Food Bank Prepares 125 Thanksgiving Baskets for Families in Need

On Monday afternoon, volunteers joined Coordinator Stefani Dugas to create over 100 Thanksgiving food baskets for local families. The baskets contain all of the fixings for a traditional meal, including a turkey or a Shaw's gift card to purchase one, fresh potatoes and carrots, eggs, margarine, corn, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie filling and a pie crust.

The majority of the items were donated to the food bank by way of the a recent food drive done by local boy scouts, while bulk items like potatoes, carrots and pie filling were purchased from .

"The great thing about the Boy Scout food drive is not only that is supplies us with the Thanksgiving food, but also replenishes other items and keeps us stocked for several months," Dugas explained.

Nine baskets were also donated on Monday by Summit Baptist Church and 70 turkeys were donated by the Coventry Firefighters Union on Thursday.

"They delivered beautiful baskets to us," said Dugas. "It was very generous."

The baskets will be organized by family size, ranging from two family members to eight and will be distributed on Tuesday.

Especially during the holiday season, the Coventry Food Bank is always looking for more donations. Items needed currently include canned soups, fruit and meat, juice boxes, rice mixes, pasta and cereal.

"We try to keep our stock balanced and give families a little bit of everything," Dugas went on to say. "We always need donations. The day that we can say we don't need them will be a good day."

Residents who are interested in volunteering during the Food Bank's upcoming Christmas project should call Human Services Director Pat Shurtleff at 822-9127.