Our Mission                                                                                                                                                                                  “Loaves and Fishes shares God’s love by providing food, clothing, and community to our neighbors in a safe and welcoming space.”

Loaves and Fishes is a different kind of nonprofit. We are an organization rooted in community, seeking to blur the line between those who receive our services and those who disseminate them. We believe that strong community is comprised of mutual respect, a value that can easily be seen on any given Saturday.

Our Goals                                                                                                                          ● Advocate for a more equitable and just food system in Greater New Haven.

● Provide food, clothing, and access to services that meet neighbors’ basic needs so that they have greater agency in making personal finance decisions.

● Offer culturally appropriate and nutritious food that reflects our neighbors’ preferences.

● Create a welcoming shopping environment where our neighbors  can choose seasonally appropriate clothing that best suits their needs.

● Connect our neighbors to other service providers who build on our mission and goals. 

● Foster a community open to all that recognizes our shared humanity.

Loaves and Fishes lives out its mission by attempting to provide mitigative measures that address the current needs of our neighbors, while also working on transformative efforts that look at systemwide problems.  Much of this transformative work has been done through the Coordinated Food Assistance Network, which is a nationally recognized New Haven network of service providers, folks with lived experience, and institutional partners.   Loaves and Fishes is a founding member of the network and serves on its steering committee.