A Westport animal store has found a unique way to help feed its community and the state.

The staff at Earth Animal presented a check for $53,000 to the Connecticut Food Share Thursday.

Along with donations, the store and area businesses sold mittens as part of its Mitten Project.

Wakeman Town Farm also sold pies with proceeds going to the project.

The president of Connecticut Foodshare says the donation equals 106,000 meals.

"The price of food for the people that we are serving has increased, so our dollar isn't going as far as it used to. And you have a lot of people that have not been able to donate the same food product that they have before. So, every time we get a monetary donation, especially a generous monetary one like this, it's great for us because we're able to go out and purchase more food, especially produce," said Connecticut Foodshare President and CEO Jason Jakubowski.

Connecticut Foodshare has seen an increase in the number of people it serves, but it's not as high as it was during the peak of the pandemic.