DONATION DAYS & TIMES
ALTERNATE DROP OFF LOCATIONS
Please do not leave donation items outside of the building. Due to health concerns, items left outside the building will be disposed. There are several alternatives for donations outside of the normal operation hours:
Food donations may be dropped at the Enfield Senior Center on Elm Street (during business hours Monday through Friday).
Many area grocers (Shoprite, Stop & Shop and Big Y) have donation bins in the front of the store marked “Donation for Enfield Food Shelf”. This is a great place to put purchased donations or that Buy 1/Get 1 items that you might not be otherwise using!
Please do not hesitate to call and make an appointment for donations, especially for groups or large donations.
SOURCES OF FOOD
Enfield Food Shelf’s primary source of food is donations from our generous Enfield community. Groups from schools, businesses, churches, civic organizations, trucking companies and sports organizations have generously collected food for Enfield Food Shelf. Contributions are received from many individuals and families as well.
Other sources of regular food donations are local retailers and grocers including Shoprite, Target, Stop & Shop, Walmart, Aldi, Costco and Panera among others. Many basic food items are obtained at a reduced cost from CTFoodshare, a nonprofit distributor for state and federal food assistance programs. Cash donations are typically utilized to offset CTFoodshare costs as well as to purchase food items from other retailers and to assist with other financial obligations.
FOOD DONATIONS
- Tomato paste and sauce
- Canned vegetables
- Fruits
- Soups
- Canned Meats
- Tuna
- Macaroni and cheese
- Boxed meals (i.e. Hamburger Helper, PastaRoni, etc.)
- Gravies
- Peanut butter
- Jelly
- Muffin and cake mixes
- Coffee (ground pounds)
- Tea
- Juices (family size or individual juice boxes)
- Cereal
- Crackers
- Cookies sugar
- Flour
- Condiments
- Baby food and formula
NON-FOOD DONATIONS: Household or Personal Care
- Disposable Diapers (4, 5 & 6)
- Toilet Paper
- Dish Detergent
- Laundry Soap
- Deodorants
- Tooth Brush
- Toothpaste
- Shampoo
- Razors
- Shaving creams
- Feminine products
- Adult incontinence products
Enfield Food Shelf volunteers are trained through Foodshare to assess the quality of the product package, viability of the product and acceptable expiration dates. If your products are expired, please do not hesitate to contact us for further details.
SPONSOR an EVENT / PROJECT
If you belong to a group, organization, or business that would like to help in the fight against hunger, please call us. The Enfield Food Shelf has many creative ideas, some listed in the SPONSOR an EVENT/PROJECT.
Projects to assist us can be simple or complex because we have many needs to be met. The obvious needs are nonperishable food items, financial donations, and sponsorship of major events.
Some creative ways to help may include items or skills less frequently donated such as those needed to maintain our facility or vehicle. Great team building and group projects might include difficult to upgrade or cleaning projects (freezers, shelves, floors, windows). Also needed are donations for these types of projects such as cleaning materials (mops, sponges, brooms, cleansers) or gas cards. Office drives for donating personal hygiene products (diapers of all sizes for children and adult incontinence products, deodorants, feminine products, toothbrushes and tooth paste, shampoo, and soap) are very helpful. Consider sponsoring a new “green” shopping bag drive to give to our new clients.
Here are some ideas for events and/or sponsorship:
“Diaper-ade Stand” – Give glasses of lemonade in exchange for diapers
“Shampoo Splash” – Suggest shampoo be brought to a pool party
“Benefit Block Party” – Organize a neighborhood block party and target a personal hygiene item to be donated
Birthday/Anniversary – Suggest a nonperishable food item and/or donation in lieu of gifts
“Sponsorship” – Encourage your corporation, business, or civic organization to become a sponsor for our major events like the Enfield Food Shelf Challenge, the Maine Fish Market Benefit Golf Tournament, Hunger Takes No Vacation Fashion Show, the National Association of Letter Carriers’ Food Drive, and “Give Thanks with a Turkey” Thanksgiving Drive.
We will give you suggestions and details about creating a project and/or becoming a sponsor. Every event/project, whether simple or complex, provides valuable assistance in ensuring no Enfield family in need is without food assistance.
Enfield Food Shelf
786 Enfield Street
Enfield, CT 06082
(860) 741-7321
enfieldfoodshelf@att.net
http//www.enfieldfoodshelf.org
Click the Donate Button below to contribute.