Closing the Meal Gap: CSK's Three-Year Plan to Feed the Hungry
Eleven neighborhoods in New Haven face poverty rates over 25%, impacting more than 16,000 food-insecure residents. Even with existing SNAP benefits and emergency food providers, the city faces a 2.5 million meal gap each year.
In 2025, CSK launched “Closing the Meal Gap,” a three-year strategic plan to replicate our proven neighborhood-centric meal service model across the city. By empowering local leaders and partnering with community organizations, we are designing food service solutions tailored to each neighborhood’s unique needs.
Year One Results (2025)
Our first year exceeded expectations. We served 245,915 meals — a 153% increase over 2024 — and opened three new neighborhood locations:
2025 Results (Year One)
Downtown (84 Broadway)
%
Newhallville (5 Hazel St.)
%
The Hill (33 Lamberton St.)
%
Fair Haven (75 Hamilton St.)
plus 120,000+ food pantry meals
%
Dixwell (St. Martin de Porres)
%
Our fully-loaded cost per meal decreased from $5.90 in 2024 to $2.76 in 2025, demonstrating that growth and efficiency can go hand in hand.
2027 Goal
Serve 380,000 meals annually, reducing New Haven’s meal gap by 15% citywide.
Year Two Goals (2026)
In our second year, we will expand our reach to additional neighborhoods including a new location at St. Francis Church in Fair Haven, with further expansion planned for West Rock, West River, and Edgewood. Our 2026 target is to serve over 165,000 hot meals across all locations — not including food pantry operations.
How You Can Help
Achieving our goals requires doubling CSK’s budget from $650,000 to $1.3 million by 2027. Your support helps us leverage our 87% program expense efficiency and volunteer workforce to deliver maximum impact for every dollar donated.