Maria Paredes is a mobile food pantry warrior, and a Connecticut Foodshare board member.

On opening day of a new mobile food pantry site in Stamford, board member Arlene Putterman came out to lend a hand along with Connecticut Foodshare staff. Hosted at B1C, Building One Community, this mobile pantry had 209 guests in attendance – the largest of any mobile food pantry opening day on record. Arlene and staff gave Connecticut Foodshare shopping bags to guests and made sure they also had postcards with our mobile texting service instructions. Kwaku, our driver, welcomed individuals and families to shop the free healthy food – fresh eggs, milk, vegetables, bread, snacks, and fruit. Building One Community did a fantastic job of promoting this mobile food pantry on social media ahead of time to reach as many people as possible, and were extremely organized on the ground. Volunteers from the community were able to help people move through the line quickly. Everyone left with a full bag or two and a smile on their face!

In Arlene’s own words, “As a board member of Connecticut Foodshare, one of our responsibilities is to get involved with many programs we offer our communities and support the staff as volunteers. It takes a team effort to help those in need and board participation goes a long way. It was a gratifying experience to lend a hand at the mobile pantry food distribution in Stamford…and look forward to attending more of them in the future.”