#Middlebury #FoodBank #Toys
By MARJORIE NEEDHAM
Thanksgiving food drives and Christmas toy drives are under way. Here in Middlebury, some 25 to 30 families need our help to make their Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas gift exchanges a reality.
Theo Anastasiadis at Pies & Pub has partnered with Thrive Sports on what he hopes will be a community-wide food drive for the Middlebury Food Bank. Marta Nerin at State Farm also is collecting food for the food bank as are all the classes at Middlebury Elementary School.
In addition, Nerin’s office has chosen the Middlebury Food Bank as the organization of the month to benefit from the Quotes for Good program in November. Her office will make a $10 donation to the Middlebury Food Bank for each household not a current State Farm customer who contacts her office to get a quote for an auto or home policy this month.
Donations for the Pies & Pub/Thrive food drive can be dropped off at either location from Nov. 1 to Nov. 25. Anastasiadis hopes other local businesses will join this drive and serve as drop-off locations. Look for flyers around town promoting this drive with the slogan “You can’t thrive on an empty stomach.”
DanaLynn Dowling is working on the food drive with Tom Palumbo at Thrive Sports. Dowling said interested businesses or donors can contact her at 203-627-9580.
State Farm is collecting donations at its office in Village Square at 530 Middlebury Road in Middlebury through Nov. 27. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Middlebury Elementary School (MES) students are collecting food and money for the Middlebury Food Bank as they do every November. MES PTO Co-President Michele Dunn said the food drive starts Nov. 1, and the food and money are delivered to the Middlebury Food Bank the week before Thanksgiving.
Dunn said each class is asked to collect one Thanksgiving side, so one class will collect gravy, another bread mixes, another a canned vegetable, and so on. The 18 classes each collect a different food.
Students also are asked to donate a dollar. The money collected is used to purchase grocery store gift cards that also are donated to the Middlebury Food Bank.
Please note the following nonholiday items also are needed at the food bank: tuna, soup, cake mixes, boxed rice, cereal, toothpaste, toothbrushes and toiletries.
Fast on the heels of the food drives will be the toy drives to ensure all children receive gifts from Santa. New, unwrapped toys for Middlebury children ages infant to 12 can be dropped off at the Senior Center in Shepardson Community Center Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Also needed for families and seniors are gift cards for gasoline, groceries and for stores like Target, Walmart, J.C. Penney, Old Navy, Kohls, and the Gap.
Pies & Pub will launch its annual toy drive for Yale Children’s Hospital Dec. 7 with an Ugly Sweater Party. Look for details in our December issue.
New, unwrapped toys for the Connecticut Toys for Tots Christmas Drive can be dropped off from Nov. 15 to Dec. 20 at the State Farm office in Village Square. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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