Food Insecurity Remains A Concern In Bridgeport And Fairfield County

BRIDGEPORT, CT — When Jason Jakubowski, president & CEO of Connecticut Foodshare, speaks to people about food insecurity in the state, he often has to cut through misconceptions.

"It's a misnomer that because we're Connecticut, there's no problem with food insecurity, because Connecticut is a wealthy state," Jakubowski said Friday during a news conference to raise awareness about food insecurity in Fairfield County and the state. "But we serve meals to at least one family in each of the 169 communities in Connecticut. Food insecurity is everywhere."

Jakubowski was speaking from the Connecticut Foodshare facility in Bridgeport, one of three warehouses the organization has in the state. The Bridgeport facility measures 18,000 square feet, while another warehouse in Bloomfield is 35,000 square feet, and the Wallingford site, which also houses Foodshare's corporate offices, is 95,000 square feet.

From those three facilities, the organization provides food to 650 partner groups around the state that distribute food and meals to the less fortunate.

Friday marked National Food Bank Day, which is observed annually on the first Friday in September to raise awareness for the ongoing battle to feed the country's hungry.

Connecticut Foodshare provides more than 40 million meals annually, more than 6 million of which are distributed from the Bridgeport facility.

"More than ever, our food pantries are safe havens," said state Sen. Tony Hwang. "But their needs are so urgent, because they are running empty."

Jakubowski and Hwang were joined at Friday's news conference by state Sen. Kevin Kelly, and representatives from Fairfield's Operation Hope and The Thomas Merton Center in Bridgeport, which is a program of Catholic Charities. Both Operation Hope and Thomas Merton Center are among the partner groups of Connecticut Foodshare.

Food banks and pantries in Connecticut and throughout the country saw a sharp increase in clients seeking food assistance during the pandemic, but as Jakubowski said, while those needs have dropped from the peak, they are still above pre-pandemic levels.

"We are blessed in Connecticut, but while we have a lot of benefits, there is still a lot of need," Kelly said. "We live in a land of plenty, but we all need to look into our hearts and share with our neighbors."

Carla Miklos, director of Fairfield's Operation Hope, said the group provides meals to about 1,000 unique families per week in that town alone, which is ahead of the levels it served before the pandemic.

What residents do not realize about Fairfield County, she said, is that some of the nation's wealthiest people live within 11 miles of some of the nation's poorest, and food insecurity impacts both groups.

"If we are still compassionate Americans, we need to support these programs," Miklos said.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America since 2020 to help raise awareness of hunger in our local communities, a persistent national problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that 1 in 8 people face hunger. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.