By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
Mayor Nancy R. Rossi joined Purple Pantry Boxes founder and Director Susan Brown on Jan. 4 to dedicate West Haven’s first Purple Pantry Box at the First Congregational Church, 464 Campbell Ave.
Rossi and Brown dedicated the pantry, which provides nonperishable food items for residents in need, with church community outreach Chairman Phil Liscio, pantry coordinator Nicole Randolph, volunteer Michelle Caprio and the Rev. E. Carl Howard, the senior minister who oversees the church’s outreach projects.
Liscio said the pantry is accessible 24/7 at the Campbell Avenue entrance to the church on the Green. It consists of a purple wooden box with a door mounted atop a stand made of wooden pallets.
Brown founded Purple Pantry Boxes in March 2020 as a single pop-up pantry in Milford to feed those in need.
In less than two years, the pantry has grown to a dozen locations in New Haven County, establishing the motto: “Take what you need, donate if you can.”
Brown, of Milford, spends part of each morning making sure the pantries are stocked with shelf-stable items, such as cans of protein, vegetables and beans, as well as pasta, water, protein drinks, snacks and bread.
Brown started the pantry during a short break from her job as a public defender. In June 2021, she made the break permanent, retiring from public defense after serving just over 33 years, most recently for the Ansonia-Milford Judicial District.
“We want people to have easy access to staple food items while also engaging members of the community to donate,” said Brown, who has made Purple Pantry Boxes a nonprofit to raise money and keep up with demand.
The church is collaborating with Brown on the community outreach project, said Liscio, who is founder and president of the not-for-profit charity Westies Care.
Brown said she will oversee the pantry’s daily stocking for a month before Randolph takes over.
“The First Congregational Church of West Haven and Westies Care are excited to partner with Susan Brown and Purple Pantry Boxes to offer assistance to the citizens of West Haven who are challenged with food insecurity,” Liscio said. “We are hopeful this is the first of many locations to be launched this year.”
Liscio also collects food for the pantry at the West Haven Emergency Assistance Task Force, 674 Washington Ave.