October News from SSKP

Latest News - October 2025

Dear Friends,

Happy Fall!

I hope you will join me in welcoming Jennifer Wenderoth-Holster to the SSKP team as our new Director of Programming. Community is more than a core value, it represents the intricateness of life. I am excited that our community is growing and look forward to working with Jennifer to ensure neighbors have access to food and fellowship.

Recently, one bad step at pickleball led to my spending a few weeks on crutches. I am grateful for access to medical care, and I am grateful that I didn’t have to choose between food, housing, or medical care.

My heart kept thinking about my grandma who lovingly spoke about her big sister Phyllis. When grandma was a baby, her big sister came down with a high fever around the same time as one grandma’s brothers broke his arm. Phyllis needed medical care, but resources were tight and only one child could see the doctor. Harold was taken to the doctor because the bone needed to be “set.” The family continued to care for Phyllis at home the best they could, but before my grandma turned one her favorite sibling died. For 91 years Grandma longed to see her sister again.

Today individuals and families face heart-breaking choices. Systems, relationships, and life are complicated. I am committed to opening access to food and fellowship for neighbors. It is an act of faith and way of life. No one should have to choose between medical care or having food on the table. Across the eleven-town region served by SSKP food is available if you need it. Thousands of our neighbors receive food from SSKP Pantries each week.

Everyone in our region has access to food because of collaborative efforts! I am proud that my neighbors and my community make this possible…together! Nine community meals, five grocery pantries, and a program that supplies food for children’s backpacks are testaments to kind people everywhere!

Thank you for making a difference!

Amy

Food & Fellowship Every Day

SSKP is sharing food and fellowship every day! If your family is struggling and needs food, we are here for you.

Each week residents of 11 towns can visit one of our five food pantries and receive fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat, bread, eggs, canned goods, and packaged food. The towns we serve are Clinton, Madison, Killingworth, Westbrook, Essex, Chester, Deep River, Old Saybrook, Old Lyme, Lyme, and East Lyme. Our pantry times and locations are:

SSKP Westbrook Pantry

Tuesday 11:30 A.M. - 2:15 P.M.

St. Mark's Roman Catholic Church

22 McVeagh Road, Westbrook

SSKP Old Saybrook Pantry

Tuesday 2:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.

First Church of Christ in Saybrook

366 Main Street, Old Saybrook

SSKP Clinton Pantry

Wednesday 3:30 P.M. - 6:00 P.M.

First Church of Christ Congregational

55 Church Road, Clinton

SSKP East Lyme Pantry

Thursday 2:30 P.M. - 4:30 P.M.

St. John’s Episcopal Church

400 Main Street, Niantic

SSKP Old Lyme Pantry

Saturday 8:30 A.M. - 10:30 A.M.

First Congregational Church of Old Lyme

2 Ferry Road, Old Lyme

All are welcome at our community meals for freshly cooked dinners, lunches, and a breakfast:

Chester Dinner

Sunday 5:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M.

United Church of Chester

29 West Main Street, Chester

Essex Dinner #1

Monday 5:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M.

First Baptist Church in Essex

10 Prospect Street, Essex

Essex Dinner #2

Tuesday 5:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M.

St. John's Episcopal Church

23 Main Street, Essex

Old Saybrook Lunch

Wednesday Noon - 1:00 P.M.

Grace Episcopal Church

336 Main Street, Old Saybrook

Clinton Dinner

Wednesday 5:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M.

United Methodist Church

12 Commerce Street, Clinton

Deep River Dinner

Thursday 5:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M.

Deep River Congregational Church

1 Church Street, Deep River

Centerbrook Lunch

Friday Noon - 1:00 P.M.

Trinity Lutheran Church

109 Main Street, Centerbrook

Westbrook Dinner

Friday 6:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.

Westbrook Congregational Church

1166 Boston Post Road, Westbrook

Madison Breakfast

Saturday 9:00 A.M. - 10:00 A.M.

First Congregational Church of Madison

26 Meetinghouse Lane, Madison

We are grateful to all the volunteers, staff, host sites, and donors who make these meals and pantries happen each day!

Meet Jennifer, SSKP Director of Programming

SSKP welcomes Jennifer Wenderoth-Holster to the team as our new SSKP Director of Programming. A distinguished nonprofit executive, advocate, and community leader whose career is defined by transformation, resilience, and measurable impact. With a Master of Public Administration in Nonprofit Management, she has revitalized organizations, and built high-performing teams rooted in collaboration and innovation. She has held pivotal leadership roles, including serving as Executive Director, where she guided strategic growth, board development, financial stewardship, and program expansion achieving long-term sustainability, stronger donor relationships, and broader community reach. As founder of Let It Be Heard, she has educated and inspired communities on issues of violence prevention and equity. Deeply rooted in her shoreline Connecticut community, Jennifer has also dedicated decades to volunteerism with local organizations, foundations, and civic initiatives. She uses her heart and strategy to empower individuals, strengthen families, and advance equity, delivering sustainable, mission-driven change that endures.

October is Clergy Appreciation Month

During October we recognize and uplift all the faith leaders who partner with SSKP every day. Local faith leaders host our programs, serve on our Board, organize teams who cook and serve meals, collect food donations, and open their doors to our neighbors in need.

Thank you to our Clergy partners for all the ways you support our mission of food & fellowship!

Dime Bank Foundation Supports SSKP

Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries has received a generous $3,000 grant from the Dime Foundation to purchase food for our pantries. Their mission is to improve the well-being and quality of life for our neighbors. Thank you, Dime Bank Foundation!

CBSRZ High Holiday Food Drive for SSKP

For over 30 years our friends at Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek (CBSRZ) have held a High Holiday Food Drive for SSKP. This year’s drive was another huge success, collecting over 1,500 pounds of food for our SSKP Old Saybrook Pantry. Thank you CBSRZ, we are truly grateful for these generous donations of food and for your caring support for those in need in our community!

SSKP Thanksgiving Meal

The Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries' annual Thanksgiving Dinner will be served from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 27th, at Grace Episcopal Church, 336 Main St. in Old Saybrook.

Come join us as we gather to count our blessings together. All are welcome to attend; there is no charge and no reservation is required.

The Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries' annual Thanksgiving Dinner will be served from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 27th, at Grace Episcopal Church, 336 Main St. in Old Saybrook.

Come join us as we gather to count our blessings together. All are welcome to attend; there is no charge and no reservation is required.

Support the Annual Appeal

Each October we mail our Annual Appeal to households in the 11 towns we serve. If you haven't gotten yours yet, you can read our letter here and our updated SSKP Brochure with details about our mission and the times and locations of our 5 food pantries and 9 community meals.

Please read and share our brochure in your community. With your help all those in need will know where they can receive groceries and hot meals.

If you've already made a gift to the Annual Appeal - thank you so much! Your donations will help us share food with local families in need. If you haven't made your gift yet, please take a moment to click the button below.

Thank you!