Student Athletes and Coaches from Southern Connecticut State University Joined Connecticut Food Bank in Unloading 18-Wheeler Packed With 1,000 Turkeys Donated By Stop & Shop to Help the Less Fortunate

A group of student athletes and coaches from Southern Connecticut State University unloaded an 18-wheeler truck packed with 1,000 turkeys donated by Stop & Shop to the Connecticut Food Bank in East Haven.Stop & Shop’s Turkey Express program will deliver nearly 21,000 turkeys to hunger relief organizations in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island this holiday season..

According to the Hunger in America 2014 report, of those served by the Connecticut Food Bank:

· An estimated 84% of households are food insecure (reduced quality, variety or desirability of diet and little food intake) and 16% are food secure (no food access problems, typical food anxieties with little or no changes in diets or food intake).

• 68% had to choose between paying for food or medicine in the last year.

· Taking into consideration household size, 74% of client households have incomes falling at or below the federal poverty level.

Results from the Child Food Insecurity 2014 Study are just as disconcerting, revealing:

• Connecticut’s overall child food insecurity rate is 19.6% or 155,380 children statewide.
• In Connecticut Food Bank’s service area, which includes Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London and Windham Counties, the child food insecurity rate is 17.9% or 103,650 children.