Thanksgiving help to the tune of $281,000
A statewide Thanksgiving drive to put food on the table of those in need has brought in more than $281,000, thanks to Liberty Bank and a network of Rotary Clubs.
The record total this year includes nine Rotary Clubs in the New London area contributing $37,360, and a total of 40 Rotary organizations statewide and the East Haddam Community Lions Club working with 55 Liberty Bank locations to raise $225,446 between Columbus Day and Thanksgiving Day. The Liberty Bank Foundation then added a quarter for each dollar raised, or $56,362.
"In many towns where Liberty has branches, this drive has become the key mobilizer to meet the need for Thanksgiving food," Sue Murphy, executive director of the Liberty Bank Foundation, said in a statement. "It's a wonderful community collaboration."
In southeastern Connecticut, the leading Rotary fundraising effort was in Colchester. The club there partnered with the local Liberty branch to raise $9,739
Other Rotary Clubs and their contributions were: Niantic, $8,954; Groton, $4,258; Mystic, $1,248; Stonington, $1,228; Old Saybrook, $1,621; Norwich, $975; New London, $983; and Waterford, $884
"Rotarians either use the funds to purchase and deliver Thanksgiving food to needy families, or donate the money to a local nonprofit organization that provides Thanksgiving baskets," according to a press release. "All donations are used to provide food in the communities where they were given."
Liberty Bank cited statistics showing that about 20 percent of children in Connecticut live in "food insecure" households, meaning that it is not always clear where the next meal is coming from. With a Thanksgiving feast in doubt for many, the bank and Rotary combined to raise $281,808 this year, surpassing the $267,456 total from a year ago when the foundation's contribution is included.
The 13-year-old collaboration has raised nearly $1.7 million since its inception. Every town with a Liberty Bank is included in the program, and bank branches sold paper "turkey legs" to customers, offering free-lunch incentives to the three branches that raised the most cash.
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