Amazing Grace Free Community Market Preparing to Meet Community Need as Thousands Lose Access to SNAP Benefits
Middletown, CT – October 31, 2025
Due to the ongoing government shutdown, many local families will lose access to their SNAP benefits on November 1—and many are already bracing for the worst. During the week of October 27 through October 31, our Amazing Grace Free Community Market (AGFCM) served an average of 135 shoppers over the course of four hours. This is over 1.5 times more than our daily average in months prior. We anticipate that this number will only increase if the government shutdown persists.
According to the CT Department of Social Services, it is estimated that nearly 8,000 Middletown residents rely on SNAP benefits, 26% of which are under the age of 17. This means that thousands of our friends and neighbors will be left scrambling to put food on the table each night. A food emergency is imminent, but with the help and support of our community, AGFCM will strive to mitigate this crisis.
As of today, AGFCM will continue to operate a client-choice model Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 12 p.m. through 4 p.m. Our supply of food is holding steady; we are currently working closely with Connecticut Foodshare to procure fresh, nutritious foods for our pantry. Additionally, we have a Sponsor Our Shelves (SOS) partnership with many local grocery stores and supermarkets. We are also able to source food via an ongoing partnership with Sysco.
Nevertheless, we understand that the SNAP freeze will likely necessitate a series of strategy changes as the crisis evolves. Our agency’s leadership team has prepared a robust and responsive crisis management plan that will be reviewed and augmented daily as needed.
For the time being, we are actively calling upon our base of donors, business partners, and nonprofit allies to help us source additional funding, volunteers, and food supplies.
If you or someone you know is interested in helping, please contact our AGFCM Program Director, Brenda Reilly, at brenda@svdmiddletown.org or 860-347-3222, ext. 200. Any Middletown resident in need of food is eligible to shop by visiting our food pantry at 16 Stack Street on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Piano Concert to Benefit SVDM
We are so grateful to Carolyn Halsted for hosting a piano concert to benefit our organization! We invite you to join her for an evening of music, community, and connection on April 6. Donations are kindly encouraged and appreciated!
SVDM Awarded $31,000 by Liberty Bank!
We can’t thank our friends at Liberty Bank enough for this generous contribution to our Soup Kitchen program. Not only will these funds help nourish our friends and neighbors, they will also help us outfit the kitchen at our new, state-of-the-art facility, the SVDM Commons. What an excellent way to kick off the spring season!
RCAR to Host First Charity Golf Tournament
The Root Center is hosting a charity golf event–but with an exciting twist. On September 25th, 2025, Root Center will host the tournament at Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, CT, with all proceeds to benefit St. Vincent de Paul Middletown (SVDM).
Root Center feels strongly about nonprofits supporting nonprofits, and they are thankful for the work SVDM performs to support CT residents, particularly in Middletown, where Root Center proudly operates two sites. Many Root Center patients benefit from SVDM’s critical services, and they are proud to recognize such an important, mission-focused organization helping some of the most marginalized members of our community.
Root Center will begin accepting donations, sponsorships, and ticket purchases in June. More information to come soon!
