We’re proud to share both an update on our Local Food Purchase Assistance grant and a warm thank-you to The Newtown Bee for helping spread the word.
A few weeks ago, we shared the exciting news that Real Food CT has been awarded a $150,000 Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) grant from the Connecticut Department of Agriculture — part of $1.55 million in statewide funding announced by Governor Ned Lamont to connect local farms with food-insecure communities across Connecticut.
The grant will fund 14 months of direct purchasing from our regional farm partners, with fresh, CT Grown produce delivered to food pantries and community organizations across the Naugatuck Valley, western Connecticut, and the greater Bridgeport area. In 2025, Real Food CT distributed over 158,000 pounds of fresh produce to more than 30 partners statewide, and this grant will help us go further, faster.
We are building this program regionally: an eastern region centered on Naugatuck Valley and Bridgeport, and a western region covering Danbury, New Milford, and parts of Litchfield County. Real Food CT will manage the full cycle, sourcing, coordinating orders, same-day pickup and delivery, and reporting. But beyond the logistics, what matters most is what we’re building toward: lasting relationships between local farms and food access organizations that outlive the grant period itself.
“It’s our responsibility as a steward of the grant to try to encourage and develop lasting relationships that will benefit everybody moving forward.”
— Sean Fitzpatrick, Founder, Real Food CT
We were thrilled to see this work recognized locally. The Newtown Bee recently featured the grant award in a piece that captured the heart of why this matters: the farmers who get paid fairly for quality food, and the families across our region who gain access to something fresh and nourishing. We’re grateful to The Bee for shining a light on this work and for being such a consistent voice for the Newtown community.
Read the full article in The Newtown Bee.
We will continue to share updates as this program gets underway. Thank you, as always, for your support of Real Food CT and for believing in a food system that works for everyone.
