Connecticut Food Policy Council's Work

1. Invest in community driven projects that will foster relationships and strengthen the food system. 

2. Create spaces for convening of local food groups to share best practices, resources, and highlight success stories of work done in the Connecticut food system. 

3. Facilitate the elevation of community driven issues and solutions to the state level. 

4. Support partnering organizations in the outreach and development of food system assessments. 

5. Support outreach and educational efforts regarding public benefits programs. 

The CT Food Policy Council established  the Food System Capacity Building Grant (FSCB) in July 2022. The purpose of the grant was to provide funds to Connecticut organizations and groups involved in food system policy and/or working on innovative, localized, programming in their respective communities to increase food access and address food insecurity.  Due to lack of funding, the council was not able to offer the grant in 2024 and 2025, but will revisit reopening it in future years. Below are the grantees across the two years and some success stories of completed projects. 

Equipment 

• Daily Bread Food Pantry, Danbury: Refrigeration Expansion. Funds to purchase additional commercial refrigeration equipment to enable them to purchase and store more perishable food- especially locally grown and locally-produced food.

• New London Area Food Pantry, New London: Walk in refrigeration. Funds the purchase, delivery, installation and evaluation of a 7’10” by 9’10” walk in refrigeration unit to be installed at the New London Food Pantry. 

• Studio Bibleway (Bibleway Temple Nation), Hartford: Increasing Access to Healthy Food in Hartford's Northend. Funds the purchase of a freezer, glass door refrigerator, and shelving.  Additionally a small portion of funds were used to support a per-diem resource coach to promote positive health outcomes. 

Creation/Continuance of Food Policy Council or Working Group 

• New London Community Meal Center: Food Justice Action Team.  Supports work in partnership with FRESH New London, and the Food Justice Action Team (FJAT) of the Health Improvement Collaborative (HIC) of Southeastern CT. These funds will support the ongoing role of administration and facilitation with stakeholders including mapping current food systems assets, initiatives, and partnerships in the region and identifying overlaps in the sustainability plans of area health, wellness, and social service agencies. The project will also establish a database to invite participation from citizens those not typically included in food issues planning.

• Danbury Food Collaborative (through United Way of Western CT): Danbury food collaborative data modernization. Funds the pilot of a data modernization project, integrating data management infrastructure to work more collaboratively and efficiently to help DFC members improve and expand community outreach, service, and delivery.

• Stamford Food Collaborative (through United Way of Western CT): Stamford Food Collaborative Marketing Strategy. Funds work with a local marketing firm to create a marketing strategy plan for the SFC, which will include coordination of direct market research with partners and community members. The primary outcome of this project is the creation of an SFC marketing plan that will be a roadmap for implementing marketing and outreach strategies that increase awareness and encourage participation in SFC member food security initiatives.

Community Garden 

• Grow Windham: The Windham Community Growers' Collective. Funds an initiative led by young BIPOC growers from Windham to build equity and resilience into our local food system through improving access to land, knowledge, and resources for local urban, primarily Latinx growers, and at the same time increasing availability of culturally relevant produce for food-insecure community members. 

• CLICK, Inc., Willimantic: Bring Windham Community Food Network under CLICK and consolidate where services are offered.

• The Aasaaska Foundation, Hartford: To build raised beds and other agricultural infrastructure on new property in Hartford

• St. Vincent Depaul, Middletown, Inc., Middletown: Purchase of freezer to increase amount of culturally relevant food available, including Halal products and mobile shelving units for school pantries to increase distribution to middle and high school students.

• The Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen, Inc., New Haven: To be allocated towards equipment needs for total kitchen re-build serving un-housed individuals. 

• Real Food CT, Inc., Newtown: Funding for a refrigerated cooler truck to be used in their new food hub

• Nourish Bridgeport, Inc., Bridgeport: Purchase of a fork farm for indoor hydroponic growing of produce to serve the community.