Cohen Foundation $240K donation puts second P2P mobile food pantry on the road in Stamford

STAMFORD – With the cost of living becoming untenable throughout Fairfield County and the rest of the state, members of the business community took a major step Monday at the Stamford Government Center in fighting food insecurity.

Through a $240,000 grant from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, Person to Person food pantry launched its second mobile food pantry that will double the lower Fairfield County nonprofit’s ability to serve families and individuals in Stamford. The mobile food pantry will also offer support services on the mobile unit delivered by bilingual caseworkers.

“In 2023, when Mike Riccardi was Person to Person board chair, he initiated this project and helped raise vital funds to make it a reality,” P2P CEO Nancy Coughlin said.

The addition of a second mobile food pantry will provide food for healthy meals, including fresh produce, milk, meat, eggs and pantry staple such as cereal and beans, according to P2P. According to Coughlin, the addition of the food truck will allow the organization to expand into new neighborhoods and offer evening and weekend hours.

State Sen. Ceci Maher, D-26th District, the former head of P2P for 14 years, pointed out the need for the work of organizations like P2P in these times of rising poverty.

“The annual loss of the ability to purchase food is about $111 per person,” Maher said at a press conference Monday. “If everybody donated $111 per person, we would make sure every person who is coming to Person to Person would get food.”

Connecticut Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, who was also at the Monday unveiling of the mobile food pantry, reminded the public that even a rich state like Connecticut suffers from food insecurity.

“People think that Connecticut is this very wealthy state,” Bysiewicz said. “But we are also have great poverty. To me, one of the worst set of statistics is that 1-in-8 adults are food insecure. And 1-in-6 of our children are food insecure. And 12 percent of Stamford residents are food insecure.

“I know we say food insecure. But what we really mean is ‘people are hungry.’”

An important of P2P’s mission is that it instills those who are helped to give back later in life when they can. Maher related a story of one such person who was inspired to give back.

“Last night I met a young man who is 25 years old,” she said. “He is a member of 100 Black Men of Stamford. I was talking about Person to Person. And he said, ‘Person to Person?’ My God. My mom used to go to Person to Person. I remember going there. She would let me pick out clothing and let me choose food from the food pantry.

“And when I got older, he said, I came back and volunteered. Then, I was giving out food to people. Now he is working at a financial firm, getting his MBA and is a member of the 100 Black Men of Stamford.” (The 100 Black Men of Stamford is a civic organization dedicated to the improvement of the quality of life in the African-American community through fostering the development of young African American men.)

“I was like, ‘Yes, that is the story. That is the story of Person to Person. The story is we help people when they need it. Then they grow to give back to people when the need it

P2P serves 28,000 residents in Fairfield County, including 17,000 in Stamford. It operates four food pantries, a clothing center, caseworker assistance, the Financial Opportunity Center, emergency financial assistance, college scholarships and summer camperships.

The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation has given P2P more than $1.6 million of charitable support, according to Coughlin. The Cohens, who are also the owners of MLB’s New York Mets, have supported the organization since 2012.