Covenant Soup Kitchen
220 Valley Street
Willimantic, Connecticut 06226

860.423-1643

Proud to be a member agency of

The elimination of SNAP benefits, effective 1 November 2025, is impacting over 400,000 Connecticut residents alone. Families in need are being told to visit local food pantries and soup kitchens, but we are having difficulty keeping up during the already busy holiday season.

If you are able to help, we are in desperate need of the following items:

- Canned and dried fruits and vegetables
- Shelf-stable proteins (canned tuna/chicken, beans, peanut butter)
- Pasta, rice, cereal, oatmeal
- Fresh produce
- Fresh or frozen meats-chicken, beef, ground beef or poultry, ham, pork roast/chops
- Deli meats and cheeses for our Sunday sandwich lunches
- Soups and ready-to-heat meals like canned pasta meals
- Baby food and kid-friendly items for school lunches
- Diapers, wipes, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, deodorant and period supplies

Financial gifts are also deeply appreciated and allow us to fill gaps quickly.

Thank you for standing with us and for caring for your neighbors in this difficult moment and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Updated 27 October 2025

Programs and Services

Covenant Soup Kitchen offers breakfast and lunch seven days per week and dinner on Friday, Saturday and Monday evenings, at no charge to its guests.  In addition to meals served in the soup kitchen, bakery items, fresh produce, meats, eggs, dairy products and other foods are offered to guests to take home, when available.

Community Food Pantry Cooperative

The Community Food Pantry responds to requests for emergency groceries Mon/Wed/Fri 10 am -3 pm, Tues/Thurs 10 am - 2 pm, - Saturday 10 am - 1 pm (if volunteers are available) or by appointment if regular hours cannot work.

If you are in need of service outside of our usual hours, please call 860 423 1643 and we will make arrangements to help.

The pantry is located in the white house between the main building and the garage. There is ramped access around the back of the garage to an automatic sliding door.

Pantry check-in is usually in the Community Room on the second floor of the main building and the Valley Street entrance has an automatic, accessible door. You will be asked for basic information about the people in your household and all questions are optional out of respect for your privacy. If the Community Room is not available, registration will be in the pantry building itself.

Please bring your own bags and boxes to do your shopping and check the Dining Room, located in the basement of the main building to have lunch from 12 - 1pm and see any other items that may be available.

Care and Advocacy

Our Care and Advocacy work is multi-faceted, attempting to serve other unmet needs that may arise within our community of Covenant Soup Kitchen guests. 

This program may include referrals to other agencies, assistance in filling out paperwork for employment, healthcare, housing and benefits, use of the telephones, computers, copier and fax machine to conduct necessary business, providing a secure location for USPS mail delivery as well as other activities, which are as varied as the people we serve.

-Diaper Bank - diapers and wipes may be available when donations allow.  Please call us at 860 423 1643 to see if we have the size you are looking for!  If we don't have them, we will do our best to get them as soon as possible.

-Health Clinics are offered monthly at our onsite health clinic in coordination with Hartford HealthCare or HEC and University of Connecticut Medical, Nursing and Pharmacy staff and students.  

-Bus Passes are offered, when funding allows, specifically for medical appointments, court appearances and job interviews. Documentation of the appointment is required and passes are not always available.

-Personal care items like soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, tampons, pads, incontinence products and first aid supplies are available when donations allow.

-Emergency clothing like dry socks, hats, gloves, scarves and warm clothing are available when donations allow.  Please ask staff if you are in need of something.

-Pet products including dog and cat food/treats and cat litter may be available if donations allow.  Please check with staff.

-If you have other unmet needs, please let us know and we may be able to help or connect you with other community resource programs.

Senior Boxes (CSFP or Commodity Supplemental Food Program)

We are very pleased to offer additional nutritious food boxes to our guests aged 60 and over.  With proof of income, address and identification, our Senior guests are eligible for a pre-packed box of canned vegetables, canned fruit, proteins, juice, cereal, pasta, beans, shelf stable milk, peanut butter, rice and sometimes cheese.  For eligible seniors, these boxes are in addition to the self selected food available in our pantry.  

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
email:
Program.Intake@usda.gov
 

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.