At the Nov. 25 meeting, Teresa Agandezi of the Norwalk Health Department updated the board on local food‑access coordination through the Norwalk Food Alliance, a coalition she said includes more than 30 food agencies formed in 2019 to improve nutrition security.

Agandezi credited health educator Kelly Tomlinson with leading the coalition’s coordination and said the department maintains a public Norwalk food guide at norwalkct.gov/meals in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole.

She described outreach activities the department is using to gather client input—“intercept interviews and focus groups at some of the local food pantries and food agencies in Norwalk,” Agandezi said—to understand gaps and improve service referrals.

Agandezi recounted the alliance’s response to an unexpected state SNAP distribution pause earlier in November: partners met within about 12 hours, the mayor’s office organized a press conference with food partners, and the health department and alliance helped disseminate guidance to clients and agencies about alternate resources and actions people could take.

Looking ahead, Agandezi said the alliance is reviewing changes from “HB 1,” signed over the summer, and assessing how updates to work requirements, eligibility and exemptions could affect Norwalk. She said partners are determining local steps to help residents retain access to needed food supports.

The board acknowledged the coalition’s role in rapid mobilization and the staff said they will continue to brief partners and the board as policy details and local responses are developed.