On October 1, 2016, Archbishop Leonard P. Blair presented the Branford Food Pantry with a check in the amount of $3,200 funded in part by the Archdiocese of Hartford through the Archbishop's Annual Appeal Vicariate Outreach Program.

The funding will help the Food Pantry in its mission to provide groceries to families in need. The Food Pantry has 320 Branford families qualified for assistance and is serving 175 different families per month. Last year about 200,000 pounds of food were distributed and much of it is made possible by donations like this.

"This is an outstanding gift, and reflects the continued effort by the Archbishop to serve the needs of the poor and struggling," said Jay Webb, Vice President, Branford Food Pantry. "We are very grateful."

Since 1981, the Archbishop's Annual Appeal has been able to assist tens of thousands of people, regardless of race, religion, or color, across the Archdiocese of Hartford with health care, education, housing, emergency expenses and in numerous other areas. It is through the Archbishop's Annual Appeal Vicariate Outreach Program and the generosity of its donors that the Appeal is able to assist a wide array of community bases charities throughout Hartford, New Haven and Litchfield Counties.

The Branford Food Pantry serves the Town of Branford by providing weekly groceries to families in need, and full turkey dinners for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Qualified families can register for assistance at the Branford Counseling Center.

The Food Pantry has just started a new program called Feed Branford Kids. Each week, this "backpack" program will provide breakfast and lunch items to any elementary school child in need of help with weekend meals. Parents may request backpacks by contacting the child's teacher or the school social worker.

For more information about the Branford Food Pantry and its efforts, visit www.branfordfoodpantry.org