Stamford, CT - AARP Connecticut State Director Nora Duncan recently visited The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County in Stamford to thank staff and volunteers for their continuing efforts to assist local residents impacted by Superstorm Sandy. During the visit, Duncan presented Kate Lombardo, Executive Director of The Food Bank, with a check for $10,000 from the AARP Foundation Disaster Relief Fund. The Fund was established in the wake of Sandy to assist recovery efforts in areas of the country hardest hit by the storm.
According to Duncan, “In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, with widespread power losses and thousands of homes and businesses damaged, the staff and volunteers of The Food Bank were there to help local residents by providing emergency food and other necessities. The work they do is truly inspiring and I’m pleased that AARP and the AARP Foundation, through the generosity of our members and others, are able to help them fulfill a critical need in the community.”
Kate Lombardo responded that, “The Food Bank is thrilled to accept this most generous donation from AARP. It is a most heart warm feeling to witness AARP’s work and love for their fellow man. I often think about our senior citizen’s life journey. Many were born and raised through the Great Depression; then they did whatever was necessary to get through. After the war they married, bought homes, and raised their children. Collectively they were the Greatest Generation. Today, sadly, far too many of our seniors are forced to choose between food and medication because their social security payments do not keep up with rising prices of necessities. I think about the circle of their lives…..born in poverty, and now returned to poverty in their twilight years. Yet they still give to their communities. What will happen when their days and values become a part of history?”
The AARP Foundation raised more than half a million dollars from individual donors, which was matched dollar-for-dollar by AARP. In total, AARP and AARP Foundation contributed more than $1.3 million to the American Red Cross and to organizations in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Rhode Island. The grants are helping to provide food, shelter and other assistance to victims and communities devastated by the storm.
According to Lombardo, demand sky-rocketed in local communities in the wake of Superstorm Sandy as residents were forced to throw out food and other items due to storm damage and widespread power outages.
The Food Bank provides food to over 80 non-profit agencies and programs that serve low income people in Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford and Wilton, through bags of groceries and congregate meals. These include soup kitchens, food pantries, child care programs, homeless shelters, senior centers, domestic violence safe houses, and rehabilitation programs.
About a year ago The Food Bank purchased the building it had rented and is planning a major renovation to add 1600 square feet of warehouse space. The renovation will greatly increase the organization’s storage capacity and enable The Food Bank to serve an even greater number of people in the region.
To learn more about how to donate or volunteer with The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County, please visit or call 203 358-8898. The Food Bank is located at 461 Glenbrook Road in Stamford.
