SEYMOUR – What started as a simple gesture to ensure no Seymour child went hungry has grown into a community-wide mission to feed kids all over the Valley.
The nonprofit “Seymour Food 2 Kids,” founded in 2024 by resident Shannon Bullard with her daughter, Mackenzie, 8, is now called “Community Food 2 Kids.” The new name reflects the volunteer organization’s expanded reach throughout the Valley, according to Shannon Bullard.
“While our name has grown, our mission remains the same – ensuring children have the food they need to learn, grow and thrive,” Bullard said. “I never imagined it would become this.”
In addition to the four Seymour schools (Bungay, Chatfield-LoPresti, Seymour Middle and Seymour High schools), the program also now provides snack closets at Great Oak School in Oxford, Irving School in Derby and the Boys and Girls Club in Ansonia. The closets include individually wrapped granola bars, pretzels, peanut butter crackers and more.
The program started two years ago after Mackenzie told her mom that some of her classmates at Bungay School had nothing to eat at snacktime. Bullard created a flyer, posted it on Facebook and almost immediately had 17 weeks’ worth of food show up on her front doorstep.
That allowed the program to kick off by providing 10 Bungay students with weekend food bags.
Now, a team of about 200 volunteers distributes more than 80 weekend food bags, in addition to filling snack closets at the above schools.
“When we started, I was unsure we’d even be helping the 10 kids at Bungay beyond the school year,” Bullard said. “The community support has been amazing. And what really tugs at my heartstrings is the kids who show up volunteering to help other kids.”
Volunteers sort and fill the weekend food bags at bagging events every six weeks during the school year at Great Hill United Methodist Church, which Bullard said has been generous in allowing the organization space to work and store items.
“It’s kids helping kids. They sort, they bag, they learn life skills and they are caring for others,” Bullard said.
Mackenzie, who will be entering third grade at Bungay this fall, agreed.
“You need food to live and if you don’t have food, you could starve and no one wants to do that,” Mackenzie said. “I feel proud to do this.”
Bullard said the weekend food bags address an important gap when it comes to food insecurity. For many kids, school meals provide important nutrition during the week, but their families may struggle to meet their needs during the weekend.
School staffers confidentially identify students who would benefit from the program, Bullard said. The food bags are discretely distributed by school staff, ensuring kids receive support with dignity and care.
Bullard said community support has helped the program grow, both in terms of neighbors chipping in and organizations stepping up.
“Grants have really funded a lot of what we’ve been able to do growth-wise,” Bullard said. “Some local businesses have done food collections and fundraisers for us. Others have collection bins and schools have pitched in, too, to see which grade can collect the most snacks.”
Amaya, Mackenzie’s younger sister who will enter first grade at Bungay this fall, said she’s happy she’s now old enough to help out her big sister and her mom.
“It makes me feel helpful and kind,” Amaya said. “And it helps kids when they don’t have any food and when they don’t have enough money to get things.”
More information about Community Food 2 Kids and how you can help can be found online at www.Seymourfood2kids.org. They were also recently featured in a story on News 8’s Wednesday Warrior.