On a cold Monday night in 2024, my friend and I delivered leftover food from our university’s dining hall to a homeless shelter down the street. It was the first day of school after a six-week winter break, and the first food delivery the shelter had received since the break began. Carrying three platters, I was surprised when the residents excitedly ran out to help us bring the food inside. 

“Where have you guys been?” one man asked me, excited, and clearly hungry. 

Before that day, I had not realized how much our university’s volunteer food deliveries contributed to the shelter’s food stability and security. Sadly enough, this story of hungry shelter residents relying on an unstable and unpredictable supply of food is not a new one, and is just increasing in prevalence.

According to Connecticut’s Annual Point-In-Time (PIT) count, homelessness increased by 9.5% between 2024 and 2025, with the homeless population rising from 3,410 to 3,735 people. At the same time, food insecurity has increased in the state, where according to Feeding America, one in seven Connecticut residents, including over 122,000 children, struggle with hunger.

With the recent government shutdown, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation’s largest food assistance program, was threatened, potentially increasing the number of hungry and homeless who need help from shelters. Inflation has only made things worse, with  the U.S. Department of Agriculture reporting that grocery prices rose by 2.7% since 2024 and are predicted to rise a further 3% throughout 2025.

For small shelters with tight budgets, these increases in homelessness and food prices translate to empty kitchens, canned goods, and pleas for help from volunteer groups like Wesleyan University’s Food Rescue. 

 Although volunteer groups are vital for feeding the homeless, donation-based models are inherently unstable. They depend on unpredictable surges in giving, which often peak during major holidays, and decrease in times of economic hardship, such as the period of high unemployment, fuel costs, and food prices that our nation is currently facing. Even when donations arrive, storage facilities and food transportation pose significant barriers to fully utilizing the food donated to shelters, as described in a 2023 article on homeless food intake. 

To ensure that shelter residents have full stomachs, Connecticut must treat access to shelter food as a public infrastructure issue, not a charitable afterthought. I propose three strategies to start this process: 

Firstly, rather than depending on unpredictable donations, shelters should form contractual relationships with local farms through tax-incentive donation programs. Farmers can claim enhanced federal deductions for donating food to nonprofit homeless shelters that are 501(c)(4) organizations. This approach allows shelters to receive a consistent supply of fresh, nourishing food by picking up unmarketable and surplus produce from local farms, while also economically supporting local agriculture and reducing food waste. 

Secondly, the Department of Agriculture should expand the Food System Capacity Building Grant to homeless shelters. Currently, the Food System Capacity Building Grant provides funding to organizations and groups that increase food access and security for Connecticut residents; however, the grant restricts eligibility to food pantries, agricultural producers, farmers’ markets, and local food policy councils. If the Connecticut Department of Agriculture expanded the grant’s eligibility to include homeless shelters, shelters could buy needed kitchen equipment, transportation equipment, and sufficient food during the grant’s up to 18-month funding period, which would have lasting positive impacts on the shelter’s ability to cook and distribute food to their residents.

Lastly, shelters should leverage food waste recovery programs, as the U.S.Food and Drug Administration estimates that 30-40% of the food supply goes to waste. Shelters can partner with nearby restaurants and grocery chains for scheduled weekly food drop-offs, and Connecticut can provide tax incentives for safe food recovery, which would further encourage lasting partnerships. 

Although inflation and homelessness are only increasing over time, Connecticut has the power to prepare for these trends and change the narrative. State legislators need to prioritize stable funding for shelters in the next budget, and residents can support shelters by continuing to volunteer while also holding elected officials accountable. 

I look forward to the day I pull into the food shelter’s parking lot near me, and no one greets me at the door or rushes to take the food in. Where I am met with appreciation, but not desperation, relief, and empty stomachs.

Rachel Masterson is a senior at Wesleyan University, majoring in Environmental Studies and Psychology with passion in environmental justice and food systems.