This Month’s “Hero Around Town” Is the FAITH Food Pantry

Connecticut Real Estate Expert Andy Sachs

The FAITH Food Pantry is a shining example of what Newtown is all about. Here’s what I mean.
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I recently had the pleasure of visiting the FAITH Food Pantry here in Newtown, and I was lucky enough to be joined by President Lee Paulsen and Vice President Jill LeBlanc to talk a little bit about their history and what they bring to the Newtown community.
The FAITH Food Pantry was started in 1983 by the Reverend Joan Horrowit at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Sandy Hook. They’ve been in the current location for about a year and a half, and they serve around 150 families per month. Winter months are harder because a lot of their clients pay for expenses (heat, electricity, etc.) they wouldn’t ordinarily pay for in the summer.
As Lee and Jill said, so many people are no more than one paycheck away from having a need, and the hardest thing for them to do is walk through their front door and ask for help. They always leave with a smile, though. During my tour, the word “goodness” came to mind. Everyone in there is there to help, and you get the feeling that if you were in need, this would be a safe place to come.
All the volunteers are Newtown residents, and anyone is welcome to come inside as long as they’re, also, Newtown residents. They specify this because all the money and food that’s provided is done so by the city of Newtown.

Everyone in there is there to help, and you get the feeling that if you were in need, this would be a safe place to come.

As you might expect, they get an influx of food donations for the holidays, and they’ll have free turkeys and Thanksgiving meals to provide this year. The summer months are when they have their lowest level of inventory, so during that time, they’re always on the lookout for basic items like cleaning supplies, coffee, etc. If you’d like to contribute to their cause, they accept donations on Tuesday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and on Thursday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. I think what FAITH Food Pantry does is a great summation of what Newton is all about. There’s a special kindness that’s exuded in this town, and they’re an example of that. It’s worth noting that they refer to the people they help as “clients” instead of “the needy.”
I want to thank Lee and Jill for joining me for today’s video, and my team and I look forward to hopefully hosting one of their food drives within the month. If you’d like to know more about FAITH Food Pantry, visit their website here.
As always, if you have any real estate questions for me or there’s anything I can help you with, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to speak with you.