Donations Will Help to Provide a Complete, Cooked Meal to Struggling Danbury Families
DANBURY, Conn. (October 29, 2020) — United Way of Western Connecticut is collecting donations to provide complete, fully cooked Thanksgiving dinners, prepared by The Amber Room Colonnade, to Danbury area families in need this year, in what it is calling the Thanksgiving Pay-It-Forward Campaign.
The Amber Room is cooking delicious traditional family feasts―with a turkey, side dishes, and dessert―for customers to pick up the day before Thanksgiving. In addition to the meals they are preparing for local paying customers, they are working with United Way to prepare Thanksgiving feasts for families in need. The beneficiary families are being identified by social service providers and the Danbury Public Schools.
Contributions in any amount will be accepted through Thursday, November 19, and will help to purchase Thanksgiving dinners for families in need. A contribution of $250 will sponsor a meal for 6 to 10 people; a contribution of $200 will sponsor a meal for 4 to 6 people. Donations can be made by going to https://www.uwwesternct.org/thanksgivingpayitforward or by texting AMBERROOM to 71777 (message and data rates may apply).
“I am so grateful that The Amber Room has made this generous offer to our community,” said Isabel Almeida, president of United Way of Western Connecticut. “Many Danbury families, including essential workers, have been devastated by this year’s pandemic. What better way to give thanks this year than to sponsor a family’s Thanksgiving meal? For those who can, this is a great time of year to pay it forward.”
"The Amber Room is grateful to the Greater Danbury community for all the past support and humbled by the continued support and outreach during these unprecedented times. We are excited to partner with United Way in the Pay-It-Forward Thanksgiving Campaign,” said Douglas Polistena, General Manager of The Amber Room Colonnade. “The pandemic has highlighted our community’s strength, generosity, and service to those in need, and we are proud to be a part of it."
This fundraiser is in line with United Way of Western Connecticut’s many efforts to address food insecurity in hardworking, struggling families called ALICE® (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). Other United Way efforts to address food insecurity during the pandemic include enrolling hundreds of families in the Healthy Savings program which provides free fresh produce and deep grocery discounts each week to participants, funding local food pantries and community partners, supporting meal deliveries to the Danbury’s low-income housing complexes and senior housing facilities, and conducting large-scale community food drives to support local organizations. United Way also serves as the backbone support to the Danbury Food Collaborative.
For more information about programs available to ALICE families in Danbury, contact Isabel Almeida, President of United Way of Western Connecticut via email or call 203-297-6725.