The Way Forward: What's New for Stock the Pantry 2021

Join Tom Chute of WATR 1320am as he interviews Stock the Pantry 2021 Co-Chair Jennifer Carbonaro of Webster Bank and United Way of Greater Waterbury's Volunteer Engagement Coordinator Jessica Carlino as they share what's new with this year's Stock the Pantry effort!  Learn more about both the in-person drop off on June 18th and the fun online virtual option in this discussion! 

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:00

Thank you, Chris. You may notice I have guests in studio. It's time once again to get together with the United Way of Greater Waterbury and stock the pantry. Uh I was just saying to our guests, uh I was surprised myself when I saw the information come up on my reminders because things it's it's been such a unique year, year and a half that we have to remember where we're at with the calendar. We have Jessica Carlino here with us, United Way Volunteer Engagement Coordinator, along with Jennifer Carbonero, Webster Bank Stock the Pantry coach here. Welcome to you both.

SPEAKER_02 0:31

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 0:32

Nice to have you both here with us in person here at WATR. And you came in the door exactly at eight o'clock.

SPEAKER_02 0:37

We'd like to be prompt.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

I don't know how you do that because everybody's always stuck in traffic somewhere in Waterbury, but it's just great that you got here exactly at eight o'clock. And I I looked up and I oh wow, you're here. Hello and welcome. Uh and we've uh Jennifer, you and I, I think, have spoken on the phone a few times.

SPEAKER_02 0:51

Yes, we have.

SPEAKER_00 0:52

At least once or twice. Thank you. Welcome to you both. It's great to have you with us. Um as I said, the United Way uh of Greater Waterbury stocked the pantry is a huge event. It's so important to us. It's in its sixteenth year, and I uh was surprised pleasantly when I saw it, you know, wow, we can help, we can do this, but it came up quickly to me. So uh I'm glad you guys could come in today and visit with us. So welcome.

SPEAKER_02 1:16

Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you for having us.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

So, Jen, tell us a bit about the uh the Stock the Pantry event.

SPEAKER_02 1:21

So the Stock the Pantry event is uh an annual initiative that is held to directly help the local food pantries stock their shelves with healthy foods for the summer months. And the summer months is when the demand increases and the supply tends to dwindle. So anybody who's been involved in this initiative in the past knows what an exciting initiative it is. Companies and individuals purchase items from a wish list provided by local food pantries and they let us know you know what they need. And you then drop off those donations uh at the United Way's Day of Action. The Day of Action is actually United Way worldwide effort to come together and make a global impact on or around the longest day of the year by volunteering in your local community.

SPEAKER_00 2:04

So very important. Now, last year, of course, we discussed how uh stock the pantry was adjusting to the early stages of the pandemic and hopefully we're pivoting out right now.

SPEAKER_02 2:13

Yes, we are. We were excited last year that we were able to pivot to um completely virtual last year, and it went well. And it was completely new for us, but we couldn't let the food pantries down and the community didn't let us down. We actually raised over $29,000 to support our local food pantries last year, so we were really happy.

SPEAKER_00 2:33

And we have very successful food pantries in our area that are just they're just so good at what they do, and the need is so important. Now I know we're taking what we learned last year and combining that with uh what you traditionally do, right?

SPEAKER_02 2:45

Yes, yes. For 2021, stock the pantry is back, and this time we're actually doing a hybrid model. Last year we collected monetary donations that went directly to the food pantries. This year what we're doing is we're partnering with hashtag give healthy to help purchase and distribute healthy food items to our local food pantries. So what you do is you can click on the link at unitedwaygw.org and choose from 15 items that the food pantries have identified as being most in need right now. You'll see things like apples, oranges, granola bars, peanut butter cereals, and more to donate. It's fun and easy. Or we're excited that companies and groups can now participate in a traditional way by signing up to raise as much healthy food as possible starting now and dropping that food off at United Ways Day of Action event on Friday, June 20 uh sorry, June 18th. We're gonna be in the McDermott parking lot in downtown Waterbury and we're excited to see everybody come down and donate food. And our volunteers will then distribute the food collected on the 18th to our food pantries. But the real challenge right now is we're only two weeks out, and we really need more companies and individuals and groups to participate either way. So if you're listening, please go to unitedwaygw.org and sign up to help out.

SPEAKER_00 4:04

This is so very important. So this uh hashtag give healthy concept to help local food pantries is an awesome idea. Click on that link at UnitedWayGW.org. And I love the fact you can, you know, choose some of those items you want to send and take care of or buy.

SPEAKER_02 4:20

Yes, we're excited about this new way of doing it virtually.

SPEAKER_00 4:24

And and to be back outside again at McDermott on June 18th. Folks, write that down June 18th. Very, very important uh to help our uh our food pantries. Well, you know, um Jessica Carlino, United Way volunteer engagement coordinator. You may have thought you were being ignored for the last few moments. Or we were taking it easy on you. But now we're you know we're switching the spotlight to you. So welcome to WATR. Are your first time here?

SPEAKER_01 4:50

My first time.

SPEAKER_00 4:51

Well, welcome and hope you'll come back again and visit with us. Thank you. So how many food pantries will benefit uh from this effort?

SPEAKER_01 4:57

Um this year we have eleven food pantries. Uh they're members of our food resource committee. They um that's a group that is made up of local pantries that meet monthly to discuss the need, share best practices, and find new ways to stretch resources together. Um in fact, Socta Pantry is the direct result of the committee all recognizing that they were facing the same challenges when kids were out of school and families couldn't provide three meals a day and were turning to them for help.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

And the response over the years has been just terrific, and we're very hopeful this year we will do it all again. The need is real, correct?

SPEAKER_01 5:31

Absolutely. As I'm sure everyone can imagine, the past year has been hard on all of us. Um, but we've seen that over 16 percent of households, um, about over 140,000 people in our country struggle with food insecurity. This is an an increase in 35,000 people since 2018, and 12,000 of those are children. According to United Way 211, over the past year, over 2,000 calls were made regarding the need for food, which is an increase of almost 700 calls from last year during the same period. Nationally, there's been an increase of 17 million Americans that have become food insecure in 2020. So we hope that while everyone is thinking of summer vacation, they remember that hunger doesn't take a holiday, but you can help, and United Way has made it easy. We really need more companies and individuals to visit UnitedWayGW.org and learn more about how they can help.

SPEAKER_00 6:25

And so let's underline that. We need more companies and individuals to help. So let's let's uh keep that in people's minds today. And we've all gone shopping, we see what's happening, the food prices, uh everything we buy now has been going up uh since the end of the pandemic or the rebirth of our active society for the time. So we notice that prices have gone up. So we need to really focus on food insecurity and how we can help. So uh what about people that need help?

SPEAKER_01 6:52

Um if you need to find a local pantry, just dial 211 or visit 211ct.org. 211 is United Way's 24-7 hotline for help and referral, and you can find everything that you need there.

SPEAKER_00 7:05

So there's a time and a place to uh think about it, to get it done either online or in person. Uh and there's a a place to go on June 18th, the McDermott parking lot in downtown Waterbury, and then get the distribution going to the area of food pantries. It's a great way for anybody listening right now and anybody who's involved with uh a company in the area as well to get involved, help others, uh, get your staffs involved, you know, get those collections going, or go online and uh and do it yourself.

SPEAKER_02 7:35

Right, exactly. And and you know, don't forget, you know, individuals every little bit helps and get your family together. I'm I'm from a family of seven children, so I've already reached out to all of them and said go shopping, cut get me some food, drop it off at my house, and I'll bring it on June 18th. So every little bit helps. So we need the help.

SPEAKER_00 7:54

One of many good ideas. Ways you can make it work for sure.

SPEAKER_02 7:58

I have those every once in a while.

SPEAKER_00 8:02

And don't forget UnitedWay GW.org uh to check for more information. Uh maybe choose some items you want to take care of yourself, or get out, contact your family and friends. Everybody wants to help if they get the opportunity. Absolutely. Or when you open the door and say, I'm doing this, can you throw something together? People do it.

SPEAKER_02 8:21

Right. You know. They want to help.

SPEAKER_00 8:23

And it's amazing what people will find. Uh uh you you look through your cabinets and you say, Uh I I've got all this stuff, or you're going shopping and you say, I'll buy an extra of this or an extra that, or you go to a store that's having a you know a two-for-one sale.

SPEAKER_02 8:36

Right.

SPEAKER_00 8:36

And you utilize all that uh extra help to help others. So it's uh it's actually if you are blessed with the opportunity to be able to uh afford your family food, uh then it's so easy to bless others just by picking up extra items. Exactly. It's just an extra move of your hand or find out what's on sale or just see what's in your pantry at home. Uh Jessica Carlino, welcome to WATR. You did a great job.

SPEAKER_01 9:01

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 9:01

Your first appearance here, United Way volunteer engagement coordinator. Now, what does that entail?

SPEAKER_01 9:07

Oh wow, that's a good question. Um so I oversee our three engagement strategies. So we have Upstarters, which is our youth engagement, ages 10 to 17. Um then we do our work with emerging leaders, which is young professionals living and working in the greater Waterbury area, and then all corporate engagement as well.

SPEAKER_00 9:23

So it's quite an umbrella. It is.

SPEAKER_01 9:25

It is, but it's all good things.

SPEAKER_00 9:27

It sure is. And uh Jennifer Carbonero, Webster Bank, stock the pantry co-chair again, right?

SPEAKER_02 9:32

Yes, yes. This is my fifth year. Yeah, God bless you.

SPEAKER_00 9:35

And you are downtown Waterbury Webster Bank.

SPEAKER_02 9:37

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 9:38

And you intend to stay there.

SPEAKER_02 9:39

I'm staying there. We are staying there.

SPEAKER_00 9:42

That's great. That's good. I know you mentioned that to me before we went on the air, so I thought let's spread the rumor. Let's do that. Let's do that. Thank you very much for being with us today. Thank you. I'll remind people about the dates coming up, et cetera. We'll try to keep this thing going. Maybe you can give us an update uh when it's all over. That would be great. Yeah, yeah. Thanks for being here. Pleasure. And uh good to see you too, Glenn. Welcome back. Live uh live Facebook feed. We're just waving at her right now. Okay. Uh twenty-two past the hour, eight twenty two here, W A T R