Another Very Successful Food Drive By Firefighters For FAITH Food Pantry
At the end of a five-hour food drive, firefighters from all five of Newtown's volunteer companies had completed another very successful Fill The Fire Truck last weekend.
Food and cash donations were accepted by firefighters stationed outside two of the town's supermarkets on Saturday, November 17. Sandy Hook, Hawleyville and Hook & Ladder members were at Big Y on Queen Street, while counterparts from Botsford and Dodgingtown were at Stop & Shop.
At the end of the collection, Sandy Hook EMS Captain Karin Halstead — who has organized the annual event since its inception — reported that the event yielded 52 turkeys, 89 boxes of food, and $1,732 in cash and gift cards. All of the donations were transported to FAITH Food Pantry on Saturday, where firefighters, friends and family members worked with food pantry volunteers to move everything into the food pantry's building.
The annual drive is done on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, to help Newtown families put dinner on their table for the holiday. The pantry is normally open on Tuesday mornings and Thursday evenings, but had planned a special distribution session for the evening of Monday, November 19, to encourage clients to get their Thanksgiving fixings ahead of the national holiday.
Members of Hawleyville, Newtown Hook & Ladder, and Sandy Hook volunteer fire companies, with friends and family members, were stationed outside The Big Y on Queen Street on November 17, accepting donations for this year’s Fill the Fire Truck Food Drive. Coordinated again by Sandy Hook EMS Captain Karin Halstead (standing toward the left, in the black and red sweater), the event once again helped fill many of the shelves — and freezers — at FAITH Food Pantry just before Thanksgiving. (Bee Photo, Hicks)
Members of Dodgingtown Fire Company No. 1 — including, from left, Ron Bolmer, Jeff Belorit, and Chris Carbone — were stationed outside the southern entrance of Stop & Shop in Sand Hill Plaza for last weekend’s Fill The Fire Truck Food Drive. (Bee Photo, Hicks)
Members and friends of Botsford Fire Rescue covered the southern entrance at Stop & Shop on November 17. (Bee Photo, Hicks)
Jackson Barresi, whose father is the captain of Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue, carries two of the 52 turkeys collected on Saturday into FAITH Food Pantry’s (FFP) sorting area. FFP President Lee Paulsen, on the right, was impressed with the efforts of Jackson and everyone who volunteered for the collection event. (Bee Photo, Hicks)