Reona Dyess Serves Up Services to Help Families Fight Hunger

When a middle schooler at the Drop-In Learning Center in New London, Connecticut, first said it out loud, Reona Dyess paid attention.

"We're running short this week at home," she recalls the student saying. "Can we have anything extra?"

Dyess has spent 30 years as director, building the kind of after-school program where kids feel comfortable speaking up about food insecurity. At the Drop-In Learning Center, children aren't afraid of getting into trouble or being teased for needing help.

55 Years Serving New London Families

The nonprofit center has served children and families in New London, Connecticut for 55 years. Today, the Drop-In Learning Center operates out of Saint James Church, a Presbyterian congregation at 76 Federal Street. Families come for childcare services, before- and after-school care, homework support, and a safe place to spend time. Dyess calls it "wraparound services," because needs tend to overlap. She serves everyone from preschoolers to middle schoolers, and the community’s grandchildren.

Food assistance programs are part of that reality for working families in southeastern Connecticut. Sometimes it's a parent calling from their job, trying to solve dinner while they're on a break. Sometimes it's a child who has learned to stay quiet about what's missing at home. The Drop-In Learning Center notices those moments, makes it easier to talk about hunger, and helps families access food resources.

30-Year Partnership with United Way

United Way of Southeastern Connecticut has been part of that work since Dyess arrived three decades ago. She describes the relationship as "a true partnership."

Back then, the support looked like after-school meals — pasta, juice, basic food that, for some teens, was among the only food they could count on after school. Over time, Dyess watched United Way's food distribution system evolve, moving from an abandoned building to the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center warehouse that can better meet community hunger needs.

Today, Dyess picks up food once a week from the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center to support the after-school nutrition program. If there's extra produce, she makes sure fresh fruit like apples are available. If there are juice boxes or water, she keeps them on hand because the Center is open year-round, including summer when kids need meals all day long.

Weekend Backpack Program Fights Child Hunger

When middle schoolers that Dyess has known since they were small feel comfortable saying what they need, she responds. She runs a weekend backpack program, sending home bags with cereal, fruit cups, milk, and shelf-stable food for the weekend. The weekend food program idea came from United Way years ago. Dyess tried it, stopped because of COVID in 2020, and then resumed when students themselves asked for it in 2025.

She can also reach out directly to The Lord’s Pantry which is operated by St James Church and supplied by the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center.  When someone is staying with relatives because of domestic violence, or when a household is suddenly feeding more people than expected, Dyess has worked closely enough with the church that she can say, "I have a family of six. They're short on meat this week," and know the family will get same-day food assistance. Saint James receives food from the same United Way food bank.

Building Food Security Takes Time

The coordination between the Drop-In Learning Center, United Way of Southeastern Connecticut, and the Lord’s Pantry took years to build. For Dyess, it doesn't feel complicated because it didn't happen overnight. It's just what's needed to support working families struggling with food insecurity in New London, and to make sure children who know how to ask for help can actually get it.