Representatives from the West Hartford Center Business Association presented Foodshare with a check for $10,000 at the Holiday Party at Barcelona on Dec. 6, 2017.

By Joy Taylor

The generosity of the West Hartford community has made it possible for Foodshare to be able to provide 25,000 meals to the needy, thanks to all who purchased a We Care Card which gave card holders the “ticket” to many exclusive sales and other special offers.

“We were thrilled to give $2,000 over what we raised last year,” commented West Hartford Center Business Association President Barbara Karsky. “That’s another 5,000 meals!” The cards were sold in West Hartford Center and Blue Back Square in the fall for a donation of $50 each.

With the purchase of the card, donors were offered discounts and special offers in more than 50 different businesses from Thursday, Nov. 2 through Sunday, Nov. 12. Foodshare was the sole beneficiary.

Foodshare has ambitious goals to feed the hungry, and answers the nagging question “Can we really solve hunger?” in this excerpt from  their website:

“Foodshare’s goal is to solve hunger – that is, to make sure that when people fall on hard times, there is enough food available to support them. Right now, that is not the case. Last year, Foodshare distributed enough food for 11.5 million meals – but even that huge amount of food did not cover the entire need in our area.

“It is simply not possible for us to grow enough to fill the need with food alone, so another approach is needed. We need to tackle the problem from both sides: we need to bring up the amount of available food as much as possible, and bring down the need for food by helping people find greater stability. When the need and the supply meet in the middle, no one has to go without.