Giving Back: Fighting Hunger in Connecticut on #GivingTuesday and Beyond

Photo c/o Community Plates

Giving Tuesday has become a global day dedicated to giving back. This year it takes place on Tuesday, December 1, neatly positioned after our national day of thanks and a weekend of retail mayhem.

If you’re planning on giving this holiday season around #GivingTuesday, why not consider supporting Connecticut-based charities that benefit the hungry? These charities are near and dear to our hearts at CTbites because while we celebrate food, we also understand that for too many, food insecurity is a major issue. And in our country, and certainly in Connecticut, that doesn’t feel right.

If you’re planning on giving back this holiday season, and especially on Tuesday, December 1, here are a few hunger-related charities making an impact across the state. We know there are many terrific agencies and non profits not listed below, please share additional organizations that we should highlight by adding them in the comments section:

Community Plates

Community Plates is committed to ending American food insecurity by directly transferring fresh, usable food that would have otherwise been thrown away from restaurants, markets and other food industry sources to food-insecure families throughout the U.S.

Connecticut Food Bank

The mission of the Connecticut Food Bank is to provide nutritious food to people in need by supplying food products and resources to our member agencies, as well as through direct food distribution programs and by promoting public awareness about the problem of hunger. They provide food and resources to some 700 community-based food programs, such as soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters and low-income adult and child day programs in six of the state’s eight counties: Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London and Windham.

No Kid Hungry - Connecticut

In 2011, End Hunger Connecticut!, and Share Our Strength joined together to launch the Connecticut No Kid Hungry campaign. With  support from corporate partners including Weight Watchers, the Connecticut No Kid Hungry campaign is a public-private partnership working to end childhood hunger in Connecticut by connecting kids to the federal food and nutrition programs including school breakfast, summer meals and afterschool meals programs.

Filling in the Blanks - Stamford

Filling in the Blanks fights childhood hunger by providing needy children with meals on the weekends. It provides weekend meals to needy children who are eligible for the free or reduced lunch program. This program is available throughout the year, including the summer months. For just $4.00 a weekend, each child is provided with a bag of non-perishable, easy to prepare food items. .

Wholesome Wave

James Beard award winning chef and restaurateur, Michel Nischan, founded Wholesome Wave in 2007, with Gus Schumacher, former Undersecretary of Agriculture for Food & Foreign Services, as Founding Board Chair, and the late Michael Batterberry, Founder of Food Arts Magazine, as Founding Board Member. In 2008, Wholesome Wave piloted the Double Value Coupon Program at 12 markets in three states. As this program evolved, it outgrew any single iteration, spreading nationally. Today, it has transformed into a network of nutrition incentive programs, known today as the National Nutrition Incentive Network. Since 2008, the organization has launched numerous initiatives, including the Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program and Healthy Food Commerce Initiative.