Loaves and Fishes Ministries Inc. – Assistance for families in Hartford, CT

Loaves and Fishes Ministries, Inc.

Assistance for families in Hartford, CT

Hunger is always with us

Loaves and Fishes Ministries directly impacts families throughout the Asylum Hill neighborhood and in greater Hartford who eat in our soup kitchen and then use our related programs to move beyond immediate crisis needs. Recent national studies all find that more Americans continue to be hungry than ever before, despite concerted efforts on the part of non-profits and volunteers working together. Poor families repeatedly run short of food, and far too many families suffer from “very low food security”–which means they have to skip meals or not eat for a day due to lack of funds. In the Asylum Hill neighborhood of Hartford, this “very low food security” is what we address, day in and day out, at Loaves and Fishes Ministries. No matter how hard we work, hunger is always with us, but we believe we can do something to alleviate the problem for motivated clients when we have partners who care.

Serving the Asylum Hill neighborhood

Loaves and Fishes Ministries was founded in 1982 and has been serving residents of the Asylum Hill neighborhood for almost 35 years as an independent non-profit organization intent on change. Clients report their lives have been changed because they come to the soup kitchen hungry and leave having eaten what is often their only hot meal of the day. We served more than 35,000 meals annually in our soup kitchen.

A daily, full hot meal

We have never had to turn away a client due to lack of food or inability to provide take home extras. All who come to eat at Loaves and Fishes and abide by our organization’s rules are served, and gain the benefit of a daily, full hot meal and take home extras.

Job Training

Our clients are 85% minority, and 40% percent female. Single mothers and families continue to be a large portion of our population. Homeless figures remain difficult to pin down, for the reason that many clients stay with friends or relatives on a rotating basis but have no permanent home. The percentage of those we see in our soup kitchen who are working poor remains at approximately 33%; these individuals are now looking for help with food and are also making use of our job training program for help with job skills and employment.

Recent update

May 22, 2026

Warmer weather has finally arrived—we had to turn on our air conditioner last week! We are seeing a very steady stream of clients enjoying our meals. This is due in part to the changes in SNAP that have been put in place this spring. People have had food benefits cut drastically; many are worried about their eligibility going forward. We are doing what we can to reduce anxiety and provide some stability but the need is growing.

Our clients appreciate the quality of the meals we provide, and often remark on the obvious care that staff and volunteers take when you are here to serve them. Just last week volunteers from St. John’s, WH were in the dining room serving clients with their usual good cheer and energy and one client remarked to a server, “when you people are here serving with an upbeat attitude, and we can tell you want to be here, it’s a game changer.” As you can imagine, the entire volunteer team was moved. I relate this because it’s so important to know that your work does not go unnoticed! We are reaching those in need, in multiple ways, and your camaraderie and smiles make a difference. It is good to see you all here.

Part of the growing need is an increase in requests for pantry bags; from those we know in our immediate area and from new faces/families. Thanks to all of you for the wonderful donations of meals, ingredients, baked goods, non-perishables, and all of those “extras” that continue to flow in and which make such an incredible difference to our ability to provide nutritious meal every day, Monday through Friday, and in our ability to fill pantry bags for families who are food insecure in the greater Hartford area. In April we reached over 2,450 with our meals, lunch bags, and pantry offerings – we couldn’t do this without you!

THANK YOU also to all who participated in the Walk Against Hunger for Loaves and Fishes, and to those who donated generously. Although we will not know definite numbers until Foodshare provides us with more information we are hoping to have reached our fundraising goal again in 2026. This is a very important event for Loaves and Fishes in terms of our annual budget, so we do appreciate your support on our behalf.

Allison

Allison Hild
Exec. Director

Wish List

Lunch Bag Program

Loaves and Fishes Ministries: Pantry Wish List 2025-2026

1. Canned tuna fish & chicken

2. Nutritious soups

3. Beef stew or chili

4. Canned beans

5. Canned vegetables

6. Tomato sauce/canned tomatoes

7. Canned spaghetti and meatballs (or similar products)

8. Boxed macaroni and cheese

9. Canned fruit

10. Ramen noodles

11. Granola bars / Cereal bars (without nuts is preferred)

12. Pasta

13. Toiletries/personal items

We have a wonderful way for volunteers to get involved and help our clients. Our lunch bag-making offering entails putting together lunch bags with nutritional and shelf stable food items and then delivering them to our facility. We let clients take the lunch bags with them when they leave our dining room, thus giving them an evening or weekend meal. The lunch bags can be made by an individual, family, or group of volunteers. You can use paper bags or just bring in the items as long as they are wrapped individually. Some groups have packaged sandwiches in brown paper bags with cookies, or apples, or snacks as well.

We serve an average of 120 individuals Monday through Friday — but not everyone is able to make that many lunch bags. It is fine to make or donate what you are able, and then we can add them to another donation, or target those clients we know are most in need. You can make an entire lunch bag or provide food items that clients can take with them after a meal with us. We are very grateful for every donation we receive that helps feed our community. To best support our clients and their well-being, we kindly ask donors to consider low sodium and nutrient focused options when possible.

Examples of food items:

PB&J Sandwiches, Deli Sandwiches (meat and cheese without tomato or lettuce, can include packets of condiments)
* There are clients who do not eat ham/pork for religious/personal reasons but we will take any donations and just avoid giving ham or pork-based deli meat to those clients.
Nut butter packets with whole grain crackers. (Individually wrapped or placed in zip lock bags)
Fruit cups
Tuna salad/chicken salad pouches with crackers.
Protein bars/meal bars
Apple sauce
Whole Fruit such as apples, pears, oranges
Trail mix (Can make your own trail mix)
Cheese & Crackers. (Bagged and separated)
Juice/Water

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, please email us . We can work out a delivery time, too. We ask that deliveries be made between 9:00 and 11:00 am, so that we can hand out the lunch bags during the meal (11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., Monday -Friday).

Volunteer Calendar

We are here for you

Thank You for Your Dedication to Our Clients

If you think you may be short on volunteers for your day, please call us 48 hours in advance (if possible) so we can find extra help. We understand that sometimes you have questions about serving at Loaves & Fishes. We are here to answer those questions! Please do not hesitate to call us at 524-1730. Remember, when weather is difficult, the group contact makes the decision concerning group attendance. It is always your call.

Certificate Program

At L & F we want to make sure that we never lose sight of the individuals behind the numbers. No matter how much we pay attention to numbers and results, we put our greatest emphasis on those people coming in the door to eat a much needed meal; on meeting their needs where we find them. We track the number of clients who move from one program into related services – to determine how many clients are able to move beyond crisis intervention of the soup kitchen into individual economic development of our job training program, or our sewing program. And all of our clients and programs benefit from your support of our certificate program.

Send a certificate today

Our certificates are a thoughtful, creative way to remember friends and relatives during the holidays and year-round. At the same time that donors remember a loved one, they also help fill the needs of the hungry and homeless. The vast majority of certificates are sent for Hanukkah, Christmas, and the New Year, but we also receive requests for certificates in honor of weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and memorials. Each year, Loaves & Fishes processes close to 200 certificates.. Call the office (860-524-1730) for an order form.

Testimonials

Some quotes from volunteers and clients

"It's such a pleasure to be here each month. Every person I brought a meal to today thanked me, or asked how I was. I didn't expect that."

"That wasn't my favorite meal today, but it was still good. I'll be back anyway; you know I love to see you all. It will be good tomorrow, and I'll be hungry."

"Wow, the decorations are awesome! It's beautiful in here! I love how you guys always make the days special for us, on the holidays and all."

"The reason I like to come here is the food is always the best."

Loaves and Fishes Ministries is a tax-exempt, charitable organization that provides human services to the poor in Hartford, CT. We are a non-profit organization dedicated to revitalizing the Asylum Hill neighborhood of Hartford, CT, as a step toward the larger goal of creating diverse, healthy, and self-motivated communities. We serve low-income and poverty level individuals and families. Loaves & Fishes provides support services for these individuals trying to break the cycle of dependency. Through education, food, counseling, and economic development programs we hope to provide at least some of the community fabric that is critical to personal achievement. By assisting those people who are below the poverty level we expect to have positive repercussions within the community in terms of reduced crime and violence, removal of slums and blight, and an improved overall living environment.

United Way State Campaign Code #5328