As Real Food CT works to connect fresh, locally grown produce with food-insecure communities across our state, we know we are only one part of a much larger—and growing—challenge. Recent reports confirm what we see on the ground every day: food insecurity is widespread, and rising costs continue to push more families into crisis.
🧾 New Data, Familiar Struggles
In 2024, food insecurity in Connecticut has not only persisted—it has deepened. The Connecticut Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity (CWCSEO) recently released its Food Insecurity in Connecticut Report, which outlines key findings about hunger, supply chain gaps, and inequities across the state. Among its most urgent takeaways:
- One in ten Connecticut residents faces food insecurity.
- Black and Latino families are disproportionately impacted, often at double or triple the rate of white households.
- Geographic disparities are significant: cities like Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, and Waterbury face among the highest levels of need.
Meanwhile, the United Way’s 2024 ALICE Report (Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed) shows that over 1 in 3 Connecticut households cannot afford the basic cost of living. These ALICE families don’t qualify for assistance programs, yet they’re skipping meals, relying on food pantries, and stretching every dollar.
📎 Read the full ALICE Report HERE.
🧺 What We See in Our Work
At Real Food CT, we’re responding to this reality by:
- Recovering and delivering over 50,000 lbs of local produce annually
- Supporting farms with logistics, volunteer harvests, and transportation
- Partnering with pantries, schools, and food hubs to serve Bridgeport, Danbury, Stratford, and surrounding communities
In places like Bridgeport, where 66% of households fall under ALICE, access to nutritious food isn’t a luxury—it’s a lifeline. And yet, the demand continues to outpace supply.
🌱 Why This Matters
Food insecurity isn’t just about hunger—it’s about health, equity, and dignity. It’s about making sure every child has access to vegetables grown in their own community. It’s about supporting local farmers so that they can feed our schools, our shelters, and our senior centers—not just faraway markets.
This is the moment to recognize that investing in local food systems is an investment in our collective resilience.
📢 Coming Next: From Federal Cuts to Local Solutions
In our next post, we’ll explore the implications of federal funding cuts to the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA) and how we can push for state-based solutions here in Connecticut.
Stay tuned—and thank you for being part of this growing movement.
