Grateful for shared bounty
Thanksgiving this year looked very different without extended family and friends at the table. Record numbers of our neighbors, almost a quarter of all Connecticut residents, are struggling to put food on the table. The need has never been greater, and our community rose to the challenge during this extraordinary November by sharing the harvest: an act that epitomizes the Thanksgiving tradition of expressing gratitude.
Person-to-Person (P2P) wishes to express our heartfelt thanks to all those who shared their bounty with others, particularly during this very difficult time for those we serve. While the annual Stamford Thanksgiving Day Parade had to be canceled this year due to the pandemic, the Stamford Downtown Special Services District chose to partner with P2P to provide turkeys and ShopRite gift cards to 500 Stamford families in a festive and uplifting day complete with parade balloons, clowns and performers. Organizers Annette Einhorn, Lynne Colatrella and Kate Cook made the day special for families in need. The Connecticut Food Bank, Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County, Walter Stewart Markets, families of Hindley Elementary School and Stew Leonard’s provided an additional 500 turkeys, allowing P2P to feed more than 1,000 Fairfield County families Thanksgiving dinner this holiday.
Generous food drives and donations were organized by King School, Geoff Ball, Diane Cece, Charter Oak Communities employees, Commerce Packaging, Community Baptist Church (Norwalk), Congregational Church of New Canaan, Darien Association of Realtors, Darien Blue Wave Football, Darien Girl Scouts Troop 50469, Darien Lions Club, Darien Youth Commission, the Devens family, Empire Realty Trust, Kiwanis Norwalk, Karen Kober, Little Wings Foundation, Maureen Mazan, MBIA Foundation, Methodist Family Center Preschool, Mid-Fairfield County Association of Realtors, Middlesex Middle School, Milford Girl Scouts Troop 38323, New Canaan Country School, New Canaan SLOBS, Noroton Heights Fire Department, OPUS for Person to Person, Playland Nursery School, St. Luke’s Parish, St. Luke’s Youth Group and St. Luke’s Preschool (Darien), Fran Semel, ShopRite, Sikh Gurudwara Norwalk, Signature Construction Group, Laureen & Stephen Sinacore, Stamford Florist, Starbucks Darien, Tauk, Troy Insurance, Sisse Vejle, residents of Villager Pond and the Youth Community Fund.
Countless individuals donated food or contributed to our Virtual Food Drive this year, and the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation continued their long tradition of supporting P2P’s Thanksgiving food efforts. Many, many others volunteered, and we can’t thank them enough. Together, these community partners and the support of the public has allowed P2P to meet a surging demand for food by increasing distribution by 60 percent to feed 9,000 individuals every month. By the end of this year, P2P will have provided enough healthy food to prepare a record-breaking 1.9 million meals.
During an extraordinary year when so many are suffering the financial impact of a prolonged pandemic, we cannot express deeply enough our gratitude and thanks-giving for all those who prioritize caring for the community. Thanks to these and other partners, as long as there is a need, P2P is here to help.