a new book out: "Soul of a Woman", by A. Rose. Read about the book here; what struck me was reading that all of the proceeds of the book will go to charities that benefit homelessness and the defense of children. What can one person do? PLENTY.

One thing leads to another...the above article led me to a website for the National Coalition for the Homeless.

What a terrific site; very powerful images and information.

Putting a face to homelessness is so important to trigger something inside a person to erupt into action. Here is one such face: Cliff Carle. Read his story and think about how his situation differs from what you think of when you ponder the question, "How does a person end up homeless?"

Everybody has a story to tell.

Project Homeless Connect

2008-05-02T10:38:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Friendly Hands Food Bank!

2008-04-21T13:23:00.001-04:00

17 years...quite the accomplishment. Special thanks to all who are involved with Friendly Hands for your devotion and commitment to an important issue!

Read the article here

Horrible Conditions in Haiti

2008-04-15T14:23:00.002-04:00

I'm sure you have heard of the skyrocketing food prices in Haiti and perhaps you're wondering how you can help.

Ray Dunaway on 1080 WTIC-AM (morning show) discussed the problem on his show this morning...he provided a link to an organization called Haitian Health Foundation. It gives some great insight and information to guide you.

TIME also had an article about the food "trouble" (to put it mildly) in Haiti.

New Details on the Upcoming "Homeless Fair"

2008-04-11T15:17:00.002-04:00

Thank you to Anne Karolyi, Litchfield County editor of the Waterbury Republican-American, for filling me in on the details of next month's "Homeless Fair" in Torrington.

The complete article she obtained from the archives reads:

TORRINGTON — A daylong event planned for May will provide a variety of resources, from medical services, housing and employment assistance to bicycle and wheelchair repair for the area's homeless.

The event, called Project Homeless Connect, is modeled after a program started in San Francisco in 2004 that has since spread across the country to more than 100 cities. This will be Torrington's first, but organizers hope to make it an annual event. The ultimate goal is to help end homelessness.

"It's a way to bring the homeless back into the community, to provide them with services and start them on the road back to being housed," said Nancy Cannavo, who is organizing the event and runs several programs for the area's homeless, including Charlotte Hungerford Hospital's Homeless Outreach Team and the Northwest Connecticut Continuum of Care, a group of providers who work to end local homelessness.

On Jan. 30, volunteers found 157 unsheltered homeless people and 41 in shelters in Litchfield County during a statewide count of the homeless. In this area, most were concentrated in Torrington and Winsted, Cannavo said. But because the count is restricted by statewide organizers to one day, Cannavo said it likely doesn't include everyone.

She hopes 150 to 200 people will attend Project Homeless Connect, which will be held at Coe Park and the Torrington Armory from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on May 16. The city is donating the space.

Cannavo heard about the idea several months ago, and discovered that Danbury was holding Project Homeless Connect for the first time in December.

"The Danbury event drew 82 people for services from 55 different providers," said Milena Sangut, co-chairperson of the Greater Danbury Continuum of Care. Hartford and New Haven also hold similar events. "Many people were able to leave with future appointments," Sangut said. "When you have various agencies not in the same place, people have to make different appointments for different services," Sangut said. "This brought everybody here at the same time."

Along with the event itself, Cannavo said a task force will be started to outline a 10-year plan to end homelessness in the area. She hopes the resource fair will help move them toward that goal.

"It's a way to engage them; it's a way to get them into housing, a step toward housing and self-sufficiency," she said.

News around the continent

2008-04-10T11:10:00.003-04:00

Homeless Teens Get Helping Hands (Las Vegas, NV)

RV Park for Homeless Planned (East Austin, TX)

Runner Gets Homeless on Right Track (Philadelphia, PA)

Homeless Man's Blog Lays Bare His Struggles (Red Deer, Alberta, Canada)

What can one person do?

2008-03-31T14:13:00.001-04:00

Sculptures built from donated food put hunger message in the spotlight

2008-03-31T13:58:00.002-04:00

Note in the story that the goal was to collect 150,000 pounds of food, but they fell far short.

It's good to see people being creative and active with the issue.

Homeless Fair in Torrington

2008-03-30T15:04:00.002-04:00

It was reported in the March 8th edition of the Republican-American that "a daylong event planned for May will provide a variety of resources, from medical services, housing and employment assistance to bicycle and wheelchair repair for the area's homeless."

I will see what I can find out about this and maybe we can gather up a crew to help out.

More to follow...

Local people help the homeless

2008-03-30T15:00:00.002-04:00

Night Walk

2008-03-27T14:17:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Steve Gwilt for passing this along to me...

Read about the "Night Walk" in Chicago, which gives teenagers a reality check as to what it is like to be a homeless teen. The article cites that Chicago has 10,000 (yes - four zeros there) between the ages of 12 and 21 who have no place to live, and that, in the U.S., the average age of a homeless person is 9. Shocking.

Youth experience 'night walk' as homeless teen

Also check out the website for The Night Ministry for some insightful information about common social issues.

Another wonderful article by Susan Campbell about the Food Stamp Program

2008-03-25T15:34:00.001-04:00

I'm One of the Lucky - My Hunger Ends Tuesday

Last week's poll

2008-03-25T15:26:00.002-04:00

Last week we had three (3) people respond to our poll, and 2 people donated 7+ food items last week, and 1 person donated 1-6.

Beginning in the month of April we will be totalling up the church's food donations every week and I will let you know just how well we are doing with our donations. The Food Stamp Program has led me to see first-hand just how important it is to keep our food pantries in town stocked all year (not just during the holidays!)

If I had a "wish list" of items I would like to see at the Food Pantries, it would look something like this:
- Grapefruit juice
- Coffee
- Canned fruits
- A variety of jellies/jams/preserves (they always sell some neat ones at TJMaxx!)
- Gravy to put on mashed potatoes
- Progresso soups (after awhile the colors and tastes of foods that have "variety" are like a dream come true!)
- Jarred "stuff" to make some nice salads (marinated mushrooms, eggplant, etc.) so that if you wanted to have a special dinner to commemorate something, you could do it without using a quarter of your food budget.

These are just a few of the things that would really make my mouth water when I went shopping - things that I will add to my cart from now on when I go shopping for my food donations!

Final days of the Food Stamp Program

2008-03-25T15:12:00.002-04:00

I am at the end of my month of living on $3.00 per day, and it hasn't been easy!

I didn't go food shopping for the final week; my daughter's 16th birthday was on 3/21 and I wanted to be able to go out for dinner with her and her friends. That was $10.00. I spent the other $11.00 on a chicken to roast for Easter, some apples to make a pie, a can of corn, and a jar of gravy. I was fortunate to have some potatoes left over from the previous weeks' shopping.

I haven't had any juice or milk for over a week, which I have really missed.

I will post some "final thoughts" after I reflect upon my experience.

Stay tuned!

Scary statistic

2008-03-25T15:11:00.002-04:00

Found this article re: Ohio's food stamp program.

Food stamps double since '01

Third World Farmer Interactive Game

2008-03-16T15:43:00.003-04:00

Play this game to try your hand at being a third world farmer and earning income for your family by farming amidst harsh conditions.

Walk Against Hunger

2008-03-16T14:48:00.002-04:00

The 3rd annual Walk Against Hunger in Waterbury will take place on Sunday, April 27th. Registration begins at 1 pm in Library Park, and walking begins at 2:00 pm. I would love to start a teacm for this, and I will do all of the preliminary leg-work (no pun intended!) but I can't participate on the actual day because I'll be performing in Li'l Abner that afternoon at the Goshen Players.

Please e-mail me if you would be interested in participating.

"Fill the Truck" Donations Increase

2008-03-16T08:12:00.003-04:00

At a recent meeting of the Fill the Truck Ministry Team it was reported by Ted Barlow that he has seen an increase in recent weeks of donations of food. I will try to report what the actual donations were on a month-to-month basis from here on.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed!

"Food for Your Neighbor Campaign" Winds Down

2008-03-16T08:06:00.002-04:00

Kudos to the Torrington High School Junior ROTC for their help with United Way's program.

As you might have heard on the radio or in the newspaper, the donations were down this year as the need increased...more proof that our "Fill the Truck" ministry will be put to good use in the community.

Shopping List for Week #3

2008-03-16T06:18:00.003-04:00

Week #2

2008-03-05T09:03:00.003-05:00

Take a quiz on poverty

2008-03-05T05:53:00.002-05:00

Poverty is also one of those "hidden" issues in our society; how much do you know about it?

Check out this quiz, and browse the site that offers it.

POVERTY QUIZ

There's Still Time to Sign Up To Be Hungry - And Poor

2008-03-04T05:08:00.005-05:00

Here's a piece written by Susan Campbell that will give you some background info about the Food Stamp Project.

Buy 1/Get 2 at Big Y this week!

2008-03-03T07:54:00.004-05:00

Look through your circular for the Torrington Big Y this week for some terrific specials. If one of the B1/G2 items includes one that you have on your list, make your purchase and consider donating the "free" items to our mission.

Poll results for Week of 2/18 - 2/24

2008-03-03T07:49:00.002-05:00

With one whopping vote the average donation was 5 food items for the week. Using this total, if 10 households donated 5 items each, that would be 50 food items that would go to the area pantries. My goal is to inspire people who don't normally donate to think of our mission every week on shopping day and to add some donation items to their cart as they bee-bop through the grocery store! Even one item is helpful!

Weekly poll

2008-03-03T07:46:00.002-05:00

To the right of these postings, you will see a weekly poll. I am interested in seeing if the donation trend changes (for better or worse) throughout the year. Please take the time to log on each week and click on the appropriate button.

Shopping List for Week #1

2008-03-02T12:37:00.003-05:00

Here is what my first week's shopping list looks like...nothing fancy, that's for sure:

You will note that the only meat/fish I was able to afford was the ground beef and tuna. (I had to give back one of the cans of tuna!) Was the gum a necessity? Perhaps not, but in the past it has taken hunger pangs away. I'm glad now that I bought it! As of today I still have most of the eggs left and the ground beef; so maybe next week I will be able to afford some cheese and sauce and make some pasta & meatballs. I bet you it will taste better than it has ever tasted before!

Day#1

2008-02-26T05:35:00.004-05:00

Well, the Food Stamp Program officially started yesterday and, let me tell you, I can foresee that this is going to be a very interesting month! The thought in my head today is that I am fortunate that I am participating by choice. The people who live in poverty don't have a choice of being hungry when there is not enough food and no more money for the week to buy food.

I also am thinking about the assumptions we make about those living in poverty and the excuses we make for why it's "not our problem." Case in point, somebody said to me, "Don't forget...the food stamps are a supplement to help them buy the basics. They have other money to buy food with." This is a huuuuuge assumption; how do we know that there is more money within their budget? In my own personal life, with fuel prices being what they are, my budget at home is pretty tight with not much wiggle room.

I am living the next month as if I have $21.00 for food and that is IT. And I can tell you...it's not a lot.

The Main Purpose of this Blog

2008-02-22T12:52:00.007-05:00

The primary reason for starting this blog is to chronicle my experience with the Food Stamp Project. Just what is the Food Stamp Project?

This will describe it for you:

http://www.charteroakcenter.org/food_stamp_registration.pdf

As I live through the process I will use this blog as my journal; I thought it would be a better way to make this a growth-enhancing one not only for myself but perhaps for others as well. Who knows? Maybe somebody will want to join me in participation of the Food Stamp Project!

Under my roof I will be participating alone...my family will continue with the usual meals. I would like to see what it is like to feed an entire family under strict guidelines; maybe next year!

Today I will officially register (using the same form you saw when you clicked on the above link) and I will have a few days to prepare for the kick-off of the event. My first "to do" on my list is to get my shopping list ready for Week #1; when I started it I had four (4) items on it (milk, egss, bread and boneless chicken) and just those 4 items will use up half of my $21 allotment for the week. Yikes!

This will be more difficult than I had imagined! Once I have a shopping list set up I will post it, and feel free to give me suggestions. I think the meal I will miss the most is my #1 Extra Value Meal at McD's...but to use $6.00 for a Bic Mac, medium fries & medium soda equals two days of meals. When you put it in that light it makes you think very carefully about "wants" and true "needs". Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby...that equals another day's worth of meals. Ahhhhhh...I am pretty fortunate to be able to enjoy those kind of things...did I think that as I was eating them?

How does Connecticut rate?

2008-02-22T09:33:00.005-05:00

Connecticut, average 1998-2000

	Total	Food Insecure	Food Insecure with Hunger
Percent of Households (%)	100.0	8.17	2.90
Number of Households (thousands)	1,299	105	38
Number of People in Households (thousands)	3,355	280	96
Rank (out of 51)	--	43t*	29

Food Security Definitions

Extensive research has led to the following definitions, which are foundational to the food security measurement paradigm used in the CPS Food Security Supplements.²

• Food security refers to access to enough food at all times for an active and healthy life. At a minimum, food security includes: the ready availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, and an assured ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways (without resorting to emergency food supplies, scavenging, stealing, or other coping strategies, for example).

• Food insecurity occurs whenever the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or the ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways, is limited or uncertain.

• Hunger is the uneasy or painful sensation caused by a recurrent or involuntary lack of food and is a potential, although not necessary consequence of food insecurity. Over time, hunger may result in malnutrition.

* Tied ranking

Source: A. Sullivan and E. Choi (August 2002). Hunger and Food Insecurity in the Fifty States: 1998-2000. Waltham, MA: Food Security, Center on Hunger and Poverty.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

See complete report at: http://www.centeronhunger.org/pdf/statedata98-00.pdf

Retrieved 2/22/2008 from http://www.centeronhunger.org/states/ct.html

30 Hour Famine

2008-02-22T08:24:00.003-05:00

I just heard on the radio about an international youth movement to end hunger...here is the link:

http://www.30hourfamine.org/

The next famine runs from April 25-26th; I will pass this info along to Jay...maybe it's something in which our high school members will want to participate! Also pass it on to family members and friends!

Starting up

2008-02-22T05:30:00.001-05:00

Our first Fill the Truck Ministry Team meeting was last night, and I said I would have my blog up and running by Sunday, so here it is! I am hoping that it will be informative, thought-provoking and interactive for all who check it out.

I look forward to serving on this Ministry Team and working with the other members; it will be exciting to be part of such an important ministry and to watch it grow. I am confident that we can all work together in the community to eradicate hunger and keep the shelves in our local food pantries over-flowing throughout the entire year.

Thanks for checking the new blog out and check back often!