Who to call first in each town, the holiday sign-ups that close Oct. 31, and the help that crosses town lines.
In Orange, Woodbridge, and Bethany, food help is run by each town for its own residents, so the first call depends on the town: Orange Community Services at 203-891-4788, Woodbridge Human Services at 203-389-3429, or Bethany Human Services at 203-393-2100, ext. 1124. Orange and Woodbridge each keep a pantry for people who live there. Bethany has none, which makes its Human Services office the place a Bethany resident starts. A few programs are not tied to one town: meals at Amity's middle and high schools, a Jewish Family Service pantry near the Woodbridge line in New Haven, and the Connecticut Foodshare trucks in Milford, Derby, and Ansonia.
Last checked: October 6, 2026. Hours and programs change, so call ahead when you can.
Holiday food: sign up by Oct. 31
Two holiday programs close their sign-ups on October 31. That date falls on a Saturday this year, and both town offices keep weekday hours, so the last day to reach staff by phone is Friday, October 30.
Orange Holiday Program
Orange Community Services gives Thanksgiving and holiday food baskets, and holiday gifts for children under 18, to Orange residents who qualify.
- Sign up: By October 31. Call 203-891-4788 and ask for Jennifer Hudson, or email jhudson@orange-ct.gov.
- What to bring: Proof of Orange residency and of household income.
- Contact: Holiday Programs
Woodbridge December Holiday Food Basket
Woodbridge Human Services puts together food baskets each December for Woodbridge families who need them. It is a December program; the town lists no Thanksgiving basket.
In Bethany
Bethany has no town holiday basket. Christ Church Bethany and Woodbridge gives holiday meals and gifts to 8 to 10 families at Christmas, and the church says local social service agencies choose the families, so a Bethany household's first call is Bethany Human Services, 203-393-2100, ext. 1124.
Before you go
- Each town's pantry and holiday program is for that town's residents. Orange asks for proof of residency.
- Call first. The Orange pantry is by appointment only, and Woodbridge's starts with a phone call to Human Services.
- The Jewish Family Service pantry in New Haven asks for a photo ID and proof of address.
If you live in Orange
Orange's food help is run from the High Plains Community Center, where Community Services keeps the town pantry and the senior center serves lunch on weekdays. A separate group, Orange Food2Kids, brings food to children at home.
Orange Community Services Food Pantry
- Where: High Plains Community Center, 525 Orange Center Rd.
- When: Monday through Friday, by appointment only.
- Who can go: Orange residents. The town says help depends on household size and income, and on how much money the program has.
- What to bring: Proof that you live in Orange.
- Contact: 203-891-4788 · Community Services
Lunch at the Orange Senior Center
A hot lunch every weekday for people 60 and older. A $3 donation is suggested and not required.
- Where: High Plains Community Center, 525 Orange Center Rd.
- When: Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to noon. No meals on weekends.
- How to reserve: Call Ellen Davis at 203-891-4765. New diners fill out a form first. One town page asks for reservations by 1 p.m. the day before and another says two days ahead, so ask which applies.
Orange Food2Kids
Food2Kids delivers bags of food to Orange children all year, holidays and summer included.
Orange Public Schools meals
Families can apply for free or reduced-price meals at any point in the school year, after a job loss or a drop in income, for example.
- How to apply: Online on the Food Services page of oess.org, or on paper, returned to the school or the Board of Education office.
- Contact: Tina Fox, 203-891-8020, ext. 1208, tfox@orange-ed.org
If you live in Woodbridge
In Woodbridge, the pantry and the December baskets go through Human Services at 4 Meetinghouse Lane, open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Woodbridge Center, at the same address, serves a low-cost lunch for older residents.
Woodbridge Human Services Food Pantry
- Where: Call Human Services, 4 Meetinghouse Lane, for pickup details.
- When: Call for hours.
- Who can go: Woodbridge residents. The department also keeps a Resident Assistance Fund for emergencies, which can cover food or fuel for residents who meet its rules.
- Contact: 203-389-3429 · humanservices@woodbridgect.org · Human Services
Lunch at The Woodbridge Center
Low-cost rather than free: lunch for people 55 and older costs $5 for Woodbridge residents and $6 for others, with $1 more for take-out, and there is a vegetarian option.
- Where: The Woodbridge Center, 4 Meetinghouse Lane
- When: Tuesdays and some Thursdays at noon.
- How to reserve: Call 203-389-3451 by noon the Thursday before.
Beecher Road School meals
Woodbridge's elementary district, which runs Beecher Road School from pre-kindergarten through grade 6, has posted its 2026–27 application for free and reduced-price meals.
If you live in Bethany
Bethany has no food pantry of its own, and the Orange and Woodbridge pantries are for their own residents. Bethany Human Services, in Town Hall, is the place to start.
Bethany Human Services
- Where: Bethany Town Hall, 40 Peck Rd.
- When: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Who can go: Bethany residents.
- Contact: Robin E. Glowa, Human Services Director, 203-393-2100, ext. 1124, rglowa@bethanyct.gov · Human Services
Also in Bethany: call before you go
The town's Human Services page lists Christ Church Bethany and Woodbridge, 526 Amity Rd., 203-393-3399, for delivery of nonperishable food to Bethany residents at their front doors. The church's own website does not mention the delivery, so call before counting on it.
Help that crosses town lines
Amity's schools draw students from all three towns. The pantry, trucks, and meal programs after it take people from a wider area.
Amity Region 5 school meals
Amity Middle School, with campuses in Orange and Bethany, and Amity Regional High School take free and reduced-price meal applications at any time in the school year, online or on paper forms in English and Spanish. Amity is a separate district from the Orange and Woodbridge elementary schools, so a family with children in both applies to each.
Barry J. Vine Food Pantry (Jewish Family Service of Greater New Haven)
Near the Woodbridge line on Whalley Avenue, this pantry gives a once-a-month supplement to people in Greater New Haven living near or below the poverty line, or at risk of poor nutrition.
- Where: 1440 Whalley Ave., New Haven
- When: Wednesday and Thursday mornings, 9 a.m. to noon, by appointment. Closed on holidays.
- Who can go: People in Greater New Haven. Jewish Family Service does not list the towns it counts, so ask when you call.
- What to bring: A photo ID. If it does not show your current address, bring a piece of mail or another document that does.
- How to book: Call 203-397-0796. Staff call back within 24 hours, except on weekends.
- Contact: 203-397-0796 · jfsnh.org
Connecticut Foodshare trucks nearby
Foodshare's mobile pantry does not stop in Orange, Woodbridge, or Bethany, but three of its trucks stop close by. They ask no questions and need no ID, anyone 16 or older who comes in person can take food, and Foodshare asks people to bring a bag, a box, or a rolling cart.
- Milford, Kingdom Life Christian Church Cathedral, 1455 Naugatuck Ave.: Tuesdays, every two weeks, 11 a.m. to noon — October 20, November 3 and 17, and December 1, 15, and 29.
- Derby, Our Lady Queen of the Apostles Parish, 212 Elizabeth St.: Tuesdays, every two weeks, 2:15 to 3 p.m. — October 20, November 3 and 17, and December 1, 15, and 29.
- Ansonia, Abundant Life, 195 N. Main St., in the lot across from the church at North Main and Sixth streets: Mondays, every two weeks, 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. — October 12 and 26, November 9 and 23, and December 7 and 21.
Text FOODSHARE to 85511 for dates and cancellation notices, or check Foodshare's calendar.
Meals and groceries for older adults at home
LifeBridge Community Services delivers Meals on Wheels on weekdays to homebound people 60 and older in its service area. In Bethany, a box of five chilled meals can come once a week. Call 203-752-9919 to ask about delivery in your town.
The Agency on Aging of South Central Connecticut, 203-785-8533, handles applications for senior meals. For homebound older adults with incomes at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level, it also offers a one-time delivery of $100 in groceries; press option 3 for a CHOICES counselor.
SNAP, WIC and other help
SNAP, the federal grocery benefit once called food stamps, arrives each month on an EBT card. Apply online at ConneCT, by phone at 1-855-626-6632 (weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), or in person at any Department of Social Services Resource Center; the closest to these towns is in New Haven, at 50 Humphrey St., open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Under the department's chart for October 2026, a household of one can earn up to $2,660 a month before taxes and still qualify, and a family of four up to $5,500 (the full chart).
TEAM, Inc., the community action agency for Orange, Woodbridge, and Bethany, helps with the paperwork at 30 Elizabeth St. in Derby, 203-736-5420. Connecticut Foodshare also helps people apply by phone, 860-856-4357, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., in English or Spanish.
WIC covers groceries for pregnant women, new mothers, babies, and children under 5, and families on SNAP or HUSKY already meet its income rule. The three towns are in the state's New Haven WIC region, which has offices at Yale New Haven Hospital WIC in West Haven, 500 Elm St., 203-789-3563; Yale New Haven Hospital WIC on Sargent Drive in New Haven, 203-688-5150; Fair Haven Community Health Center WIC, 374 Grand Ave., New Haven, 203-773-5007; and Cornell Scott Hill Health Center WIC, 428 Columbus Ave., New Haven, 203-503-3080. The state does not list their hours, so call, or fill out the state's WIC interest form and an office will call back.
For anything else, dial 2-1-1 or search 211ct.org.
How to help
Each of these programs says what it needs and where to bring it.
- Orange Community Services: The pantry takes nonperishable food, household goods, and personal care items all year, plus gift cards to ShopRite, Big Y, and Trader Joe's. Its last posted list, from October 2025, asked for cereal and oatmeal, pasta and rice, canned soup and fruit, peanut butter and jelly, coffee and tea, cleaning supplies, toiletries, paper goods, and baking supplies; call 203-891-4788 for the current list. Checks go to "Treasurer, Town of Orange," at 525 Orange Center Rd., attention Stacey Johnson. The holiday program takes money and gift cards through the same office. The Orange Police Department runs a holiday giving tree and a food drive at ShopRite for the pantry; the contact is Detective Bailey, cbailey@orange-ct.gov.
- Orange Food2Kids: A bag costs the group $7.50 per child each week, or about $300 per child over a year. Give by Venmo to @OrangeFood2Kids, or by check to Orange Food 2 Kids at the Parks and Recreation office, 525 Orange Center Rd. Food donations should be single-serve and need no cooking, or only water: shelf-stable milk, juice boxes, cereal cups and bars, instant oatmeal, fruit cups, granola bars, raisins, and snacks. Drop them at the Parks and Recreation office or at Zion Lutheran Church, 780 Grassy Hill Rd. Volunteers pack and deliver the bags; call 203-668-7099.
- Woodbridge Human Services: The pantry needs volunteers to sort and organize food and takes donations; call 203-389-3429. Sponsors for the December baskets call the same number by October 31.
- Jewish Family Service: Food donations follow the pantry's wish list; set up a drop-off with Sandy Hagan, 203-389-5599, ext. 105, shagan@jfsnh.org. Volunteers pack bags and staff the pantry, with client-facing work for people 18 and older, and groups pack Food4Kids bags from late September to early June.
Frequently asked questions
I live in Bethany. Where do I get food?
Call Bethany Human Services first, at 203-393-2100, ext. 1124. Outside town, the Jewish Family Service pantry in New Haven serves Greater New Haven by appointment, and the Foodshare trucks in Derby and Ansonia are open to anyone.
Can I use the Orange or Woodbridge pantry if I live in another town?
No. Each town's pantry and holiday program is for its own residents. The Foodshare trucks take anyone, and Jewish Family Service serves Greater New Haven.
Do I need an appointment?
For the Orange pantry, yes. In Woodbridge, start with a call to Human Services. Jewish Family Service books by phone. The Foodshare trucks need no appointment.
Is there a free hot meal?
The Post found no free community supper in Orange, Woodbridge, or Bethany. The Orange Senior Center serves lunch on weekdays for a suggested $3 donation, and The Woodbridge Center's lunch costs residents $5.
My child is at Amity. Where do I apply for school meals?
To Amity directly, at any time in the school year. A family with a younger child at an Orange or Woodbridge elementary school files a second application with that district.
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