Community Foundation of Greater New Britain is Responsive and…Reusable

Nov. 14, 2019 – (New Britain, Conn.) After meeting with community service directors in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville, and Southington, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain learned about a need and took initiative to meet it.

Prior to the September announcement of the Foundation’s new Disaster Response Fund, a fund established to aid our four towns if a natural disaster strikes, directors expressed their concern over the ban of single use plastic bags in Connecticut; specifically that they use plastic bags to give displaced families supplies that include soap, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, and other household necessities. The plastic bag ban also brought about unintended consequences at local food pantries, where workers were struggling to get clients their food and supplies without the use of plastic bags.

The Community Foundation sprang into action and with the help of their Community Initiatives Committee, approved a grant of $7,500 to have 5,000 brand new reusable purple CFGNB bags made. With support from Acme Monaco who received, stored, and delivered all of the bags to the organizations in need, the Foundation has so far donated nearly 4,000 bags to nonprofit food pantries in our four town area.

“The St. Mark’s Food Pantry is so grateful to the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain for supplying the reusable grocery bags for our clients. All of our clients have expressed thanks and gratitude for the bags. One client told me that he was very glad to have the bag so he could use it when he went shopping at other stores.” Cheryl Rusczyk, Food Pantry Coordinator and Office Administrator at New Britain’s St. Mark’s Food Pantry.

Established in 1941, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain is “Where Good Begins” in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington. The Foundation works to inspire philanthropy, responsibly manage permanent charitable assets effectively, and partner to address key community issues through strategic leadership.  For more information or to support CFGNB’s work, visit www.cfgnb.org.