Our Mission
Person to Person supports families and individuals as they move toward stability with healthy food, clothing, housing assistance, and a path to economic opportunity.
Our Vision
Thriving, hunger-free homes.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
At Person to Person, we are steadfast in our commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive organization and culture. We pledge to regularly assess and enhance our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives through global benchmark reviews, staff engagement surveys, and efforts to increase volunteer diversity. We cultivate a culture of learning by providing training on values and behavior for staff, volunteers, and board members, along with ongoing education opportunities. Our commitment extends to incorporating the voices of those we serve through pulse surveys, client councils, and feedback mechanisms. We prioritize talent attraction and retention by establishing robust pipelines of diverse staff, broadening board diversity, and activating volunteer pipelines. Embracing diversity is at the core of our mission, 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.
Who We Serve
P2P currently serves approximately 28,000 individuals in lower Fairfield County, including the towns of Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, Weston, Westport, and Wilton.
Each person we have the opportunity to serve has a unique story. Whether it’s a single mother struggling to work enough hours to provide for herself and her children, an elderly man living alone on disability, or a young family looking for guidance to navigate housing expenses in Fairfield County, each person has a unique reason for calling on P2P and we are here to serve them all, no questions asked.
Our Impact
Strategic Plan
Following a nine-month engagement of stakeholders and strategic conversations, P2P unveiled its 2023 – 2025 Strategic Plan which includes the following goals:
- 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
- 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.
- Maintain Financial Sustainability : To ensure P2P has the financial resources to sustain programmatic and operational needs today and in the future.
- 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
Greg Dobbs, Senior Site Director
Lauren Franciamore, Chief Programs Officer
Juri Garone, Chief Community Relations Officer
Corey Paris, Chief Impact Officer
Debra Ritchie, Chief Operating Officer
Staff
DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING DEPARTMENT
Ruta Pakstas Cole
Development Officer-Grants
Julie Moeller
Corporate Engagement Officer
Sarah Lippman
Development and Salesforce Manager
Leonie Fillingham
Gift Entry Associate
Courtney Galvan
Director of Marketing and Communications
FINANCE DEPARTMENT
Janeen Eckert
Finance Associate
OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT
Christina Mason
Executive Assistant
Sarah Demark
Volunteer Manager
Lorena Gonzalez
Client Receptionist
Darien Site Staff
Patty Salgado
Darien Site Manager
David Garcia
Darien Assistant Site Manager
Leah Quinn
Clothing Center Manager
Norwalk Site Staff
Greg Dobbs
Senior Site Director
Steve Callow
Norwalk Assistant Site Manager
AJ Jackson
Norwalk Site Support Associate
Diana Valencia
Norwalk Client Receptionist
Stamford Site Staff
Ernesto Uquillas
Stamford Driver & Delivery Services Coordinator
Trevor Atkins
Stamford Site Support Associate
Alba Mercedes
Stamford Site Associate
PROGRAMS DEPARTMENT
Flor Gonzalez
Program Manager
Deborah Arrieta
Case Manager/FOC Specialist
Natasha Ducasse
Case Manager/FOC Specialist
Patricia Obando
Case Manager/FOC Specialist
Sandra Canales
Casework Admin Coordinator
Kislene Bosse Belizaire
Caseworker
Tania Parrales
Caseworker
Shirely Vega
Caseworker
Board 2024-2025
Christina Johnson Wolff
Board Chair
Mike Riccardi
Vice Chair
Caroline Gillespie-Greer
Vice Chair
Norman LaCroix
Treasurer
Betsy Wilson
Secretary
Yakut Akman
Russell Chapman
Celeste Cox Baldwin
Shawn Cummings
Allison Gagliardi
Mimi Griffith
Jeffrey Houle
Michelle Lappas
Todd Lindvall
Lauren Matthiesen
Angela Riley
Lucia Rilling
Holly Schulz
Christopher Willis
James Winter
Ex Officio: Nancy Coughlin
Directors Emeriti
Harry Geller
Wilder Gleason
Judy Kilmartin
Jutta (Judy) Nemec
Patricia Phillips (deceased)
Per Sekse
Jan Smith
William Taggart
Avery Whidden
Rebecca Wilson
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 – met with parish member Jean Sherman to discuss how caring people in Darien could express their concern about and respond to the assassination as well as growing civil rights issues. In a letter dated April 18, 1968, Dr. Back announced the formation of Person-to-Person and named Jean its first director.
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 28,000 people annually. For every $1 donated, P2P provides $5 worth of food.
You can see our most recent annual reports and financial statements below.