Foundation donates to local culinary school

NEW MILFORD » The People’s United Community Foundation, the philanthropic arm of People’s United Bank, announced that it has awarded $3,500 to the Community Culinary School of Northwestern Connecticut, located in New Milford.

The Community Culinary School offers a 12week culinary training and job placement program to unemployed and underemployed adults, ages 18 and over, who are interested in starting a career in the food service industry. In addition to providing job training, the Community Culinary School also works to address hunger in the community by donating the food produced in the classes to the New Milford Food Bank, where up to 150 households are served weekly.

“We are extremely grateful to People’s United Community Foundation for the generous support that has enabled us to continue to provide life-changing experiences for our program participants while addressing hunger in our community,” said Dawn Hammond, Executive Director, Community Culinary School of Northwestern Connecticut.

People’s United Community Foundation has funded the Community Culinary School of Northwestern Connecticut since 2011, awarding a total of more than $23,000 in support of its job training program.

“The Community Culinary School plays an important role in developing a skilled workforce for the food service industry, while leveraging its resources to ensure basic needs are met in the community,” said Karen Galbo, Executive Director of the foundation. “People’s United Community Foundation is proud to continue its support of the program.”

In an effort to expand the program and serve more individuals, the Community Culinary School is seeking to move its operations to a new location in New Milford. Contact the Community Culinary School of Northwestern Connecticut to learn more about its program, and how you can assist the school during its transition and expansion period.

Established in 2007, People’s United Community Foundation was formed to help support programs and activities that enhance the quality of life for citizens in the communities that People’s United Bank serves. People’s United Bank is a subsidiary of People’s United Financial, Inc., a diversified financial services company with over $40 billion in assets. People’s United Bank, founded in 1842, is a premier, community-based, regional bank in the Northeast offering commercial and retail banking, as well as wealth management services through a network of nearly 400 retail locations in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.