The Town of New Canaan Holds Emergency Preparedness Training for Leaders in New Canaan and Neighboring Communities at Grace Farms

Grace Farms this week hosted New Canaan’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) which led a two-day emergency preparedness training with FEMA/Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service. Several police and fire departments, elected officials, nongovernmental organizations, civic and school leaders also attended this important training.

“As we approach the fourth anniversary of the start of the pandemic, we are reminded of the importance of local and global community partnerships prior to a crisis,” said Sharon Prince, CEO and Founder of Grace Farms Foundation. “Grace Farms recognizes the incredible work that our emergency management officials and first responders do every day, and we are grateful for their service to all of us and our community.”

The event was the latest opportunity Grace Farms has had to support emergency responders in New Canaan and beyond. In March 2020, Grace Farms pivoted its operations to address two crises that were emerging at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic – a critical lack of PPE for heroic first responders and soaring food insecurity. Since then, Grace Farms secured and donated more than 2 million PPE to first responders and provided more than 150,000 meals to those in need.

Much of the PPE was delivered to hospitals and emergency services in partnership with the New Canaan Fire Company #1. These collective efforts are memorialized in the Common Good Through Crisis exhibit, which considers the relationships and connections that inspired Grace Farms’ work during the pandemic. The State of Connecticut also recognized this work with a July 2021 ceremony at Grace Farms to sign a law modernizing and updating the state’s procurement process.

Grace Farms provided space for the trainings as a part of its Space Grants program. Through its Space Grants program, Grace Farms offers space for nonprofit organizations and government agencies to advance their work.