2022 was an unprecedented year at the Pantry. Not just in terms of guests served and food distributed, but by almost every other measure too. Behind every number though, there is a family or an individual. Each with their own story. Your donation made all those stories - all those lives - a little brighter. That is how we put your money to work.

Guest Visits

Throughout 2022, we saw a steadily increasing number of guests at each distribution. In 2021, itself a record year, we received a total of 17,062 visits. In 2022, we saw 22,672 - a 33% increase. Truly staggering numbers, and a testament to the fact that the cost-of-living crisis has hit the communities we serve even harder than the COVID-19 pandemic.

More Numbers

At Daily Bread, we make sure every dollar donated works as hard as possible. We have no staff, relying completely on a dedicated army of volunteers. 189 individuals spent a total of 11,979 hours at the Pantry in 2022. And that time does not include the countless hours doing essential work away from the Pantry.

1,020,000 pounds to be precise - or 510 tons. On average, each guest receives 45 pounds of food per visit - enough for several family meals.

Unlike the guest visit chart, this statistic focuses on the number of different guests and families we served (this number is often referred to as "unique" guests and families). Our average family size is around 3.7, meaning your donation improved the lives of over 12,000 children and adults.

The big jump here is because in 2022 we introduced special distributions for seniors, who can now make an appointment to visit the pantry without waiting in line. We also started a home delivery service for guests who cannot visit us in person. These programs do not have a large impact on total guest numbers, but they are a valuable extension to the services we offer.

Guest Visit Frequency

Sometimes we are asked whether all of our guests really need the food we offer. The honest answer is we do not know. But we do know that our numbers are completely unaffected by weather - guests sometimes wait patiently in line in horrendous conditions. We also know most guests come to distributions quite infrequently. Both these facts suggest families visit us only when they truly are in need. (Numbers in the chart are rounded, so do not add up to 100%.)

Social Media

While putting your money to work, we don't forget to have a little fun. We know not everyone does the Facebook or Instagram thing, but it is a great way to reach out to the communities we serve - and even provide a quick smile or a chuckle to our hard-working volunteers.

Here's the post with the most likes in 2022. Hard to know whether it was Uncle Leo, Marybeth, or just the donuts that got people's attention.

Food Drives

Unlike your monetary donations, we don't keep detailed information about food drive donations. Some are small, some large, and all bring variety to our shelves. Perhaps the most innovative drive was a "cereal domino" event organized by Rockwell Elementary School in Bethel. Not only was it a lot of fun, but we got 484 boxes of name-brand cereal out of the deal. Take a look at the video - and make sure you've got your sound on!

The winner of the largest community food drive was the Aunt Hack neighborhood of Danbury. For the third year in a row, they needed a UHaul truck to bring it over.

Thanksgiving

Our 2022 Thanksgiving distribution was another record. with 535 guests served - a 20% increase over 2021. It was a busy day, but not too busy for (most of) the 50 or so volunteers who helped out to wear a silly hat.

Thank you once again for your support in 2022.

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