United Way of Western Connecticut and the Danbury Fair Mall collected 4,000 pounds of nonperishable food at a food drive conducted on Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8, 2020 in the Mall’s parking lot. In addition, the event, which served as this year’s United Way Day of Action, also raised $2,400 in donations. Both the food and the monetary donations will be distributed among nine food pantries in the greater Danbury area that are members of the Danbury Food Collaborative.
“We are just so grateful for the outpouring of generosity by the residents of Greater Danbury,” said Stacy Schulman, Director of Corporate Engagement for United Way of Western Connecticut. “Despite the fact that Hurricane Isaias had just caused massive power outages, and the pandemic is still causing hardships in this region, many people brought bags and boxes of food to help their neighbors in need. We are also so thankful to the Danbury Fair Mall for partnering with us to make this a successful event.”
“We value being part of people’s lives in Danbury, and we are fully committed to this community. When the need for food donations became apparent and the United Way was developing the largest area food drive to-date, we knew we could help by providing a safe environment at Danbury Fair for guests to donate items. We are honored to be a part of this program that provided food to nine different area food banks,” said Melissa Eigen, Senior Marketing Manager, Danbury Fair.
United Way of Western Connecticut has been conducting a Day of Action event since 2008. This year, the event’s format was changed due to safety concerns and to focus on food donations, since many food pantries in Greater Danbury have been struggling to meet the demands of people who are having difficulty paying for groceries after losing jobs and wages during the pandemic.
The event was conducted using proper social distancing protocols and following the current state guidelines regarding the wearing of masks. The donation process was contact-free, with volunteers removing food from donors’ car trunks.
A total of 45 corporate and community volunteers participated in the Food Drive. United Way of Western Connecticut would like to thank the following companies for supporting the food drive Belimo, Boehringer Ingelheim, Branson, Danbury Fair Mall, Fairfield County Bank, Kimberly-Clark, Linde, Meyer Jabara Hotels, Newtown Savings Bank, Union Savings Bank, and UPS.
Food pantries and other food providers have been working together to address food insecurity in Greater Danbury since 2013, when the Danbury Food Collaborative was created. Since its formation, the collaborative has improved the availability of fresh, healthy foods for struggling individuals and families by obtaining grants for refrigerators and freezers and by rescuing more than one million pounds of food. The collaborative also publishes a Guide to Accessing Food in Danbury in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. More than 20 area food providers are members of the Danbury Food Collaborative. United Way serves as the backbone organization for the collaborative.
For more information about the Danbury Food Collaborative, or to make a donation, go to www.uwwesternct.org/danburyfoodcollaborative
For more information about United Way of Western Connecticut’s Day of Action and other corporate volunteer opportunities, contact Stacy Schulman at 203-826-8479 or stacy.schulman@uwwesternct.org.
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