EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Most food pantries are run by churches or nonprofit groups — but in East Hartford, the town itself is stepping in to fill the gap.

Local leaders said the demand for help was outpacing what area organizations could provide, so they established a town-run pantry inside one of their own buildings.

Before the new food pantry opened up this month in the East Hartford Cultural Community Center, the town already had six food pantries and four mobile food share locations. The new pantry makes seven food pantries in town.

The new food pantry is on the smaller side, but it's filled with hundreds of items, and it's serving a large need already.

"We had several families that came in, that had young children with them, and and in a couple of cases, they had multiple chi

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