CT Shoreline Fire Departments Team Up To Host Food Drive on Saturday, April 8

OLD SAYBROOK, Conn. - March 15, 2017 - PRLog -- For the sixth year in a row, shoreline fire departments will host a one-day food drive on Saturday, April 8, 2017, to collect non-perishable food for shoreline residents in need.

The local fire stations will be open to receive donations of non-perishable food for one day only on Saturday, April 8, 2017, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. All donations will go to local food pantries run by The Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries (SSKP).

The Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries organization hopes to include all fire departments in the 11 shoreline towns they serve. Fire departments already committed to the event include: *Old Saybrook FD, 310 Main Street; (and once again this year, drop-offs will also be accepted by the OSFD at the Stop and Shop in Old Saybrook and the Big Y in Old Saybrook); Westbrook FD, 15 South Main Street; Essex FD, 11 Saybrook Road; Clinton FD, 35 East Main Street; North Madison FD, 864 Opening Hill Road; and Chester FD, 6 High Street. Several other fire departments are expected to participate, as well. Watch for announcements on the Shoreline Soup Kitchens' website at www.shorelinesoupkitchens.org. All area fire departments are encouraged to participate.


At a time of year when food donations are low, this food drive will help to restock the pantries and ensure that everyone in our local communities will have a place at the table. The Soup Kitchens' five pantries distributed over 1 million pounds of food last year to needy residents. Only 40 percent of this food comes from the CT Food Bank; the remainder must be either purchased or donated, so every item is appreciated. Last year's drive brought in close to 4,000 pounds of food, and this year's goal is 6,000 pounds.

Please join the effort by donating food, or by holding a food drive in your neighborhood, workplace, or club, and then bringing it to a participating firehouse on Saturday, April 8, 2017. Participating fire departments ask those donating food to only drop off food on Saturday, April 8, 2017. Please do not drop off food before that date.

The most needed food items are: canned meats (including tuna, chicken, salmon); canned fruits and vegetables; peanut butter; canned and boxed meals; canned or dried beans; pasta and rice; and cereal. This year for your convenience, checks made payable to SSKP (with FD Drive in the memo field) can be dropped off, as well, on April 8.

Those items not accepted include: rusty or unlabeled cans; perishable items; homemade items; non-commercial packaged or canned items; alcoholic beverages and mixes; and open or used items.

The Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries, as well as the shoreline fire departments, thank the following local businesses for their generous donations to this year's food drive: Stop and Shop of Old Saybrook, Mirsina's Restaurant in Old Saybrook, and Ashlawn Farm Coffee in Old Saybrook. This year's media partner is 94.9FM NewsNow, Jammin' 107.7 FM, and Soft Rock WBMW 106.5, which will host a live broadcast from Old Saybrook Fire Department Headquarters at 310 Main Street.

*In addition, local TV and radio personalities Gil Simmons, Chief Meteorologist for NEWS8 WTNH, and talk-show host Lee Elci, the morning personality on his popular Lee Elci Show on 94.9FM News Now-Stimulating Talk, will be joining firefighters and volunteers on Saturday morning collecting food items at Old Saybrook Fire Headquarters at 310 Main Street.