Email from 5/3/2023
We received the email below from Loaves and Fishes and wanted to pass it along. You have been very generous with your time on Saturday mornings to volunteer to help distribute food and clothing to the folks in New Haven. If any of you can also help with a monetary donation during the Great Give today and tomorrow, we know that Loaves and Fishes would appreciate that as well! Thank you for considering.
Dear Friends and Supporters of Loaves and Fishes,
The 2023 Great Give is upon us, and we are counting on your help so that we can reach our ambitious goal of $25,000! As a grassroots organization, Loaves and Fishes relies heavily on the generosity of individual donors to support our work; from now through the end of the day Thursday, May 4th, your impact will be doubled due to matching gifts. Giving officially begins this morning! Please consider going to this link to donate online; your donation will go to support the work of providing food, clothing, and connection to our neighbors who need our help.
Many of you received a letter from our team describing the difference Loaves and Fishes makes in the lives of our neighbors. Know that over the past two months, the need for emergency food and seasonally appropriate clothing has only grown. During the pandemic, the federal government increased the monthly food stamps allotment for every person who receives them. On March 1st of this year, these emergency allotments were rolled back to pre-pandemic levels, though the price of food is much higher now than it was prior to the pandemic; the average individual lost $90 a month, while some families lost $256 or even more. As a result, L&F is seeing many new faces each week.
About a month ago, I noticed a man standing alone in the corner of the pantry, looking lost. When I asked if I could help him, he told me through tears that he was a single father to his seven-year-old daughter and a seasonal worker whose season had not yet begun. He had never been to a pantry before, but because of the food stamp cuts, he was struggling to make ends meet. He said that even though he was overwhelmed, he felt grateful that Loaves and Fishes was there to help him bridge the gap between when his food stamps ran out and his job began. We were able to provide him with a bag overflowing with potatoes, carrots, onions, and other fresh produce; cereal and shelf-stable milk; pasta and tomato sauce; bread; and a dozen eggs.
In the first quarter of 2023, L&F distributed groceries that were shared by 5,259 people. You are vitally important to this work, and we are grateful for any support you can provide; every dollar counts!
With gratitude,
Lisa and the Team at L&F