SEASON OF GIVING
Conn. businesses ramp up holiday donations as charities face ‘severe’ need
The coronavirus crisis has hit revenues and forced spending cuts at businesses across Connecticut. But many of them are determined to keep charitable giving up during this holiday season of particular need.
Small businesses and corporate giants alike have pledged to not only maintain, but expand in many cases, their philanthropic and community-service programs.
“Our customers and community are our family, and we need to support them,” said Tina Carpenteri, co-owner of the Garden Catering chain, which has restaurants from Mamaroneck, N.Y. up to New Haven, including in Stamford and its flagship in Old Greenwich.
Garden Catering has donated tens of thousands of meals this year.
“What we can do right now is to help feed people,: Carpenteri said. “We’re doing our part to help bring some joy to our customers and communities by helping them to have a warm meal on the table.”
“The people I give these gifts to love them, and I love hearing what their favorite charities are and why.” Ray Dalio, founder of Westport-based hedge fund Bridgewater Associates
‘Spirit of giving’
As the first wave of coronavirus gripped the state, Carpenteri and brother and co-owner Frank Carpenteri Jr. committed in April to donating 20,000 meals through their business’ new “Nugs Not Hugs” program.
Garden Catering surpassed that goal in early summer and now aims to donate 64,000 meals by the end of this year.
The donated food this year will cost about $192,000, according to Carpenteri. She said she and her brother were confident that their enterprise could shoulder the expenses, with Garden Catering having raised more than $400,000 for charitable causes in the past few years.
At the same time, the perennial popularity of Garden Catering’s takeout service has helped keep finances steady for a business known for staples such as hand-cut chicken nuggets.
In addition, Garden Catering has launched “Nugs Not Hugs — Holiday Edition.” The latest initiative aims to provide holiday meals to about 500 area families by coordinating the distribution with area nonprofits including the Greenwich United Way, Port Chester, N.Y.-based Carver Center, Norwalk-based Food Rescue US and New Haven-based Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen.
The holiday program launched by providing Thanksgiving meals to 83 families.
Customers can donate to the initiative through Garden Catering’s website or app. A $ 9 contribution will cover the cost of one person’s meal, and a $ 54 donation will pay for a family meal.
“To have the spirit of giving makes us relatable,” Carpenteri said. “Our customers appreciate that.”
‘ The need is severe’
Many mid-sized and large companies have mobilized too.
IT consulting and research firm Information Services Group found itself with unused funds after it decided to cancel its holiday celebrations in response to the pandemic. But the firm did not want to pocket the money.
Through its new ISG Food for the Holidays program, the company decided to split financial donations evenly among The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County and food banks in Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Detroit and San Francisco. About 30 employees are based at the ISG headquarters at 2187 Atlantic St., in Stamford’s South End, while many of its approximately 350 U.S. employees are based in the five other cities.
“The need is severe and absolutely real,” said Todd
Lavieri, ISG’s vice chairman and president of its business in the Americas and Asia-Pacific. “I think food insecurity is a very serious concern, particularly for children, when you see the economic devastation that has happened, not just across Connecticut, but across the country.”
ISG declined to disclose the exact amount it was donating, but said it was contributing a “sizable” amount that would cover an average of about 25,000 meals in each city, or a total of 150,000 meals.
In addition, Stamfordbased staff donated nearly 400 pounds of food to The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County, contributions which mostly comprised non-perishable goods as well as other items such as turkeys.
“In my 20 years I have never seen such dire issues. The level of need this year is higher than ever,” said Kate Lombardo, The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County’s executive director. “Corporate giving at this time of the year is most important. The COVID pandemic has created a stronger need. The last I read, 11 million Americans have been forced into poverty for the first time in their lives. The Food Bank is well aware that issues are going to get worse.”
Stamford-headquartered shipping-and-mailing firm Pitney Bowes has also contributed to the Food Bank. In addition, it is supporting other food and toy drives and programs for senior citizens who might be isolated as a result of the pandemic.
“This year, when support is needed more than ever, Pitney Bowes employees are helping in so many ways, even from their home offices,” said Kathleen Ryan Mufson, the company’s director of global corporate citizenship and philanthropy and president of the Pitney Bowes Foundation. “While our approach may look different this year, our employees’ desire to give back and help is unchanged. We are very grateful for all that they do.”
At Stamford-based consumer financial-services firm Synchrony, the company is making a two-to-one match for all employee donations to certain nonprofits between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31. The list includes Synchrony’s employee assistance fund, which launched earlier this year to help employees and immediate family members experiencing financial hardship.
Synchrony is also letting employees contribute to nonprofits through payroll deductions and helping them find virtual volunteer opportunities.
This week, Greenwichbased XPO Logistics announced a companywide shoe drive to support Soles4Souls, which distributes shoes and clothing to people in need across the U.S. and around the world. For each pair of shoes collected, XPO said it will donate $4, for a total of up to $10,000.
The shoe drive expands on XPO’s earlier support of Soles4Souls, aid that has included donated supplychain services.
Some of the state’s most prominent business figures are also stepping up with their own projects.
Greenwich resident Ray Dalio, founder of Westportbased hedge fund Bridgewater Associates and the state’s wealthiest resident by many measures, announced this week that he was offering no-stringsattached $100 gift cards, up to a total of $1 million, for anyone to claim and give to a charity of their choosing.
For more than 10 years, Dalio has given his closest friends and colleagues gift cards that allow them to contribute to their favorite charities, according to an announcement about the initiative.
“The people I give these gifts to love them, and I love hearing what their favorite charities are and why,” Dalio said in posts this week to his LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. “Now I want to share that experience with you. I promise that it will fill you with the holiday spirit, and I hope that you will pass this idea along to others who you think would appreciate it as well.”