Approximately one in seven households in Connecticut is struggling to put food on the table. The JFSGNH Food Pantry & Food Assistance Program is striving to keep this number from increasing by providing nutritious food to individuals and families in Greater New Haven. The Pantry and its food programs serve people near or below the poverty line, and those who are nutritionally at risk.
Our Food Pantry, located at 1440 Whalley Ave., offers non-perishable foods, fresh produce and fruits, and frozen items to needy individuals and families as a once monthly supplement.
The Food Pantry is open on Wednesday and Thursday mornings by appointment from 9-12 (except for holidays or months which have five weeks).
Emergency Food Requests – For emergency food, please call (203) 397-0796 to schedule an appointment. We return calls within 24 hours except on weekends, pantry closures and holidays.
All requests must verbally attest to the USDA Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) client certification. Additional information may be requested for participation in the JFS Food Assistance Program and may include a current photo ID. If an ID does not have current address, please bring mail or or another document that will show your current address along with your photo ID.
The Pantry is funded in part by grants from the United Way of Greater New Haven (Emergency Food & Shelter Program (EFSP) funding), the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, the Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven. The Pantry also receives product from the USDA in the form of TEFAP commodities.
How to Help
Conduct a one-time non-perishable Food Drive (see Guidelines below)
Conduct an on-going food drive at your synagogue/school/business/organization
Volunteer to help pack bags for holidays or special programs
Tailor a community service or a Bar/Bat Mitzvah project around collecting food for the Pantry
Donation Guidelines
Whether it’s a few cans or several bags of groceries, every donation is appreciated! Here are some guidelines to follow before making a donation:
The Pantry accepts non-perishable foods of all types, including canned foods, boxed foods and bagged foods.
Due to new health and food safety guidelines, we cannot take food from kitchen cleanouts.
We do not accept food after its “Best By”, “Use By” or “Expiration Date” so please check all dates on food packages.
Due to food safety issues, please avoid donating any glass containers which can break in transport or during processing. Also, for health reasons we cannot accept any open containers, boxes or repackaged items; homemade items – this includes items without a label or any extra pre-made leftover food from events.
Donations can be dropped off at the Pantry during regular operating hours (Wednesday and Thursday between 9 a.m. until noon). We request that if you have a large donation, please call ahead of time to make drop off arrangements. This is to ensure that our volunteers are ready to help take in and process your donation. Please do not leave any donations outside as any donations left near the door during non-operating hours are automatically thrown out due to safety and health precautions.
For more information about donations/schedule a drop-off, please contact Sandy Hagan at shagan@jfsnh.org. or to speak directly to a Pantry volunteer call Wednesday /Thursday between 8:30 – 12 at 203-397-0796.