There are more than 1,300 families in Stonington who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), according to the Connecticut Hunger Map.
Ten percent of the kids in Stonington Public Schools receive free or reduced-price lunches, and the eligibility for that program is based on family income as compared to the poverty level. In North Stonington there are more than 200 families who participate in SNAP and roughly 17 percent of kids in North Stonington Public Schools receive free or reduced school lunches.
The Stonington and North Stonington Board of Selectmen are planning a holiday food drive for Dec. 8, 2012 at the Pawcatuck Stop & Shop between the hours of 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. The food drive will collect food for the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center.
North Stonington Selectman Shawn Murphy stopped by the Stonington Board of Selectmen meeting on Wednesday meeting to invite the Stonington Board of Selectmen to participate.
In December of 2010, Stonington First Selectman Ed Haberek and North Stonington Selectman Nick Mullane held a similar food drive.
“We received 10 frozen turkeys, Stop & Shop donated a GPS for PNC to raffle off, People’s Bank employees collected food and several people provided gift cards for more food,” Haberek wrote on his blog about the 2010 drive. “We were able to fill 2 1/2 pick-up trucks of food and donations for the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center!”
In addition to this year's food drive, donations to the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center can also be dropped off any weekday between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Here is a list of what they are hoping to collect for the holidays:
- Instant Mashed Potatoes
- Stuffing Mix
- Rice
- Gravy (canned or in envelopes)
- Box Macaroni & Cheese
- Canned Green Beans
- Canned Corn
- Canned Peas
- Canned Fruit (any kind)
- Cranberry Sauce
- Smaller Sized Turkeys (12-16 lb)
They were hoping to receive items for Thanksgiving by Nov. 14, 2012. They hope to receive most Christmas donations by Dec. 14, 2012. Visit the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center online for more ways to help.
