It's 12:30 on a Friday afternoon, and the line is already forming.
Not at a restaurant. Not at a concert. At John Pettibone Community Center in New Milford — three and a half hours before distribution even starts. Every person in that line has children at home. Some drove here straight from a second shift. Some walked. A few will have their groceries delivered later tonight by volunteers who've been doing this so long they know which apartment buzzer sticks. Inside, 50 volunteers are sorting eggs, bagging produce, and stacking milk. There's no government funding running this operation. No corporate parent company. Just a community that decided eight years ago that no kid in this town should go to bed hungry — and meant it.
In six weeks, school ends. And when school ends, 540 children in our community lose access to up to 10 meals a week. Overnight. Gone. No free breakfast. No cafeteria lunch line. Just a long, hot summer and a refrigerator that empties faster than any paycheck can fill it.
Eighty percent of the families we serve are working households. They're not unemployed. They're not on benefits — most earn too much to qualify. They're the parents keeping the lights on at restaurants you eat at, stocking the shelves at stores you shop at, doing the jobs this town runs on. And right now, with grocery costs where they are, their paychecks don't reach Friday.
That's where you come in.
$5 feeds one child for one week
$60 covers one child for the entire summer
$300 feeds five children all summer long
Eight years. Ten million pounds of food. Zero kids turned away.
But we can't do the next eight without you.
Who We Are
Have you ever known the panic of not knowing where your child's next meal is coming from?
Have you ever seen the gratitude on the face of a hungry child when you hand them a bag of food? Have you ever witnessed the relief of a parent when you feed their child?
Camella's Cupboard feeds children. We provide multi-day food bags to families in need. Nutritious meals that include fruits and vegetables, dairy, whole grains, low sugar items. When school is out of session, families that rely on free and reduced lunch are oftentimes left with no other option to feed their child. During COVID-19, many families that were doing okay now find themselves in need.
You can help us provide food to those in need with your contribution! Thank you!