FLOW – the Future Leaders of West Hartford – is inviting additional volunteers to join them in assisting at Foodshare on Saturday, Nov. 11.

By Ryan Keating

We are excited to be supporting the Foodshare mission of ending hunger in Greater Hartford this Saturday, Nov. 11.

We have limited spots available from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Please sign up and register at the following link (select FLOW as the group participating with): http://flow.foodshare.volunteerhub.com/events/indexv1

Volunteers will inspect, sort, and repack donated produce. Volunteers should be able to work on their feet and lift boxes weighing 30 pounds. Volunteers must be 12 years of age or older.

Last year, with the help of thousands of volunteers, Foodshare distributed more than 11.5 million meals worth of food to our hungry neighbors. Foodshare relies heavily on volunteers like you and your team to get food out to people who need it.

Some important statistics:

• 127,000 people (1 in 8) living in Hartford and Tolland Counties are food insecure, meaning they lack consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. 
• More than 36,000 children (1 in 6 children) living in Hartford and Tolland Counties are food insecure. 
• An estimated 40 percent of the food insecure people in Foodshare’s service area live in households with incomes too high to qualify for most federal nutrition assistance, including SNAP. These households rely on charitable programs like Foodshare to put food on the table.
• With help from more than 4,700 volunteers donating 44,068 hours of service last year – equal to 22 additional full-time employees z- Foodshare provided enough food for 11.5 million meals to help our friends and neighbors in Greater Hartford. 
• Mobile Foodshare provides a critical safety net of food assistance and nutrition, distributing 4.2 million pounds of food in 2016, through 71 partner sites.
• Seventy-six percent of the food we distribute is considered ‘Foods to Encourage.’ This is fresh, healthy food, including protein, dairy, grains and nearly 5 million pounds of fruits and vegetables

Concurrently, what better time to get your We Care Card for area deals in West Hartford Center which proceeds benefit Foodshare!

Future Leaders of West Hartford is also hosting an open board meeting for anyone under 40 interested in learning more about the group and committee involvement at The Children’s Museum, on Monday, Nov. 13, from 5:30-7 p.m.

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