Published by: The Valley Indy
Kristina Walton is no stranger to hunger. A working-class mother raising 4 children in affluent Oxford, Connecticut, Walton has sometimes struggled to keep her own family fed. Now, as the new director of the Seymour Oxford Food Bank, she is committed to ensuring that everyone in her community gets enough to eat — and feels welcome at the Seymour Oxford Food Bank.
“A lot of people living here don’t realize how many of their neighbors are going hungry,” says Walton. “Including a lot of people who are gainfully employed.”
According to a 2020 survey by the Valley United Way, nearly 40% of Seymour households have difficulties making ends meet — along with nearly 25% of households in Oxford.
“That’s more than ten thousand households, just in our two towns. These are our neighbors, our friends, and our family. We all know people who are struggling, whether we realize it or not.”
Walton adds that many people feel ashamed to ask for help, especially people who are working. “People often feel that because they are employed, they don’t qualify or deserve to be here. But that’s not true. Anyone who needs food is welcome to come shop at the Seymour Oxford Food Bank.”
Before taking over the Food Bank, Walton and her husband Ty started the Oxford Neighbor to Neighbor Pantry on their front lawn, with help from the community network All In for Oxford. The Neighbor to Neighbor Pantry makes it possible for neighbors with extra food to offer it to other neighbors who don’t have enough — more than 15,000 pounds of food in its first year. “Our pantries are not about charity,” says Jennie Rice, who has run a similar pantry from her front lawn in Seymour for several years. “They are about community. People come together here who live right near each other, but who would otherwise never meet. And our children get to learn about how we can make change in our community by helping each other and working together. It’s not about us and them. It’s about all of us.”
For Walton, tackling food insecurity is about more than just providing food. “It’s about having places where people feel seen, heard and valued. It’s about removing the stigma that comes with needing help.”
She looks forward to making the Food Bank more open and accessible by extending its hours, building closer relationships with local organizations, and hosting events that invite the whole community to come to the pantry. “No matter who you are, there’s a place for you here — as a volunteer, as a donor, as a shopper, or sometimes as all three.”
The Seymour Oxford Food Bank, located in the basement of the Seymour Community Center just off Route 8, was founded by the Seymour Oxford Clergy Association in 1979. It became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2016. Last year the Food Bank distributed more than 140,000 pounds of food to more than 3000 people.
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