May & June, 2026

If slapstick comedy were to be believed, the biggest threat from food is the carelessly discarded banana peel. In fact, injuries from slipping on a banana peel are vanishingly rare, but around 48 million people in the U.S. get sick from other food-related causes every year. And not in an amusing sort of way, except perhaps in "that" scene from the 2011 movie Bridesmaids.

At Daily Bread, the last thing we want to do is make anyone ill, which is why we ask every volunteer to review the Food Safety training material on the Daily Bread University page of our website at least once a year. Click on the image to get started.

Not a substitute for reviewing the full training, but here are a few key points to bear in mind:

• Wash your hands at the start of your shift and frequently while at the pantry.
• Use the food-safe gloves we provide if handling unpackaged food, and change them when changing tasks.
• Refer to the "Code Date" posters in the break area when screening incoming inventory.
• When we receive frozen food, it nearly always must remain frozen until distributed, even if it started life as a refrigerated or room-temperature item.
• Fresh or frozen food donations should arrive within safe storage temperatures - you will learn more about storage temperatures in the training material.
• If in doubt, throw it out!

On June 30, we'll be taking our second annual trip to watch the legendary Danbury Westerners play the Martha's Vineyard Sharks. Last year's event was great fun, full of drama and an epic first pitch by the one and only Gladys Almonte. Which well-known Daily Breader will be throwing out the first pitch this year? If you don't come along, you may never know! Collect your FREE tickets from Daily Bread Global Headquarters OR you can collect tickets on game night: Rogers Park at 6:30 PM.

Our most popular street fair game is guessing how many cherries there are in a bowl. And now YOU can play right from home. The winning volunteer will receive a 7-piece Cuisinart stainless steel cookset. But...there is a little catch. As well as guessing the number of cherries in the bowl, you need to answer three food safety questions correctly: no problem at all if you've already reviewed the food safety material! Click the button to play. One entry per volunteer only, please.

Here's a photo of Daily Bread Local 125 on a recent "union break." Just kidding! As we all know, Daily Bread is a staunchly non-union shop. Fortunately, no strong-arm union-busting tactics are necessary. Our truck unloaders are easily dissuaded from organizing by a plentiful supply of Ding Dongs and Ring Dings.

Shout out to Jay Moody for our new picnic table!

Summer is here, which means we can tap into a more youthful labor market, using our flexible interpretation of child labor laws. Here, Liam and Natalie from the Covello clan gain valuable life skills working at the pantry. The pay ain't great, but the upside is AI will never replace these jobs!

If you ordered a t-shirt and haven't picked it up yet, what is wrong with you? This is the look of the summer, and a great way to represent Daily Bread from London to New York, Cap Ferrat to Capri. If you DIDN'T order a shirt, we MAY have one for you anyway - if you act fast. Available from Daily Bread Global HQ.

The growing season is here, and our raised beds are already producing. Thanks to the dedication of Susie VonEggers and Debbie Fantel, we have already harvested lettuce, scallions and other early season crops, with plenty more to come. This year, the intrepid pair have expanded the planting to the area by the guest entrance, and even called upon irrigation expert Ken Fantel to install a high tech automatic watering system.

Labor of love. Susie and Debbie take a moment from tending the garden.

Maureen Garry couldn't be happier holding these amazing letttuces.

Starting July 1, we'll be handing out a wrapped present to every child aged 3 - 10 with an upcoming birthday. This great initiative is made possible by volunteer Maureen Decker and husband Ken, who have started the Connecticut chapter of Birthday Wishes.

As you will learn in the food safety training, it is important not to overstuff our freezers and refrigerators. A good rule of thumb is if you can fit seven or more Girl Scouts in the walk-in freezer, you are good to go. Thank you to Danbury Troop 50245 for your help keeping us safe!

You know you're a big shot when you are invited to a summit. Back in May, we attended the Mayor's first annual nonprofit summit, learned what our legislators in Hartford are doing to support us, and hobnobbed with other nonprofit glitterati.

Squinting into the late afternoon sun is this great group of kids forming the Student Council at Farmingville Elementary in Ridgefield. Students from Farmingville, led by the tireless Rachael Zumbo-Penney, are champion cereal domino collectors, and always have great questions when they come to visit.