Connecticut Foodshare hosts annual Walk Against Hunger at Dunkin’ Park

HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) - When it’s difficult to put food on the table, thousands of Connecticut residents turn to Connecticut Foodshare for help.

“We have never purchased as much food as we have over the last few years,” Connecticut Foodshare President & CEO Jason Jakubowski said. “We serve all 169 towns and there’s at least one family in each of those towns that deals with hunger and food insecurity.”

On Saturday, Foodshare held its annual Walk Against Hunger at Dunkin’ Park in Hartford.

Thousands of people participated. Jakubowski says he expects around $400,000 to be raised.

That $400,000 translates to about 800,000 meals, which goes to organizations like Open Cupboard Food Pantry in Granby.

“The price of everything has gone up and people are struggling to make ends meet,” Beth Lindsay of Open Cupboard said.

A dollar certainly doesn’t go as far as it used to, which is why so many are reliant on Foodshare.

“Summer is coming up and that’s the hardest time of the year for food insecurity because children are out of school,” Jakubowski said.

Janet Bermudez runs Hands on Hartford, a non-profit that uses Foodshare to stock its shelves.

“If we come together, we can fight this issue of food insecurity and make sure that everybody has food in their homes to be nourished,” Bermudez said.

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