About Hands on Hartford

Hands On Hartford, in partnership with others, strengthens community in Hartford by responding faithfully to people in need through programs that change lives and renew human possibility.

Hands On Hartford is dedicated to supporting individuals and families in Hartford by providing a range of services that address basic needs and promote long-term stability.

We offer safe and affordable housing with comprehensive supportive services for individuals with complex health issues through our Supportive Housing program. We ensure access to nutritious food through our MANNA Food Access Programs, which includes a Community Pantry and Backpack Nutrition Program.

For those facing housing instability, our Homeless Prevention program offers advocacy, financial assistance, and referrals to help individuals remain in their homes. Our Day Program serves as a drop-in resource center, offering referrals, shelter and housing connections, and health screenings in a welcoming environment.

We actively engage with those experiencing homelessness through our Homeless Outreach team, which helps individuals living outdoors access the services and resources they need. Additionally, our Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau brings awareness to homelessness by sharing real-life experiences, inspiring change and education in the community.

To support local food entrepreneurs, our Shared Use Kitchen offers a licensed commercial kitchen space for small businesses to grow their operations. And, at Gather55, our participation model restaurant, we welcome everyone, regardless of their ability to pay, creating a community where food and connection are always accessible.

Together, these programs help create a safer, healthier, and more inclusive community for all.

Hands On Hartford is supported by congregations from many different religions and denominations, civic organizations, government, corporate and foundation grants, individual donations and more than 1,400 dedicated volunteers each year.

Our History

Hands On Hartford was founded as Center City Churches in 1969. The agency was founded by the members of eight congregations in downtown Hartford to help their congregants put their faith into action, and in 2006 became a non-religiously affiliated agency and adopted its current name. Over the years, the agency created Connecticut’s first supportive housing program for people living with AIDS; Hartford’s first group home for adults who are mentally ill; Hartford’s first soup kitchen; Hartford’s first fuel assistance program for the working poor; Connecticut’s first weekend senior nutrition program; and Hartford’s most comprehensive after-school tutoring and arts education program for elementary school children. Our current programs are described HERE.

 

1969 Hands On Hartford is founded as a non-profit organization called Center City Churches, with programs focused on children, and individuals experiencing homelessness and alcohol use disorder. 1971 Free holiday meals for the community commence with a Thanksgiving Day celebration. We now host holiday meals on seven major holidays. 1975 Our food pantry opens at South Park Methodist Church. After several location changes, the MANNA Community Pantry is now at our Center for Community and as of 2025 has been operating for 50 years. 1982 Advocacy services begin. Over the years these services have grown to include financial assistance for rent, security deposits, utilities and crossing hurdles to education and employment opportunities, as well as a wealth of referrals and connections to services available from other non-profits and government agencies. 1988 Supportive housing services for folks living with AIDS begin. Eventually, these services evolved to include a congregate housing program (Peter’s Retreat) which has now transformed into our current supportive housing program providing housing and services for people with a variety of long-term, complex health issues. 1995 Cathedral Café begins catering for local events and includes a culinary training program. While this program wrapped up after several years, we carry on its legacy through the catering and volunteer opportunities provided at Gather55. 2006 Backpack Nutrition Program commences. This program provides breakfast, lunch, snacks and enrichment items for Hartford school children every weekend of the school year. 2007 Center City Churches changes its name to Hands On Hartford. Our affiliation with the national HandsOn Network (now the international Points of Light network) opened up new opportunities in community engagement and service learning. 2012 The Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau is established. Speakers with lived experience of homelessness share their own story while educating and inspiring audiences. 2016 Opening of Hands On Hartford’s Center for Community in the Parkville neighborhood. All programs except for our prior Community Meals program consolidate in one agency-owned location at 55 Bartholomew Avenue in Hartford. 2017 Shared Use Kitchen opens for business. This is a membership-based program offering culinary entrepreneurs and start-ups the opportunity to start and scale up their businesses through access to our commercially licensed kitchen on an hourly basis. 2020 Homeless Outreach Program begins. This team, operating in collaboration with Connecticut Harm Reduction Alliance and Journey Home, connects with folks living outdoors and otherwise unsheltered, to help them move toward permanent housing. 2022 Gather55 opens. This participation model restaurant, open to all regardless of ability to pay, harnesses the power of delicious food to connect communities here in Hartford.