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Judy Barron: Bringing More Than Just a Meal

Judy Barron knows the impact of rising prices. As the executive director of the Community Dining Room (CDR), Judy has seen how the continually increasing cost of food, basic items, and services has impacted area families. As a result, the Branford-based nonprofit will expand its services to foster a well-nourished shoreline community, starting this fall in East Haven.

Judy says the expansion is part of CDR’s three-year strategic plan to find adequate space to serve people across the shoreline, including in East Haven. The expansion was heavily influenced by factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and rising prices for fuel and food.

“People need to save every dollar that they have to be able to utilize to pay for other needed necessities,” Judy says. “We started realizing that we needed to bring more services to them versus them coming to us.”

Judy says CDR is hoping to piggyback off of the social service offerings currently available in East Haven and build of off needs. In the area of food insecurity, she hopes to collaborate with the East Haven Food Pantry and supply a greater amount of food to help a greater number of people. There are also opportunities to support East Haven residents by helping people access adequate health insurance, employment, housing, and other “big basic needs that we want to be able to help them with,” she says.

“That’s important to us that we’re not only recognizing the food insecurity—we’re feeding the body—but we want to feed the soul, as well, and be able to give those individuals the basic needs outside of just food,” says Judy. “We will partner with the other agencies and bring those services together with a meal to be able to sit and see what we can do to help them.”

Supporting East Haven residents in other areas of basic needs speaks to the tagline of the CDR, “More than just a meal.” Battling food insecurity is merely one part of the services they provide since the struggle for families to put food on the table every night can be an indicator of other difficulties, says Judy. Specifically, these are families who are part of the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) population within the shoreline who fall into the awkward position of being above the Federal Poverty Line, but still struggle to make ends meet.

“People who are...in the ALICE population, we’re finding those individuals are working during the day, so that is a struggle to be able to get to those appointments and services during the day, and maintain work for employment where you need to be,” says Judy.

Judy envisions hosting evenings where those who are a part of the ALICE population can convene in a space to access resources for food insecurity, heating assistance, and other forms of help. It is one of several ideas to uplift that population, strengthen ties between the CDR and East Haven town social services, and help residents, while also making residents more aware of what their town offers.

“Being able to come in and provide food security also helps the other organizations bring those people together, that you might not necessarily know about that services out there,” says Judy. “We’re looking to get everybody on board. We’re looking for not just being able to gain this space to be able to serve great meals, but [partner with] social services, [help with] rent rebates for seniors. We have a divergent specialist from 211 that comes out and assists with housing prior to evictions and helps them with that.”

Education is another component of offering social services, including learning how to cook food and buy a sufficient amount of groceries on a budget, depending on family size.

With events hosted by the CDR, East Haven residents will find a “family-fun environment” with health-conscious meals and activities for children, all at no cost to save on the grocery bills.

“The parents can work on whatever other avenue that they need to do with other social services that will be present, and the kids can still be entertained and having a great time and doing a free activity that we will be hosting,” says Judy.

While the CDR is bringing its services to East Haven, Judy says families in other shoreline communities, including North Haven, are welcome to access its services. There are no income guidelines or questions asked.

“You do not need to provide any information. You just need to be present, show up, and we are here to help,” says Judy.

Kick-off for services by CDR in East Haven will be on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at the Bradford Manor House at 85 George Street and will then alternate every Wednesday between there and the Hays School at 1 Maple Street starting in November.

For more information about the Community Dining Room, visit www.communitydiningroom.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CommunityDiningRoom06405.