Person to Person (P2P) is a non-profit agency dedicated to providing essential resources to individuals and families in lower Fairfield County (Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, Weston, Westport, and Wilton). Our programs include three food pantries (Darien, Norwalk, Stamford), grocery home delivery, mobile pantry, clothing center, caseworker assistance, emergency financial aid, scholarships/mentorships, camperships, and seasonal enrichment programs, serving 28,000 residents.
Our efforts involve a small full-time staff, a network of volunteers, community partners, in-kind contributions, and monetary donations. P2P not only offers immediate assistance but also collaborates with clients and the community to create equitable opportunities, irrespective of race, economic background, or immigration status.
Our trained casework team provides support, addressing both one-time requests and ongoing needs. P2P assists individuals in Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, Weston, Westport, and Wilton, without requiring documentation or asking questions.
Our Vision
Thriving, hunger-free homes.
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 History
P2P was founded in 1968 following the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The director of Saint Luke’s Parish in Darien, Connecticut at the time was Rev. Dr. Robert Nelson Back, who attended seminary with Dr. King. Dr. Back and parish member Jean Sherman talked about how caring people in Darien could respond to the assassination and express their concern about growing civil rights issues. Just days later, Dr. Back announced the formation of Person to Person and named Ms. Sherman its first Executive Director.
From the outset, P2P began using its resources to help those in need while educating others about the impact of poverty and injustice.
Who We Serve
Person to Person holds true to its founding roots to serve any individual who requests our services, be it with healthy groceries at one of our food pantries or assistance from one of our trained caseworkers. As long as there is a need, P2P is here to help.
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
P2P reaches 28,000 individuals each year with vital, lifesaving services that support positive educational, vocational, physical and social-emotional outcomes for adults and children. Designed by a nutritionist, our food programs don’t just fill stomachs, they improve the health of people for whom consistent access to fresh fruits and vegetables is out of reach. Ample research demonstrates that proper nutrition leads to better outcomes, physically, academically and socially. Summer meals support students during the months they are out of school and unable to access school-based meals. P2P provides enough healthy food annually to 21,000 individuals to prepare over two million home cooked meals — a 70% increase over pre-pandemic levels. Our Clothing Center and related programs allow children to have warm winter coats and boots, needed school supplies and good quality clothing that fits properly and doesn’t cause embarrassment. Prior to the pandemic, over 54,000 shopping bags of clothing, linens and housewares were distributed. These critical needs programs improve our clients’ chances for success academically and socially.
We provide over 150 households each month with emergency financial assistance to keep them safely housed, with heat and lights on. Families are able to stay in their own homes with rent assistance, or become established in new apartments with security deposits and brand new housewares. Bilingual caseworkers offer support and information to help families navigate resources. Our assistance not only avoids homelessness, but also allows children’s education to continue uninterrupted and supports stable homes. P2P provides over one million dollars annually keeping children and families safe and stable — a threefold increase in support over pre-pandemic levels.
Every child deserves a carefree summer with the enriching experiences a traditional summer camp offers, and every working parent deserves peace of mind knowing her child is safe while she earns a living. P2P’s camperships for 400 Stamford Public Schools students accomplish just that. College scholarships to over 100 students, many of them first generation, help educate the next generation of leaders and help motivated low-income students achieve their dreams of college graduation. With the support of adult mentors, 20 first generation students in our Mentor4Success program achieve graduation rates of close to 90%, far exceeding national averages of 20%.
Of course, the most meaningful impact we achieve is hard to measure: it is the overwhelming gratitude from our clients. Every day one of our staff and volunteers are moved by stories of how P2P has impacted a family, a student, a neighbor. We know that even as we emerge from the darkest days of the pandemic, the road ahead for those we serve is long and will be difficult. Our programs will continue to provide critical support as families plan for their futures and move toward stability.
Our Partners
Our job is too great and too important to do it alone. P2P relies on a network of community partners to ensure that we most efficiently and effectively connect with each person who asks for assistance. Our community partners range from helping to stock our food pantries, providing invaluable volunteer support, to direct financial support to fund our life-changing programs.
One of P2P’s most treasured partnerships is with Saint Luke’s Parish in Darien. This partnership extends far beyond sharing the campus. The partnership is built upon a shared commitment to actively transform our community through volunteerism and philanthropy. Saint Luke’s volunteers have helped with food drives, clothing sorts, as well as helping support a Unity Garden, where the produce grown is given to families through P2P’s food pantry.
If you would like to collaborate with P2P, please contact Juri Garone, Chief Services and Community Relations Officer, at jurigarone@p2pHelps.org.
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 25,000 people annually. For every $1 donated, P2P provides $5 worth of food.
You can see our most recent annual reports and financial statements below.
