WALLINGFORD, Conn. — Editor's note: The video above is from July 2020
Originally set to run for two weeks, Foodshare announced Monday that after 18 months, it will end its emergency drive-thru food distribution at the end of the week.
At the peak of the pandemic, the drive-thru sites were serving more than 2000 households per day, officials said. And they provided over 14 million meals through just the sites alone.
This is not the first time an end date has been set for the program. There have been several extensions.
“We always said that these emergency distributions would not last forever and given Connecticut’s high vaccination rate and active job market, it’s time for us to shift back to our regular programming," Jason Jakubowski, president and CEO, Connecticut Foodshare said in a statement. "We have nearly 700 community partners throughout the state, which means there are numerous options for people to access food after these drive-thru sites close.”
Officials encouraged individuals who depend on the sites for food to reach out to a pantry or meal program in their community.
“Many of our community partners offer services in addition to food assistance that help their visitors who are struggling with basic needs," said Jakubowski. "For many households, these additional supports are an important part of progressing toward food security and independence."
RELATED: Set to stop on May 31st, the drive-thru food distribution sites will roll through the Summer
"I am very proud that with Connecticut Foodshare’s partnership we were able to facilitate connections with Connecticut farmers to provide thousands of pounds of CT Grown products as a part of this effort,” said Bryan P. Hurlburt, commissioner of the Department of Agriculture.
To access other food resources, go to www.ctfoodshare.org/find-help, call 2-1-1, or go to www.211ct.org.
Doug Stewart is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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