Person-to-Person Opens Grocery Store

Come sunset on Nov. 21, Darien will have a brand new grocery store. Person-to-Person, one of the town’s oldest charities, will open a new food donation center on Saturday evening, a move from the dark basement that the charity hopes will help them to better serve the area’s needy.

For years, P2P has operated from the dark and somewhat dank basement of its home at the Saint Luke Episcopal Church. Saint Luke’s provides the space at no charge to P2P, which was directly affiliated with the church when it opened 41 years ago but is now an independent 501(c)(3) charity.

The new food pantry space, a converted garage painted bright white and filled floor-to-ceiling with racks jammed with packaged foods, literally provides a welcome burst of fresh air.

But it wasn’t just the cramped space that spurred the move. The economic downtown has put significant pressure on the charity to provide for local families struggling to put meals on the table.

"We’ve noted a 57 per cent increase in needs for food over the past two years," said Ceci Maher, executive director of the charity, which is staffed entirely by volunteers. "We can provide 6,000 families with food for one week on an emergency basis."

In 2008, with help from 2,527 volunteers, P2P provided over 102,000 meals to men, women and children, principally in Stamford and Norwalk but in Darien and New Canaan as well.

Donations pour in from area churches, senior centers, supermarkets and Boy and Girl Scout troops.  One day last week, 260 grocery bags full of cereals, pasta and canned foods arrived from King School in Stamford. Next week, P2P will greet nursery school children from Noroton Presbyterian Church, when they stroll across Post Road hauling red wagons full of food donations.

Such generous donations will help keep the grocery store stocked, and the new system will enable clients to select their items right off the shelf. Before, volunteers filled bags with food they selected.

Maher said that some clients might find the “shopping” experience overwhelming. Many clients who come to the emergency charity often arrive in a heightened emotional state and are unsure of exactly what they need to nourish their families, she said. Recognizing this, volunteers will chaperone clients around the store, to offer advice and support.

While clients are there, if they qualify, they can also fill a bag with donated clothing for each family member from the racks in basement storage rooms.There is such a demand for the clothing that items disappear no sooner than they’re hung on the racks, said Maher. The shelves are restocked several times a day.

The demand for food is equally great. Always needed are non-perishable food items such as soups (canned and packaged), tea and coffee, peanut butter and jelly, powdered milk, fruit juice, dried beans, rice and pasta products.

A now sold-out ribbon-cutting dedication and tour of the new store at P2P’s home at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church, will take place on Saturday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Further information on P2P and volunteer opportunities is available on the Person to Person website.