Saturday, September 19 was a special day for Real Food CT, as the Newtown-based nonprofit held its sixth annual "An Evening at the Farm" fundraiser at Sticks & Stones Farm.

Several dozen people gathered at the historic farm for an evening of fresh farm fare, live music, and camaraderie with others who share a passion for combating food insecurity.

2026 estimates from Feeding America note 560,760 (or one in seven) people struggle with hunger in Connecticut. Of that total, 137,020 are children.

ReFED, Santa Clara University reports that about 31% of the United States food supply goes unsold or uneaten, and that field studies show roughly one third of marketable vegetables are left unharvested.

These are just some of the statistics people could read on informational posters set up inside the property's Stone Barn. Attendees were free to move about the nearby area, with several seated and standing tables for people to dine on.

Outside the barn was a large white tent with dangling wooden lights. Several tables in the tent were filled with food throughout the evening. At one table was Chef’s Warehouse of Ridgefield, the event's primary sponsor, which served crackers, parmesan, gouda, classic chevre goat cheese, honey truffle goat cheese, pepperoni, and salad, along with sweet and hot soppressato.

Angelina's Italian Deli was at another table, where people filled up their plates with chicken scarpariello, steak pizzaiola, and eggplant parmesan.

A third table showcased produce from Daffodil Hill Growers, Waldingfield Farm, Laurel Glen Farm, Gazy Brothers Farm, and Fort Hill Farm, used for dishes such as tortellini pasta salad, Italian dressing, and gluten free wraps.

Attendees could also help themselves to specialty drinks such as fig and rosemary smash, blackberry bramble, and pomegranate pear spritz, with assorted beer and seltzers available.

People scouted the event's silent auction, which featured over thirty items provided by local businesses and organizations.

As everyone ate and talked amongst themselves, laughing over food and drinks, Dan Tressler provided live music for them to enjoy.

Sean Fitzpatrick, who founded Real Food CT, said the event is a nice way for everybody to get together, celebrate, and raise money for the organization.

Last year, with the community’s support, Real Food CT donated 158,000 pounds of fresh produce to families across the region. The organization is on pace to donate 300,000 pounds of food by the end of this year, according to Fitzpatrick.

"We’re doing this with a small team, and today is a great example of, ‘How do you pull off something really awesome like this?'" Fitzpatrick told the crowd. "This event's a great way to kind of connect all parts of what we do and who we are, so thanks for being here. It lets us keep doing what we do best."

He said Real Food CT has two community farms: one at Sticks & Stones Farm and the other at Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary. Fitzpatrick also noted the organization's gleaning and surplus team, which goes to farms every day of the week to harvest food and collect surplus food, and connects to a web of about 40 different food pantries.

Real Food CT has also grown at a rate where the organization can take care of large amounts of surplus food, such as celery, pineapples, and potatoes, according to Fitzpatrick. He said that, thanks to the network Real Food CT has now, it coordinates the distribution of thousands of pounds of food to different food banks throughout the region.

"We have grown to the point where we're supporting almost 50 different food banks and 1.7 million servings of food ... so thank you, really," Fitzpatrick said.

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Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.