Connecticut is facing a growing rate of food insecurity. According to Connecticut Foodshare, about one in seven residents lack a steady source of food. So, the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles is rolling out a new “pizza plate” to raise funds, and awareness.
The license plate can be purchased through Connecticut Foodshare, the state’s largest food bank.
Gov. Ned Lamont unveiled the plate Monday, which reads “The Pizza State” and features an image of the governor’s go-to pie.
“It’s got my favorite, a pepperoni pizza,” he said. “That’s not so bad!”
Jacob Jakubowski, CEO of Connecticut Foodshare, commended the efforts of Lamont and his administration to partner with food banks. Jakubowski said hunger is no small issue in Connecticut.
“There’s about 515,000 Connecticut residents who don’t know where their next meal is coming from,” Jakubowski said. “And it’s all across the state of Connecticut. We serve all 169 towns. I can’t tell you that there’s one town that’s less affected than the other.”
Food banks in Connecticut were strongly affected by slashes in federal funding cuts earlier this year. Food banks secured $9 million in state funding in anticipation of President Donald Trump’s "Big, Beautiful Bill." But Jakubowski said food banks are still feeling the pressure.
“We’ve lost 35 trailer-loads of food,” Jakubowski said. “It’s about 1.6 million pounds of food that we were supposed to receive that we’re not receiving.”
Lamont called on people to pitch in and support CT Foodshare.
“I need more of you going to Foodshare and volunteering; I need more of you going to Foodshare and donating,” Lamont said.
The license plate is the latest in Connecticut’s campaign to market its famed pizza across the U.S. The state also started a “playful food fight” earlier this month with billboards across New York City that ridiculed New York pizza.
The license plate is available at ctfoodshare.org/pizzaplate, proceeds will go to the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that proceeds from the license plates will not go toward CT Foodshare, but instead the CT DMV.