WALLINGFORD, Conn. (WTNH) – News 8 partnered with Connecticut Foodshare for the Gr8 Thanksgiving Food Drive to help put a meal on every table this year.

“We look forward to this every year, and it’s not only Thanksgiving,” News 8 anchor Ann Nyberg said. “People need to remember that people are hungry throughout the year.”  

Jason Jakubowski, president and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare, said about 400,000 people in Connecticut are considered food insecure, or about 1 in 10 individuals and 1 in 8 children. 

“If you had asked me that question six months ago, I might have said things were looking a little bit better, but right now, we’re seeing lines at the same size that we were during the pandemic,” Jakubowski said. “I mean, it’s really unfortunate.”  

He said food insecurity is high while unemployment is relatively low. 

“People have jobs,” Jakubowski said. “The problem is that they’re still not able to be able to afford a sustainable lifestyle.” 

Thanks to generous News 8 viewers, Saturday’s Gr8 Thanksgiving Food Drive collected 365 turkeys, more than 9,000 pounds of nonperishable food, and $5,200 in monetary donations.    

“This is such a great day of goodwill, and to put a Thanksgiving dinner on somebody’s table that may not have it means everything to us,” Nyberg said. 

If you’d like to make a monetary donation to Connecticut Foodshare, click here.

The video below is from News 8 at 10 p.m. on Nov. 18, 2023.