Summer has brought two of the biggest food rescue efforts Real Food CT has ever pulled off. Together, they show just how much is possible when a community shows up.
40,000 Pounds from Boston Area Gleaners
On June 26th, Real Food CT and an incredible crew of volunteers teamed up to receive 40,000 lbs of surplus produce from our food access partner, Boston Area Gleaners, getting it out to over 20 Connecticut pantries in one morning.
This is community-powered food access in action: making sure good food, whether locally grown or rescued surplus, reaches the people who need it.
With gratitude to everyone who made the day happen:
- Our volunteers, who showed up to pack vehicles with food
- Newtown Savings Bank, who sent volunteers to both our garden and the food distribution, plus their van to help transport food to local pantries
- Our staff, who work tirelessly behind the scenes
- The Newtown Public Works Department, for hosting us and lending their team and equipment
The Newtown Bee was there to cover it, too. You can read their write-up of the day, Real Food CT Receives Around 40,000 Pounds Of Fruit, Vegetables.
Nearly 40,000 More Pounds: This Time, Fruit Cups
And we did it again! In early July, Real Food CT accepted another massive delivery: nearly 40,000 lbs of fruit cups from The Farmlink Project, and soon after on July 8th coordinated a huge distribution effort to get it all out to over 25 CT pantries in a single morning.
The Farmlink Project is a national nonprofit that directly connects farms with surplus produce to food access organizations, coordinating the transport of food to those in need.
This kind of scale doesn’t happen without a village. We are so thankful for our many volunteers who showed up early and worked hard to make the morning a success, to our own dedicated team for pulling off the logistics, and to our host partner, the Northwest CT Food Hub, for generously letting us store and distribute out of their space.
Proof the Model Works
Two huge distributions within just a few weeks is proof that this model works, and that when this community of volunteers, staff, host partners, and the many food access partners who show up to receive and deliver this food come together, we can move real food to real people who need it, fast.
Between these big distribution days and all of the recent gleaning from our farm partners, we’ve now donated 119,000 lbs of food so far this year, and we’re on pace to top last year’s total of 158,000 lbs. This kind of momentum is exactly what gets us fired up. We’re just getting started.
Want to Be Part of the Next One?
Distribution days like this run on volunteer hands. Join us for the next food rescue! Email jessi@realfoodct.org for more details and sign up to volunteer.
