Who We Are

Our Mission, Vision and Values

With a vision of “thriving, hunger-free homes,” Person to Person supports families and individuals as they move toward stability with healthy food, clothing, housing assistance, and a path to economic opportunity. We commit ourselves to the following values:

COMMUNITY: As a community-supported and volunteer-driven organization, we honor the contributions of all and believe all have the ability to contribute.

DIGNITY & RESPECT: We recognize and honor the unique experiences of those who seek our assistance as well as those who volunteer to assist. We treat everyone who walks through our doors with dignity and respect.

QUALITY, INTEGRITY AND STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE: We are honest, fair, accountable and ethical. We are committed to what we do and we do it to the best of our ability.

History

Following the assassination of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, the rector of Saint Luke’s Parish in Darien, Connecticut – The Rev. Dr. Robert Nelson Back, who had attended seminary with Dr. King – organized a small group of parishioners to discuss ways to respond to the assassination. In a letter dated April 18, 1968, Dr. Back announced the formation of Person-to-Person with the following words:

“Dr. King was a scholar. He could easily have risen in eminence as a theologian and receive much praise and few, if any insults. But he chose to throw in his lot with the poor – black and white – and was shot while pleading the cause of garbage collectors. Few of us have the courage to choose such a path…” He called upon the people of St. Luke’s Parish to work “in the direction of people, persons in need and not toward a faceless mass.” Mrs. Jean Sherman was appointed as the first Director.

P2P started by providing college scholarships and summer camperships. Then a small food and clothing closet was established, and grew over the years to four full-time food pantries and a Clothing Center offering over 40,000 shopping bags of clothing each year. In 1975, we established the annual Toy Store for holiday gifts. Opus 4 Person to Person, an all-women’s membership organization dedicated to raising awareness and funds for P2P, was founded in 1996 and since then, has raised more than $6M to support P2P’s mission and programs.

Who We Serve

P2P helps over 25,500 people in lower Fairfield County. We mainly work in the towns of Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, Weston, Westport, and Wilton. Anyone in Connecticut who needs food can get help from us.

Everyone who comes to P2P has their own story. Some may be going through a hard time with money, some are parents working hard to care for their families, and some are older adults living on a small income. No matter the reason, we are here to help—no questions asked.

Our Impact

Our Commitment to Equity and Inclusion

As a community‐based organization, Person to Person is steadfast in our commitment to fostering a safe and welcoming environment for individuals and families of diverse social, economic, and cultural backgrounds to work together, understand and appreciate each other’s differences, and be respectful of all. We work to honor the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by promoting the ideals he championed, to create equitable access to wealth and power, within our organization and within the communities we serve. We strive to continually improve, and in order to do so we seek out the voices and values of all who contribute to our mission, including those we serve and those who volunteer.

We commit to serve as a safe space for all, regardless of religion, national origin, race, ethnicity, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, physical ability, veteran status, age, or language, and we invite all stakeholders to join us on this journey, working collaboratively to create an equitable and welcoming environment for everyone at Person to Person.

Strategic Plan

Following a nine-month engagement of stakeholders and strategic conversations, P2P unveiled its 2023 – 2025 Strategic Plan which includes the following goals:

1. Programs: To be responsive to emergent community needs, post-pandemic:
   • Strengthen the Financial Opportunity Center
   • Add a second mobile food pantry in Stamford
   • Transition the Scholarship program to other outside partners
2. Talent Acquisition & Retention: To cultivate a robust and engaged volunteer corp sufficient to achieve P2P’s mission, and foster a diverse and inclusive organization and culture.
3. Maintain Financial Sustainability : To ensure P2P has the financial resources to sustain programmatic and operational needs today and in the future.
4. Marketing & Communications: To broaden community awareness and support with branding and messaging strategies to support all of P2P’s programs and services.

Meet the Team

P2P Leadership

Nancy Coughlin, Chief Executive Officer

Nancy joined Person to Person in June of 2019, bringing expertise and experience in food insecurity, anti-poverty, and women’s and children’s issues. Prior to joining P2P, Nancy served for seven years as the Executive Director at Neighbor to Neighbor, a Greenwich-based organization dedicated to providing food and clothing to low-income families and children, and prior to that, practiced employment litigation with Baker McKenzie in NYC. Ms. Coughlin received a BA in psychology from the University of New Hampshire, and a J.D. from the Suffolk University Law School.

Corey Paris, Chief Philanthropy Officer and Strategy Officer 

Corey Paris is the Chief Philanthropy and Strategy Officer. He previously served as Chief Development Officer for the Children’s Learning Centers of Fairfield County (CLC), the state’s second-largest center-based early childhood education center. During his tenure, Paris was instrumental in ushering in record support of revenue acquisition for the organization. Today, he is a State Representative serving Stamford in the 145th House District, the Vice-Chairman for the Mayor’s Multicultural Council for the City of Stamford and serves as a member on the Board of Directors for the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Fairfield County, the Stamford Partnership, and the Ferguson Library. Paris is an alum of Johnson County Community College and Western Connecticut State University, where he earned a degree in political science.

Greg Dobbs, Senior Site Director/Stamford Site and Food Manager

Greg coordinates the activities of the four food pantries and our clothing center, and ensures efficiency and effective communication between site managers, who report directly to the SSD; also serves as the Stamford Site Manager. His duties include food procurement, inventory, cost, and quality control, volunteer training and management, invoice management, organizing food drives, and collaborating with outside agencies. Greg came to us from Cowen & Co. in Stamford, where as the Office Services and Facilities Manager, he oversaw inventory, purchasing, vendor expenses, shipping & receiving, print production, equipment leasing contracts, and shipping & receiving. Greg earned a BA in Social Welfare from Valparaiso University, where he also played varsity basketball. He served his local community by coaching boys’ HS varsity basketball for 29 years.

Lauren Franciamore, Chief Programs Officer

Lauren Franciamore, LCSW is responsible for the overall supervision of the Financial Opportunity Center, Scholarship, and Campership Programs. She supervises P2P casework staff, oversees the implementation and success of the agency’s Emergency Assistance program, and is SIFI certified. Lauren works with school counselors in the Stamford public schools to find the best matches for Campership recipients. She came to P2P in 2017 from Community Centers, Inc. in Greenwich, where she worked for 10 years as a social worker and later as its Executive Director. Lauren received her Masters in Social Work from New York University, and her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Sacred Heart University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Juri Garone, Chief Community Relations Officer

Juri is responsible for the volunteer program and community relationships. She joined Person to Person in September 2019, at which time she also had oversight of the food and clothing programs. Prior to that, Juri worked in the Library Learning Commons at Weston High School for 7 years and co-chaired the Weston Domestic Violence Task Force advocating for local victims and raising money for the Domestic Violence Crisis Center. Juri spent a decade in broadcast journalism, working as an Emmy Award-winning television news anchor and reporter in Westchester, New York, and Bergen County, New Jersey.

Debra Ritchie, Chief Operating Officer

Debra joined Person to Person in early December 2022 as the Interim Chief Operating Officer, and accepted the role on a permanent basis in April of 2023. Her responsibilities include supervising the Finance Associate, and overseeing the financial and site operations of P2P. Deb graduated from Villanova University in 1991 with a degree in Finance. After working in corporate banking covering Media and Telecommunications companies for nearly a decade, Deb served as an elected official in Darien for 12 years including four years on the Darien Board of Education. Deb has volunteered in many capacities, including Board of Directors for the Darien Nature Center, The Community Fund Allocation Panel, Co-Chair of Council for Darien School Parents, Town of Darien Youth Commission, Volunteer for YMCA Darien/Norwalk, and St. Thomas More Parish.

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Staff

DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING DEPARTMENT

FINANCE DEPARTMENT

OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT

Darien Site Staff

Norwalk Site Staff

Stamford Site Staff

Dordy Crevecoeur
Stamford Mobile Pantry 2 Driver and Site Associate

PROGRAMS DEPARTMENT

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Board 2025 – 2026

Directors Emeriti

Financials

P2P offers services to people with limited resources to help them meet the challenges of daily life. We are able to do so because we have the support of individuals, businesses, community organizations, schools, congregations and foundations, and leverage every financial and in-kind donation to reach over 25,500 people annually. For every $1 donated, P2P provides $5 worth of food.

You can see our most recent annual reports and financial statements below.

Audited Financial Statements

• 2025 FY
• 2024 FY
• 2023 FY
• 2022 FY
• 2021 FY
• 2020 (thru June)
• 2019
• 2018

IRS 990 Statements

• 2024
• 2023
• 2022
• 2021 (thru June)
• 2020 (thru June)
• 2019
• 2018

Annual Report