We typically organize a few events each quarter in the Hartford area for our members to volunteer. These events range from fundraising, to delivering fresh food, to working at local food banks and soup kitchens. Events that are not full will be closed 7 days before they take place.
Upcoming Hartford Events
You must sign up for membership before registering for events.
Upcoming Events
TBD
Past Events
November 26, 2024 (Tuesday) – Connecticut Foodshare, Wallingford
Time: 12:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Acticity: Volunteers worked together to sort good food items from bad food items, ensuring that only safe and fresh products were distributed. After sorting, they carefully packed groceries into cardboard boxes, organizing them by type to make distribution smoother and more efficient. Once the packing was completed, volunteers tidied up the workplace by cleaning any spills, disposing of waste, and organizing leftover materials. Their teamwork not only helped provide meals to those in need but also left the space neat and ready for future use. This hands-on experience gave the volunteers a deeper understanding of the importance of food safety and community support.
October 26, 2024 (Saturday) – Abundant Life Church, Ansonia
Time: 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Activity: Volunteers helped load and unload the Connecticut Foodshare truck, set up food stands, and distribute a variety of different foods (chicken burritos, apples, squash, and other vegetables) to people. Despite the cold day, a long line of people waited to get food. Concluding the event, volunteers cleaned up the trash from food packaging and loaded the leftovers back into the truck. After this experience, our young volunteers better understood the situation of disadvantaged communities.
September 14, 2024 (Saturday) – The 180 Center (Turning Lives Around), New Haven, North Haven
Time: 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Activity: The passion of our volunteers has heated up like the weather today to 86°F. We secured a full carload of food donations from local businesses, including Olive Garden and other food stores in North Haven. The volunteers then worked hard to transfer the food items to The 180 Center (Turning Lives Around) in New Haven. They donated food to people in rehab programs, who benefit greatly from the help provided by our volunteers.
August 30, 2024 (Friday) – Sanctuary Kitchen, New Haven
Time: 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Activity: The volunteers worked at the Sanctuary Kitchen and helped refugee chefs package food and hand out food items to customers at curbside pickup. After learning about the background and work environment of the Sanctuary Kitchen from the manager Carol and the chefs, the high schoolers worked hard in the kitchen: packing food, greeting customers, and handing out food orders to the curbside customer line. The items sold were traditional foods made by female refugee and immigrant chefs from Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, Iraq, Mauritius, and Nepal. Our volunteers learned to appreciate the disadvantaged peoples’ hard work and were happy they helped the community in need.
August 28, 2024 (Wednesday) – Connecticut Foodshare, Wallingford
Time: 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Activity: The volunteers helped the Connecticut food bank inspect, sort, and package food items. The hardworking high schoolers were assigned to apple packaging. They gathered the fruits into bags of three, which were then neatly placed into cardboard boxes. By the end of the shift, they loaded 10 boxes worth of apples. The hard-working volunteers also cleaned the space with brooms and mops.
August 16, 2024 (Friday) – Madison Farmers Market, Madison
Time: 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Activity: Our volunteers helped the staff at Sanctuary Kitchen set up vendor tables and assisted with sales. The items sold were traditional foods made by female refugee and immigrant chefs from Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, Iraq, Mauritius, and Nepal. The staff instructed the volunteers on how to use the cash register. The volunteers used their newly gained skills to serve customers. It’s been a great experience for high schoolers to learn how to interact with customers and appreciate the hard work and culture of disadvantaged communities.
August 1, 2024 (Thursday) – Big Y, Trader Joe’s, Friends Center for Children, Orange, New Haven
Time: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Activity: The first day of August is 90 degrees, but the scorching sun made it feel close to 100! Our diligent volunteers secured a full car’s worth of food donations from generous local supermarkets including Big Y and Trader Joe’s. The volunteers spent hours distributing loaves of bread, bags of vegetables, and bundles of fruits to communities in need, such as the Friends Center for Children.
July 27, 2024 (Saturday) – ANS Loft, New York City
Time: 10:15 am – 5:00 pm
Activity: The CT and NJ chapter leaders were invited to the 9th Anniversary of the “I Rise” Conference and Award ceremony, where they actively shared their initiatives and were inspired by the vast contributions made by other prominent figures in the volunteering community. The young leaders subsequently enjoyed a melodic singing performance, graceful dancing, and thoughtful prayers. The Food Lounge’s recognition by The ANS Association, Nicole Aurelien Youth Foundation, and Chloe Natacha International Ministries for their charitable efforts is a testament to the positive impact they’ve had on low-income communities. The “I Rise” Conference is a wonderful opportunity for the volunteers to share their goals and achievements. It not only showcases their hard work but also provides a platform for our young leaders to learn from role models in the volunteering community.
July 21, 2024 (Sunday) – Edgewood Farmers Market, New Haven
Time: 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
Activity: The volunteers took the initiative by approaching the local farmers at the Edgewood Farmers Market and requesting food donations. Many farmers gladly donated a variety of food items. The volunteers then delivered them to Marrakech, a local homeless shelter and unemployment center. Many thanks to the kind farmers who generously donated their hard work to communities in need. Their compassion drives the spirit of our volunteers and the hope of struggling families.
July 21, 2024 (Sunday) – Olmo Bagels Shop, New Haven
Time: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Activity: Our volunteers secured 300 donated bagels from Olmo Bagels, a local bagel shop, and delivered them to the Amistad Catholic Worker House. The volunteers are delighted that these bagels will help feed those in need and their hard work directly impacts the struggling communities. We extend our heartfelt gratitude and pride to the generous business owner who made the charity possible.
June, 2024 – Downtown, Wallingford
Time: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Activity: Our motivated volunteers walked along the business street in Wallingford CT and approached business managers and owners in Stop&Shop, Walmart, and local restaurants. Volunteers distributed flyers encouraging people to donate and talked to the library staff about posting the food lounge donation poster.
