By Barbara Heimlich
Editor
Connecticut farmers and schools have had more than $10 million in federal cuts from President Donald Trump’s administration.
Overall, Connecticut is expected to lose at least $10 million with direct impacts starting by July 1, officials said. Notices have been sent out about the cuts for two programs that affect farmers and consumers who are struggling to find affordable food.
Some families have had difficulty paying $9 for a dozen eggs at a time of continuing inflation. Many working families are struggling to balance their budgets and 470,000 residents of Connecticut are classified as “food insecure” in a sharp jump from last year, officials said.
“People are working. That’s not the issue,” said Jason Jakubowski, president of FoodShare, a nonprofit that distributes food across the state. “They have two, sometimes three jobs, but it’s hard to make ends meet in today’s world. … We live in a world where a box of Twinkies is cheaper than a bushel of apples.”
At a Monday press conference in Bloomfield with U.S. Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, Jakubowski stepped forward to speak about cuts being made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to the Local Food for Schools Program, known as LFS, and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, known as LFPA.
Stratford Public Schools, as part of the State of Connecticut, participates in the Connecticut Local Food for Schools Incentive Program. This program provides reimbursement payments to eligible school districts for purchasing locally and regionally sourced foods for school meals. The program helps increase the use of local foods in schools, builds relationships between food producers and school districts, and strengthens the local food system.
Key aspects of the LFS program in Stratford:
Remboursement: The program offers reimbursement for purchases of locally and regionally sourced foods, with varying percentages based on the origin of the food.
Local Food Focus: It encourages the purchase of unprocessed or minimally processed foods from local and regional producers.
Eligibility: Stratford Public Schools, as a school food authority operating the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), is eligible for the program.
Program Timeline: The program runs annually, with a specific timeframe for purchases and reimbursements.
Support: The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) provides support to schools through regional Farm to School Coordinators, assisting with local food procurement and program implementation.
Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, (LFPA).
The LFPA program covers 516 food distribution facilities, such as homeless shelters and food pantries across the state. The food comes from 131 small Connecticut farms, and the state is expected to lose $5 million that allows public schools and day care centers to buy fresh food from local farms.
In Stratford, local food purchase assistance programs primarily focus on providing support for food insecurity and connecting local food systems with food banks and schools. The main programs include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides monthly assistance for food purchases, and the Mobile Food Pantry, a partnership between the Stratford Health Department and Connecticut Food Bank, offering free food distribution. Additionally, the Connecticut Local Food for Schools Incentive Program encourages schools to purchase local and regional foods, benefiting both the school nutrition programs and local farmers.
Specific Programs and How to Access Them:
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program): This federal program provides monthly benefits to eligible individuals and families to purchase food. To learn more about eligibility and how to apply, contact Senior Services at the Baldwin Center or the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS).
Mobile Food Pantry: The Stratford Health Department and the Connecticut Food Bank partner to offer this service, providing free food once a month to individuals and families. There is a food pantry service every other Monday the Holy Name of Jesus Church, 1950 Barnum Avenue, Individuals and families are welcome to receive a bag of free, fresh, and nutritious food.
The Stratford YMCA Community Fridge and Pantry is located at the Stratford YMCA at 3045 Main Street. The Community Fridge & Pantry is located on the James Street side of their building in the shed outside, and is open to the community daily based on the YMCA operating hours. It is designed as a “take what you need, leave what you can” program. The Community Fridge and Pantry project accepts donations of prepackaged, prepared meals, fresh produce, dairy, non-perishables, snacks, and more. Hours: are:
Monday—Thursday– 5:30am-9:00pm
Friday– 5:30am-7:00pm
Saturday– 7:00am-6:00pm
Sunday– 8:00am-4:00pm
For more information contact Suzanne Richards, Executive Director at srichards@cccymca.org or 203-375-5844.
Sterling Community Center Food Pantry is open Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Evening appointments are available upon request. Please call to ask about making an appointment: (203) 378-2606
What do I need to bring to sign up for the Food Pantry?
On your first visit to our Food Pantry, please bring the following:
– Identification
– Reusable bags to carry food/supplies
– Be ready to share household size and ages
The following calendar lists all of the local food pantries for Stratford:
Connecticut Food Bank’s website offers information on their programs and services, including the Mobile Food Pantry. When compared to the annual federal budget deficit and the even larger accumulated national debt of $36 trillion, Murphy said that the food cuts do not make much economic sense.
“This is cruelty for the point of cruelty,” Murphy told reporters. “These are relatively small programs that go a long way toward both supporting farmers and supporting families. By ending these two programs, all you’re doing is hurting farmers and jeopardizing the food security of our families.”
Murphy added, “These programs don’t save big amounts of money for the federal government. They don’t balance the budget. They are effective, efficient and affordable programs that help families in need. This is obviously a really dire moment in which the president is willfully violating the Constitution and ignoring spending decisions made by Congress, and intentionally throwing this country into economic and political crisis just for the sake of crisis.”
Like other cuts, the latest rescissions will be challenged in the federal courts, Blumenthal predicted. “Donald Trump and Elon Musk threaten to Make America Hungry Again,” Blumenthal told reporters. “They’re not eliminating waste. They are laying waste” to programs.
“Contrary to popular conservative impression, the folks who line up for food assistance in this state are almost universally folks that are working,” Murphy told reporters at the Foodshare warehouse. “The problem in this state is not employment. We’re at near full employment. The problem is that work doesn’t pay in this country. The cost of living is too high. Wages have been flat for too long. You can be working full-time, and you can be working two jobs and not have enough money to pay the bills, to be able to put food on the table.”
