Your kind heart and warm gestures everyday play a major role in the success of Gifts of Love's programs to help others in need.

Programs: NEW STATS FOR 2011
Food Pantry: This program enables clients to "shop" for a week's worth of food once per month by appointment. The pantry regularly has a wide variety of non-perishable food, paper goods, and personal hygiene items, and may also supply meat and fresh vegetables. Last year, we gave out 13,069 bags of food - a 12% increase

Clothes Closet: Clients can also "shop" for in-season clothing for their entire family, infants through adults. In 2011 Gifts of Love distributed 2,996 bags of clothing - a 18% increase

Linen Closet and Household Items: In our Linen Closet, we offer an array of good quality bed linens, towels, and curtains donated by area residents. Our Household Room has pots and pans, dishes and small appliances. These items are particularly important to clients who are leaving a shelter or those that need to set up a new household due to divorce or fire. Gifts of Love assisted 13,093 people last year - a 23% increase

Furniture Program: This unique service transfers usable furniture for various reasons including a new addition to the family or those starting a new home due to divorce, fire or exiting an abusive situation. Items most in demand are beds, cribs, dressers and kitchen tables-the most basic needs of a household. Gifts of Love has a truck for furniture pick-up and delivery and an off-site storage space. The agency distributed over $50,000 in furniture and household items last year

Holiday Sponsorships: Local residents, organizations, churches and businesses assure that everyone has the means to celebrate the season by sponsoring a family at the Holidays. Assisting a struggling family during the Holidays is at the heart of "families helping families."

Gifts of Love assisted 6,820 adults last year - a 29% increase

Back to School Program: In August, we provide children with fully stocked backpacks loaded with pencils, paper, dictionaries and more, so that they can start off the school year well supplied. We are proud to assist these children with a solid start to their education. Gifts of Love assisted 7,083 children last year - a 17% increase

Weekend Food Backpack Program: When some students go home on Friday afternoons, they aren't just leaving behind their studies. Many of them leave behind the free meals provided at school and return after the weekend with empty stomachs. That's why Gifts of Love has instituted a backpack program - to help fill that void. Each Friday Gifts of Love distributes 86 backpacks in Avon, Simsbury, Farmington and Canton full of easy to prepare food and juice to be used by the family over the weekend. Children pick up their backpacks in the office on their way to the bus line or pick-up line. Kids return the empty backpacks to the office on Monday morning so volunteers can refill them the following week. This program is completely anonymous and confidential.

We are currently delivering over 110 backpacks to 22 schools

Other Services: Gifts of Love offers our clients valuable information about other support services in the area that can help to facilitate a personal's progression to economic self-sufficiency. Gifts of Love is also a designated agency for operation Fuel, which provides one-time financial support for utility bills.

Gifts of Love assisted 6,020 adults last year a 29% increase