The Guilford Food Bank (GFB) was housed in the Town of Guilford Welfare Office under the direction of then welfare director, Anita Waters until 1991. In early 1992 the Welfare Office, under the direction of Tammy DeFrancesco, was given a room in the basement of Town Hall to operate the food bank due to an increase in need of space as a direct result of an increase in need in the community. This location, while able to hold more available food, resulted in a number of problems for both staff and clients. For the clients, the lack of anonymity in going to Town Hall caused both embarrassment and a reluctance to utilize the food bank. Having the food bank operate out of the Welfare Office made it hard to limit hours and resulted in numerous unscheduled disruptions to the office throughout the day.
In the early 1994, when Ed Lynch was First Selectman, he and then director, Tammy DeFrancesco approached the President of Guilford Interfaith Ministries’ (GIM) Board of Directors, Charlie McGowan, about reorganizing the GFB. The Town wanted to move the Food Bank to the Public Works garage on the corner of Boston Street and Graves Avenue in November 1995, Ed and Tammy proposed that GIM and Welfare Department (later to be retitled Guilford Social Services in 1998) co-direct the Food Bank. The reorganization appealed to the social conscious of Charlie McGowan, and he worked to win approval from the GIM Board of Directors and to secure the backing of the GIM staff of two, Gail O’Leary and Betsy Sterzel, the Directors of Meals on Wheels and Friendly Visiting respectively.
Initially there were serious concerns voiced by the GIM Board about GIM joining efforts with a government agency, i.e. the Town of Guilford. The concerns were discussed at length and the Board decided that GIM’s mission to feed any Guilford resident needing food would be well served by the partnership and that any concerns were outweighed by striving to meet the needs of Guilford residents. With the support of the GIM Board, the partnership proceeded. Converting two offices at the Public Works garage into an inviting and hospitable oasis was a difficult task and quite an undertaking, but it was accomplished with lots of hard work by the town employees, the GIM Board members and staff and, of course, the volunteers.
The roles of GIM and Social Services became more clearly defined as the project progressed. Social Services took on the roles of all food intake and the screening of all clients, and they continue with these roles today. They oversee all food donations, including town wide food drives, and make any needed food purchases. The Social Services Department also insures that all recipients are screened for, and receiving, any other appropriate services. GIM took on the roles of food distribution and volunteers. We oversee the packaging and packing of food bags during distribution hours and we are responsible for the recruiting and training of all GFB volunteers.
With the rooms in the Public Works garage inhabitable and the operational roles identified, the next goal was to open a functioning GFB. Tammy DeFrancesco, Gail and Betsy recruited two volunteers, Joan Shrewsbury and Shirley Girioni, to work with Tammy as food intake coordinators, to stock the shelves and keep them clean. An aside and a funny story… The garage was still in use by Public Works employees, so the “facilities” were a shared space. It was pretty obvious that there was no cleaning crew that maintained the bathroom. One of the volunteers said that she would “never use the facilities, including the sink!” Another volunteer decided to go next door to the Hyland House and ask to use their facilities. The Hyland House staff looked quizzical, but granted permission to use their “bathroom.” The Hyland House bathroom was a privy in the backyard and consisted of a toilet base over a hole in the ground. When our volunteer visited the facility, she was very surprised to find a snake in the hole! From then on, GFB volunteers came prepared with their own disinfectant spray, toilet paper and soap!
In July 1995, the GFB at the Garage was up and running with the backing and support of the community at large. The Social Services and GIM staff worked hard to set up a distribution system that worked for both the volunteers and recipients. Volunteers were recruited and trained in both food intake and food distribution, all local faith, school and civic groups got behind the community project and canvassed their members to support the GFB, and in the GFB Golden Rule of maintaining the privacy and dignity of each person and showing compassion at all times the GFB thrived.
In 2004, the GFB was moved to a larger, brighter home at 45 Stone House Lane, across from the Henry Whitfield Museum, and it is staffed by 40 dedicated volunteers. The GFB now has multiple freezers and refrigerators, abundant shelving and a cheerful reception and distribution area. The building is bordered by lovely seasonal flowers and provides an inviting facility for our Guilford neighbors needing food. After a 2013 inspection by the CT Food Bank, not only did the GFB receive flying colors, but they were asked to act as a model for other Food Banks in the area.
The Guilford Food Bank is a successful partnership between Guilford Interfaith Ministries and the Guilford Department of Social Services. It is an invaluable resource for the Guilford community, providing caring support for our residents and following the GIM model of “neighbor helping neighbor.”