WALLINGFORD, CONN., December 9, 2015 – With the help of thousands of individual donors, community groups, faith-based organizations, businesses and media partners, the Connecticut Food Bank helped to provide more than a half million meals at Thanksgiving this year.
“We are grateful to the donors and volunteers who helped to make this possible,” said Connecticut Food Bank Interim CEO Paul O’Leary. “And just as important, we are grateful to many wonderful volunteers and staff of the programs we serve across Connecticut who transformed the turkeys, chickens, fresh produce and all the trimmings we distributed and into Thanksgiving baskets and holiday meals for the people who rely on their hunger relief programs at Thanksgiving and throughout the year.”
O’Leary said the Connecticut Food Bank provided more than 20,300 turkeys this year, along with more than 120,000 pounds of fresh produce, nearly 50,000 pounds of nonperishable foods and nearly 3,400 grocery store gift cards worth a total of more than $40,500.
“We hope that the generosity of donors and the variety of food provided helped to brighten the holiday for many in Connecticut who struggle to put food on the table,” O’Leary said.
O’Leary said the Connecticut Food Bank participated in nearly 25 Thanksgiving food drives sponsored by local media partners and businesses. “Beyond those drives, we were generously supported by businesses that hosted drives in stores and offices and delivered their donations directly to our distribution centers in Wallingford and Fairfield. And we can’t forget to mention the wonderful donations by people who collected food from neighbors, family and friends and brought those gifts to us to share.”
Among the media outlets, businesses and organizations that supported Thanksgiving For All this year at the Connecticut Food Bank:
O’Leary said the work of collecting, sorting, packing and distributing food was made possible by many volunteers. “From individuals to groups of employees from Citizens Bank and teams of U.S. Coast Guard members from the Sector Long Island Sound installation, people stepped up to help us get food where it needed to be. We are grateful for the generosity of so many who helped to make this truly a Thanksgiving For All.”
About the Connecticut Food Bank:
The Connecticut Food Bank is the state’s non-profit leader in the fight against hunger and the largest provider of charitable food donations. Some 700 partners and programs depend on the Connecticut Food Bank as a lifeline to nutritious food for the communities they serve. The Connecticut Food Bank partnered last year with retailers, donors, volunteers and growers to provide enough food to prepare more than 18 million meals to more than 300,000 people across 127 cities and towns in six Connecticut counties. Visit us on the web at www.ctfoodbank.org, like us Facebook and follow @CTFoodBank on Twitter or @CTFoodBank on Instagram.
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