The Feeding Our Neighbors Challenge Kicks into High Gear for the Final Stretch
A fundraiser to benefit Danbury food pantries, launched by local banks, has raised more than $70,000, but is still short of its $100,000 goal. The Feeding Our Neighbors Challenge was launched on October 13, 2020 as a joint effort by Union Savings Bank, Newtown Savings Bank, and Savings Bank of Danbury, with an initial combined donation of $45,000.
All funds raised will benefit food pantries that are members of the Danbury Food Collaborative.United Way of Western Connecticut provides backbone support to this collaborative and is handling administration and distribution of the funds to the member pantries. The deadline for the Feeding Our Neighbors Challenge fundraising effort has been extended to November 26, 2020.
To help take the effort to the next level, the Public Relations Coordinator for the City of Danbury, Taylor O’Brien, has challenged Mayor Mark Boughton to raise more funds than she does for the cause. If he doesn’t, he’ll have to run down Danbury’s Main Street in a chicken suit. The Mayor has graciously accepted the challenge, with the caveat that Ms.O’Brien run down Main Street in a unicorn costume if she loses. Additionally, donors who give more than $500 will receive a personal tour of the newly minted John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant, provided by the Mayor .
“While we are bringing some levity into the world, this year has been a challenging one for Danbury families. Mayor Mark has been up to the task of raising money for our local pantries with his karaoke videos and tours of the Sewer Plant, but he is not looking forward to this run down Main Street!” said Ms.O’Brien. She added, “We are absolutely grateful each time we see a new donation and recognize a Danbury family or business on the donor list. It truly reflects the sense of community that we have here in Danbury.”
The competition is in fun, but the need for food at Danbury’s food pantries is a serious one. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, when many lower-income workers lost their jobs, Danbury’s food pantries have been inundated with more clients seeking food. The challenges in obtaining enough food have been especially difficult for families with school-age children, who often eat many meals at school. With distance learning, children are home all day, putting a stress on the family food budgets.
2-1-1 counts CT, part of the nationwide resource created by the Health Communication Research Laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis, provides real-time data from 2-1-1 call centers that help with basic needs such as food and shelter. Its local data base shows that there were 23,900 requests for information about food resources in Fairfield County in May of 2020, compared to 1,607 in May of 2019. In the month of July alone, the nonprofit organizations that are members of the Danbury Food Collaborative had 7,000 visits to their pantries. Some are serving three times as many households as they were before the pandemic.
“Food is still the greatest need we are seeing in families that had someone lose a job or wages,” said Isabel Almeida, President of United Way of Western Connecticut. “People have to pay their rent and utility bills first, so often there’s little left for food. It’s great to see the community rallying to help our neighbors who’ve had such a tough year.”
Local food pantries that will benefit from donations to the “Feeding Our Neighbors Community Challenge” are:
Association of Religious Communities (ARC) • Bethel Food Pantry • Brookfield Social Services • Camella's Cupboard • Catholic Charities - Morning Glory Breakfast Program • Community Action Agency of Western CT • Daily Bread Food Pantry • Hillside Food Outreach • Interfaith AIDS Ministry • Jericho Partnership • The Salvation Army • Victory Christian Center • Purple Heart Ministries • Walnut Hill Community Food Pantry
For more information about Feeding Our Neighbors Challenge and to make a donation, go to https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/FEEDNEIGHBORS Or contact Isabel Almeida, President and Chief Operating Officer at United Way of Western Connecticut at Isabel.almeida@uwwesternct.org, 203-297-6725.
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