Coronavirus

Foodshare is closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. We are committed to staying open throughout this crisis. The safety and well-being of our staff, partner programs, volunteers and the community we serve is our top priority. We are in communication with our partners at Feeding America as well as state and local health officials to ensure best practices are in place to maintain the safety and continuity of services. Scroll down for the latest updates.

Risk reduction reminders to help stop the spread of germs:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces
• Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds

Update as of 4/6/2020

All Visitors:
We value the health of our community. Please help us stop the possible spread of contagious viruses. As a precaution please, DO NOT:

• Enter Foodshare if you aren’t feeling well, especially if you have a fever or cough
• Enter Foodshare if you or someone close to you have been to countries on the CDC watch list within the last 30 days: wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices

Volunteers:

• NEW The CDC is now recommending (but not requiring) masks to be worn in public. Click here for the CDC's recommendations and tutorials for constructing your own mask.
• Please note, per CDC guidelines, older adults, 65 years and older and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. For your safety and the health of our community, we cannot currently accept volunteers who are in these high risk categories.
• We are asking that anyone who has been quarantined, self-quarantined, at risk of exposure or is in a high-risk group specifically outlined by the CDC to follow those guidelines and not volunteer in person at this time.
• Foodshare staff are following all recommended CDC guidelines for sanitizing and social distancing during volunteer activities both in our warehouse and at our Mobile Foodshare sites.
• In the event of a cancellation to a volunteer event or shift, we will do our best to inform you at least 24 hours in advance. Please keep in mind that since the Coronavirus situation can evolve quickly some cancellations are beyond our control. We encourage you to continue to check our website and read email correspondence regularly, including just prior to coming to Foodshare, for any updates or cancellations.
• We will continue to host daily on-site food sorting and packing at both our Bloomfield and Hartford locations. If you would like to help volunteer, please sign up here.
• We have an urgent need to help rescue food in our community, please sign up through MealConnect.

School Meals:

• Some school districts are continuing to provide meal service during extended school closures due to COVID-19. The response varies by town, so we encourage families to contact their school district directly to find out if and how student meals will be offered while school is out.
• Additionally, Mobile Foodshare continues to run as a resource for anyone in need in the region, including individuals and families that may need some extra support while school is out. Click here to find a Mobile Foodshare site near you.
• Town listings from State Department of Education:
  • School Districts Offering Emergency Meals Limited to Students Attending School in Specific Districts - Updated 3/19/20
  • School Districts Offering Community-Wide Emergency Meals for Children - Updated 3/19/20
• Further updates from the State Department of Education regarding child nutrition programs will be made on their website. Click here to view the most recent updates.

Mobile Foodshare:

• Mobile Foodshare is still running so community members can continue to access food assistance.
• We have taken added precautions to help protect the health and safety of those present at distributions.
• Click here to view the latest Mobile Foodshare schedule (note that some locations have cancelled).

Food Pantries and Meal Programs:

• We continue to supply food to partner food pantries and meal programs throughout the region.
• Before visiting a pantry or meal program, we recommend that you call the program to make sure they are still open.
• Visit www.211ct.org to find food resources in your community.

SNAP Outreach:

• Our SNAP Outreach program is still running. As a precaution, we have temporarily suspended our in-person outreach, and are offering applications by phone so that our clients don’t need to go out to get help applying.
• Call our SNAP Outreach Team at 860-286-9999 ext. 104 to schedule an appointment at a convenient time to complete an application over the phone. The application takes about 30 minutes.

Hunger Action Teams:

• HAT meetings scheduled for the month of March and April to take place via conference call.
• HAT Symposium scheduled for April 2 has been cancelled. Networking event in July, date TBD.

Foodshare Walk Against Hunger:

• Recognizing the challenges we are all facing as a result of COVID-19, we have made the difficult decision to postpone our largest fundraiser, the Foodshare Walk Against Hunger, until early fall, date TBD. We look forward to being together again and walking with you in the months ahead.

Foodshare Partner Programs:

• Please communicate ANY impact the virus is having on your program and/or your ability to get food to your clients, directly to Paula, Vinh or Yahaira. This information will be of great assistance as Foodshare considers implementing contingencies.
• We encourage you to reduce ANY restrictions on the amount of food that you distribute to households as best you can, as we prepare for the possibility of an outbreak that may require certain households to quarantine.
• The Feeding Our Families Tri-State Food Drive has been postponed. Date TBD.
• Click here for more information for Partner Programs.