"Because I'm hungry for those good things, baby Hungry…read morethrough and through I'm hungry for that sweet life, baby With a real fine girl like you" (Hungry - Paul Revere and the Raiders) "Hungry" should be a word in a song lyric and never a word needed by someone in real life. The Windsor Food Bank's Mission Statement is simple. It strives to ensure "that no resident goes hungry, is cold, or is without basic necessities". They offer community assistance in the forms of food, fuel, prescription medication, public transportation passes, and vouchers and gift cards for their clients to buy household items and clothing. I became involved with the Windsor Food Bank when I was asked to run a charity event at work. After speaking with their Windsor Social Services, we agreed to host a food drive for delivery in early November. The WFB was very responsive to my e-mails and always answered my questions promptly, like when I asked if they had their own collection boxes we could use. We borrowed six of their plastic crates that folded up flat and were very easy to transport and set up. WFB also gave us a list of their most needed items -Peanut Butter and Jelly, Pasta and Spaghetti Sauce, Macaroni and Cheese, Canned Meats, Crackers, Cereal, Baked Beans, Canned Vegetables, Canned Fruit, Fruit Juice, Condiments, Coffee, Tea, Hot Cocoa, Paper Towels, Tissues, Personal Care Items, Soap and Shampoo, and Baby Wipes. They also gave us a list of Thanksgiving items - Instant Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, Gravy Mixes, Canned Vegetables, Bread and Muffin Mixes, and Dessert Mixes. We printed these on some flyers and posted them in four of our different business centers. We set up their collection boxes around our work campus and delivered everything today. They were waiting for us with manpower and rolling carts to unload our three cars and a truck. We all worked together to move the cans and boxes and jars and packets inside. After we took a group photo, we were walking back to our vehicles and it struck us all as to how good it felt to have done this collection program. The WFB needs your help, and they need food donations more than they need volunteer hour donations. They accept donations from 9 am to 4pm Monday to Friday.

December 13, 2020 I…read moreglad support any Food Bank. Each dollar turned into seven dollars worth of food, so if I send dollar five cents, is turned into seven dollars and thirty five cents worth of food. That is the start to help children, this situation children of Windsor, Connecticut. This is second review of this Food Bank. Glad help children of Windsor, Connecticut, The Constitution State. As I write this, I know tomorrow is another date mark of the shooting at the school of Newtown, Connecticut. My thoughts and my prayers still with friends in Newtown and all over state of Connecticut.

Connecticut Foodshare Headquarters is located in Wallingford, Connecticut. Connecticut Foodshare…read moresupports individuals and families from one end of the state to another by addressing root causes, creating long-term solutions, and distributing nutritious food through local partner programs to alleviate hunger. I got the opportunity to volunteer at Connecticut Foodshare from a fellow foodie who invited other foodie content creators. We had a great time, and we were able to help families all across the world. We had to go through an assortment of foods to ensure they were good, and we made boxes with assorted foods. We packed 16,637 pounds of food that would provide 13,864 meals for families. I'm excited that we had the chance to volunteer at Connecticut Foodshare, where I became an integral part of a team and provided essential support to those facing food insecurity.

Connecticut Foodshare HQ is located in Wallingford, CT with 85,000 square feet of space running…read moreoperations with 120 employees and gets assistance majority from volunteers. They have a beautiful mission to deliver an informed and equitable response to hunger by mobilizing community partners. I got the opportunity to volunteer with a group, all invited by word of mouth to sort produce separating spoiled products from the good ones. The staff were incredible with giving us the information we needed to directing us on how we can assist multiple families in need. At the end of the day, as a group we boxed 16,637 pounds of food that would impact 13,864 meals. That's incredible for 3 hours! It is amazing work and I commend all their staff for what they are doing every day to feed families in need!

The Windsor Locks Food Pantry, under the umbrella of Social Services, provides food weekly for many…read morefood deficient families in town. I've been volunteering there since the beginning of this year (minus the three months when I was recovering from a broken wrist). Couple things. Stockpiles / shelves are getting seriously low. Our pantry is mainly dependent on Foodshare and donations from locals. Families are vetted. Some of the recipients are homeless or live in cars. Consider volunteering at a local pantry or soup kitchen, and consider donating money and / or food. It seems as though our director is weekly shopping at Walmart to buy canned and boxed non-perishable items that we would otherwise run out of. Finally, if any of the readers of this review want to donate to the Windsor Locks Food Pantry, message me and I'll send you specifics on how to do so. Thank you

Annually, the town of Windsor Locks holds a food drive on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. It's a…read morecoordinated effort that involves WL Social Services, the Lions Club, local Boys Scouts, town businesses, and over 100 volunteers. Kudos to hard-working Heidi, WL town director of Social Services, and Wonderful Wendy, director of Youth Serices. Heidi puts her heart and soul into the effort, spending many late nights in preparation. Wendy assists with many other tasks. The goal is to obtain Thanksgiving food (turkeys, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, fresh veggies, etc, etc) for over 200 families who qualify for assistance, and also to replenish shelves in the pantry to help in the months to come. The Lions Club arranges for pickups in all neighborhoods in town between 9AM and noon (Boy Scouts collect the bags from porches). All items are dropped off in front of town hall and ferried inside by runners. Once inside, in the old gym, a veritable army of mostly teens check dates and sort products by type. I liken it to organized chaos more than synchronized swimming. Non-Thanksgiving products are then shuttled to the pantry where Heidi's asst, Darling Debbie, as well as Gracious Gabby, Affable Anne, and Cool Kristen work their magic. By 3 PM, most of the work is done, w some teen volunteers making up approx 200 bags of non-perishable Thanksgiving items. All for pickup Sunday between 2 and 4 PM by a conga line of vehicles that snake thru the parking lot. Special thanks also to Foodshare who donated large quantities of carrots, onions, and potatoes (sweet and white), as well as 32 turkeys and 20 chickens!! Overall, a success, as over 200 families get to enjoy all the trimmings of a holiday meal. 5 rewarding stars AND PLEASE READ THE ATTACHED POEM THAT HEIDI WROTE AND POSTED ON THE TOWN'S FACEBOOK PAGE THE EVE OF THE EVENT.

Connecticut Food Bank is doing a great work for many of the organizations that help those that are…read morein need. Companies should continue to give, or start giving toward CFB, especially during times like these. There are many people that benefit from the CFB and the generosity of others. Staff is friendly, helpful and love what they do, keep on doing CFB... you guys ROCK!

I had a highly dissatisfactory experience with MACC Charities. The worker I spoke with (Shan non)…read morelacked empathy and there was a sense of her gaining satisfaction in her efforts to humiliate. She was unsupportive and verbally tried to discourage me from my life's aspirations. She went so far as to pretended to be an expert in a field she is not, all in efforts to derail. I asked her not to speak to me in a condescending manner, and she continued to abuse her false sense of power. I reached out to this organization during a time of need and was told by the worker that they don't "do hand outs". That if I was a worker for a company instead of being self-employed or unemployed (with no UE benefits), they'd have helped. In other words, they try to bait people into mediocrity and don't help those who need help. It's also been brought to my attention that their employees are not reflective of the population they supposedly serve (ie: lack of staff diversity). Perhaps they need to be audited to ensure their funds are being appropriately allocated, and ensure fair business practices. I discourage businesses from investing in or with the MACC organization. I also advise that their employees be mandated to take (and pass) unpaid sensitivity training and do mandated volunteer work in urban communities so they can gain perspective. I advise you donate, invest or partner in an organization that's more customer centric in their approach to humanity.

The Church Mouse is opened and looking great! A beautiful children's corner with many adorable…read moreoutfits from 3-6 mos through teens sizes... clothing as well as Shoes, sneakers, books and toys and stuffed animals.. The new designer corner is the place to buy high quality clothing, shoes and bags for very low discounted prices. Books, many cards for all different occasions for a mere 25-50 cents each. A nice variety of books, scarfs, pocketbooks and a variety of men and womens, jeans, pants, shirts, shorts and bathing suits. Take some time to browse and pick up some great bargains.