About Milford Food 2 Kids
Mission: To feed local school children who have little or no food resources during the weekends
Milford Food 2 Kids is an initiative of the First United Church of Christ, Milford, in collaboration with CT Food Bank, and in partnership with our schools and many caring individuals, civic organizations, communities of faith and groups in Milford. We attend to the needs of local children who have little or no food during the weekend away from school.
Milford is not unique. Food insecurity among children in CT hovers around 11.5%. And nationwide, 9 million children experience food insecurity. Read about child hunger in Connecticut.
During the 2015-16 school year, the program grew from 26 students served in winter/spring of 2016 to over 200 students at sixteen elementary, middle, high schools in the spring of 2023.
To expand the program to support the ongoing need throughout the Milford community we continued to seek donors and sponsors for children in need in all our schools.
We are trying to build a sustainable program because the child who eats today is going to be hungry tomorrow. We need the community to take on this mission with us so that we can reach our goal for 2024-2025
Our vision is to break the cycle of food insecurity so that every young person thrives!
Meet Our Management Team
Board of Directors
Michele Steinlauf
Rev. Ashley Grant
Thomas O’Donnell
Kristine Rodriguez
Nicole Wayne
Sandra Jaynes
Rev. M. Ashley Grant
Ashley serves as Associate Pastor at First United Church of Christ, Milford. She studied at the University of Georgia and Yale University Divinity School. Ashley and her husband Adam have four children (two at UConn and two in Milford Public Schools). The Food 2 Kids Program from her hometown in Georgia sparked conversations for a Milford program, and then she and Michele Steinlauf co-founded Milford Food2Kids with support from First Church. Ashley appreciates service work in local settings and mission trips to empower youth. Her go-to when tackling hunger comes from Mother Theresa who said, “If you can’t feed a hundred, then feed just one.” Mission = feed them.
Michele Steinlauf
Michele is a retiree with a strong background in corporate sales and marketing. Michele leverages her professional experience to benefit the Milford community. A lifelong resident of Milford, she is deeply invested in the area, working tirelessly to attend to the needs of the community, starting with Milford Food 2 Kids. She also serves on First Church of Milford’s Medical Equipment Ministry and with various charitable organizations to make sure that the vulnerable in our community have what they need-from food to school supplies to rehabilitation equipment to warm clothes and fuel for heating. She and her husband, David, raised three children through the Milford Public School System.
Recognition
The Milford Council of PTAs honored Michele and Ashley with the National PTA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Ashley was recognized as Milford Public Schools’ District Wide Parent of the Year. And both have been delighted to receive honors for Community Service, Nurturing Children, Volunteering, along with Citations from the State of Connecticut on behalf of the good work of the Milford Food 2 Kids family of support.
Other Communities Have Followed In Our Footsteps
We are proud that other Food 2 Kids programs were formed with the help and guidance of Milford Food 2 Kids and based on our model.
Orange • Stratford • Waterbury • Ansonia • Seymour • Goshen • Bridgeport • Milford YMCA
For only $150, you can feed a local child for one-half year!
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