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Help SafeNet Feed the Community

On Saturday morning, I stopped by SafeNet Ministries, Stafford’s homegrown food cupboard. Inside, a team of volunteers of all ages packed food into boxes for distribution to families of different sizes. Outside, more volunteers talked to patrons and delivered boxes to their cars. Everyone in the organization, from first-time volunteers to board members, donates their time and energy to help feed their neighbors experiencing food insecurity. 


SafeNet Ministries Food Cupboard
A row of distributions for small families.

Back in 2004, Stafford’s houses of worship came together to identify a need in the community, and SafeNet was born. Twenty years later, the group dispenses supplemental food to needy families on the first Wednesday of the month and the second and fourth Saturdays. In the third quarter of 2024, they served roughly 260-280 families from Stafford, Union, Willington, and Ashford. 


On this particular morning, Andrea Lorenzetti, the volunteer coordinator, showed me around and answered my questions while helping direct the other volunteers. She says that over the past few years, SafeNet has seen a steady increase in demand. After staying open through the height of the pandemic, she says the state saw a 23% increase in food insecurity over the past year. There was a time, says Lorenzetti, when SafeNet provided ten meals for every dollar donated. Now, it’s more like three meals per dollar. Just like everyone else, SafeNet feels the impact of increased prices. 

SafeNet Ministries Food Cupboard
New freezers purchased with the help of ARPA grants.

As the need has grown, so has this organization, which started by handing out food vouchers. It now owns its building (purchased through private donations), where it stores deliveries from Foodshare Connecticut, donations from community members, and food from both local Dollar Generals donated through its food reclamation program. Recently, the organization was able to buy two new freezers with the help of the town’s ARPA funds. This allows them to stock up on items that are not always available.


Lorenzetti said that, in the past, SafeNet had the opportunity to take donations from truckers who could not get rid of their cargo. Quite often, they are shelf-stable items, but space dictates how much SafeNet can accept when they are frozen goods. As you can imagine, turning away food for a pantry that serves hungry families is a punch in the gut. Thanks to the town’s ARPA funds, SafeNet hopes never to turn away food again. 




Right now, Safe Net has an entire freezer reserved for Thanksgiving turkeys. Its annual Thanksgiving food drive is Saturday, October 19, between 9 a.m. and noon. Box it up, drive it over to SafeNet, and a volunteer will whisk it away.


 

SafeNet Ministries Food Cupboard

Suggested Thanksgiving Donations for SafeNet


Recently purchased(within days) 

  • Fresh or frozen whole chickens or turkeys

  • Canned cranberry sauce

  • Jarred turkey or chicken gravy or gravy mixes

  • Packaged stuffing mix

  • Canned carrots 

  • Brownie mix


Other items

  • Soup

  • Baked beans

  • Cereal hot or cold.          

  • Snack items

  • Pasta 

  • Pasta sauce

  • Canned or packaged fruit

  • Mac and cheese


 

While food is SafeNet’s focus, they also distribute personal items from diapers to deodorant and shampoo. In fact, if you want to make a habit of donating throughout the year, consider following SafeNet on Facebook, where they post about the items they need. If you are still unsure what to give, Lorenzetti says to donate soup when you are in doubt. It’s shelf-stable and popular with pantry patrons. Additionally, SafeNet can always use pasta, tomato sauce, tuna, canned chicken, kids’ snacks, and hot or cold cereal. And it goes without saying but they always need money.


If you want to do more than donate, volunteers are always needed. High school students looking to fulfill their community service requirements, the Rotary and Lions Club, TTM employees, the Boy Scouts, and many other organizations often get together to provide extra hands at SafeNet. However, it does not need to be a group activity – all are welcome. Lorenzetti stressed that she finds a way to accommodate everyone. She will find a different job for you if you can't lift. If you have trouble with face-to-face interaction, you can stock shelves. 


Thanksgiving distributions are exhausting, which is part of why SafeNet does not provide other holiday meals. However, Lorenzetti hopes they will someday have enough volunteers to assign one group to Thanksgiving and another to Christmas, for instance. That all depends on volunteers and SafeNet’s ability to find young people willing to donate their time in the long term to keep the organization going. If that sounds like you, consider reaching out. 

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