Approximately one in seven households in Connecticut is struggling to put food on the table. The JFSGNH Food Pantry & Food Assistance Program is striving to keep this number from increasing by providing nutritious food to individuals and families in Greater New Haven. The Pantry and its food programs serve people near or below the poverty line, and those who are nutritionally at risk.
Our Food Pantry, located at 1440 Whalley Ave., offers non-perishable foods, fresh produce and fruits, and frozen items to needy individuals and families as a once monthly supplement.
The Food Pantry is open on Wednesday and Thursday mornings by appointment from 9-12 (except for holidays or months which have five weeks).
Emergency Food Requests – For emergency food, please call (203) 397-0796 to schedule an appointment. We return calls within 24 hours except on weekends, pantry closures and holidays.
All requests must verbally attest to the USDA Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) client certification. Additional information may be requested for participation in the JFS Food Assistance Program and may include a current photo ID. If an ID does not have current address, please bring mail or or another document that will show your current address along with your photo ID.
The Pantry is funded in part by grants from the United Way of Greater New Haven (Emergency Food & Shelter Program (EFSP) funding), the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, the Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven. The Pantry also receives product from CT Foodshare which is from the USDA in the form of TEFAP commodities.
How to Help
- Conduct a one-time non-perishable Food Drive (see Guidelines below)
- Conduct an on-going food drive at your synagogue/school/business/organization
- Volunteer to help pack bags for holidays or special programs
- Tailor a community service or a Bar/Bat Mitzvah project around collecting food for the Pantry
Donation Guidelines
Whether it’s a few cans or several bags of groceries, every donation is appreciated! Here are some guidelines to follow before making a donation:
- The Pantry accepts non-perishable foods of all types, including canned foods, boxed foods and bagged foods.
- Oversize items (such as 5 or 10 lb. bags of rice, or items that weigh more than 3 lbs.) are discouraged as they are hard to carry and transport for many of our clients.
- Please check all dates on food packages as we do not accept food after its “Best By”, “Use By” or “Expiration Date” .
- Due to food safety issues, please avoid donating glass containers which can break in transport or during processing.
- Due to health and safety reasons we cannot accept any open containers, boxes or repackaged items; homemade items – this includes items without a label or any extra pre-made leftover food from events.
- Donations can be dropped off at the Pantry during regular operating hours (Wednesday and Thursday between 9 a.m. until noon) or by appointment on other days and times. We request that if you have a large donation (more than a few grocery bags), please call ahead of time to make drop off arrangements. This is to ensure that we have volunteers to help take in and process your donation. Please do not leave any donations outside the door or building during non-operating hours. Unfortunately, since we have no control over the outside elements/weather/temperature, donations left outside are discarded due to safety and health precautions.
Unsure what to Donate?
Here are some of the most common foods requested by our Pantry guests.
Canned soups and Broths
Canned Pasta and Canned Chili; Canned chicken
Cereal- children and adult
Baking items such as small bags of sugar and flour; oil; crisco; sweet condensed milk; evaporated milk
Drinks – coffee (regular and decaf); tea; small juice boxes;
Pasta (all shapes)
Canned meats and fish (solid or chunk white tuna; canned chicken; sardines)
Non Dairy/Non Refrigerated Milk – oat milk, almond milk, rice milk
Nutritional Supplements – Ensure; Boost; Protein drink/meal replacement
Boxed Rice mixes or meal starters (Hamburger Helper; Pasta Sides; Rice-a-Roni)
Grains – couscous; farrow; buckwheat; quinoa
Condiments – ketchup, mayo, mustard (spicy and yellow); BBQ sauce; salad dressings; relish
Canned vegetables – Potatoes (whole, diced, sliced); Carrots; Corn (whole kernel or creamed); Green beans (French; whole, cut); Lima beans, Sauerkraut, Mushrooms, Beets, Spinach, Collards,
Kosher or Halal non-perishable canned/boxed food (all types)
Monetary Donations
Online: To make a monetary contribution to the Food Pantry you may donate online through this website. You can designate the Food Pantry in the drop down menu on the donation page.
If you prefer to donate via mail, please make your check payable to Jewish Family Service or JFS Food Pantry and be sure to write Food Pantry on the memo line. Mail the check to Jewish Family Service of Greater New Haven, 1440 Whalley Avenue, New Haven, CT 06515. To speak to someone about a monetary donation please call 203-389-5599, ext. 105.
Questions???
For more information about food donations/schedule a drop-off, please contact Sandy Hagan at shagan@jfsnh.org. or call the Pantry at 203-397-0796.