April News from SSKP

Latest News - April 2023

Dear friends,

My heart is filled with gratitude for you! Thank you for being part of the SSKP community!

Thanks to the efforts of the entire SSKP community, we continue to share food and fellowship through 5 food pantries, 8 meal sites, and one pantry dedicated to sharing backpack food for children. Each week, tens of thousands of meals (including groceries that enable guests to create meals) are shared with your help. Our year-round efforts are possible because of our generous host-sites, hundreds of volunteers, donations, and people like you.

According to the United Way Reports, 27 percent of the population in the SSKP service area fall within or below the ALICE threshold. ALICE stands for Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed. This indicates that over one quarter of our population may be facing significant struggles to make ends meet.

In the first quarter of 2023 SSKP Pantries have registered approximately 7,000 individuals and shared over 460,000 pounds of food. This works out to 360,000 meals worth of food shared so far in 2023. We continue to respond to need that is significantly greater the same time in 2022. The numbers demonstrating this need may seem too big to wrap one’s head around. That is okay, because the core of what we do is deeply relatable. We share food and fellowship with individuals and families day by day, moment by moment, all year-round. Individual gestures of hospitality and community are shared. Each simple act of kindness springs forward.

Join our team: SSKP is seeking a kind and organized individual to join our team as Administrative Assistant. This part-time position requires experience with Microsoft Excel, Word processing, general office tasks, and excellent communication skills. Primary time commitment is Monday through Friday mornings 8am-noon (20 hours per week). There is a possibility for additional hours if mutually agreeable. For more information email Amy Hollis at ahollis@shorelinesoupkitchens.org

With gratitude,

Amy

This Saturday! Firehouse Food Drive

The Firehouse Food Drive is this Saturday, April 15th from 9am – 1pm. Please join in this amazing community-wide effort by local fire stations across the shoreline!

Fire departments participating include Old Saybrook, Essex, Old Lyme (at 69 Lyme Street), Westbrook, Deep River, Chester, Clinton, and North Madison.

Teams will be collecting donations at their firehouses as well as local grocery stores and businesses, including Robert’s Food Center in North Madison, Stop & Shop in Old Saybrook and Clinton, and Big Y and Walmart in Old Saybrook, Mirsina’s Restaurant, Essex Savings Bank, the Parthenon Diner, Sal's Pizza, Staples, and Little Pub in Old Saybrook and Scotch Plains Tavern in Essex will accept nonperishable food donations.

We are so grateful for this incredible shoreline effort - please support our fire departments and SSKP by making a donation!

Save The Date! Volunteer Appreciation Day

We love our volunteers - and this year we are excited to announce the return of Volunteer Appreciation Day on Saturday, June 3rd from 1pm - 3pm at Grace Episcopal Church, 336 Main Street in Old Saybrook.

Save the Date and plan on sharing a special time of thanks and fellowship with our caring and hard-working volunteers!

Virtual Presentations

Would you like SSKP to meet over Zoom with your community group, classroom, or club?

We offer special virtual presentations and would be happy to share information about our mission, educate your group about hunger in our area, and answer any questions about SSKP.

Email Claire at to schedule a virtual presentation with your group.

Easter Baskets Donated to SSKP

SSKP is so thankful to everyone who helped to donate hundreds of Easter baskets for children at our pantries!

For months a volunteer group in Clinton collected thousands of baskets, toys, chocolates, candies, and treats so that over 900 children at our Clinton, Westbrook, Old Saybrook, and Old Lyme Pantries could each receive an Easter basket this year.

Our SSKP East Lyme Pantry received 110 Easter baskets from the volunteer group Shoreline Ladies United who generously collected and assembled enough treats for all the children at our pantry in Niantic.

Many community members contributed to this effort, and we are very grateful for their thoughtfulness and caring!

Pantry Wish List

Last year 29% of all the food SSKP shared was donated. Donated food makes our mission possible, and every donation makes a real difference!

Click here for a list of times and locations for dropping off a food donation.

To everyone who donates non-perishable food through a food drive, or at one of our local bins - thank you!!

Support the Spring Appeal

This year many families continue to struggle with the high cost of food and other basic needs. Right now the number of those coming to an SSKP food pantry is 26% higher than in pre-pandemic years.

If you are able, please make a gift to this year’s Spring Appeal. Your generosity helps assure that we can continue to provide food each week to our neighbors in need. Thank you!