Mayor Bill Finch and his staff will partner with
Bridgeport Rescue Mission to meet the needs of the community this
holiday season through the mission’s Great ThanksGiving Project.
Mission Executive Director Terry Wilcox announced the mayor’s office
will take part in a coat drive — one of the main components of the
mission’s annual thanksgiving initiative — by placing donation
receptacles in City Hall and the Margaret E. Morton Government Center.
Public donations of new or gently used coats will be accepted in the
receptacles Nov. 12 through 15. Finch will then help sort the coats in
preparation for distribution during the Great ThanksGiving Project,
which runs Nov. 20 through 27.
The annual event is the mission’s largest distribution activity of
the year, touching the lives of thousands of men, women and children
from the area’s most distressed neighborhoods. Those attending the event
will receive a warm coat for each member of the family and a
Thanksgiving Dinner Pantry Box that includes a turkey and all the
fixings for a traditional holiday meal.
The winter wear and food will be distributed at Webster Bank Arena
Nov. 20 through 27 (except Sunday), and at Grace Baptist Church in
Norwalk Nov. 21 through 23. The Mission expects to provide more than
15,000 coats and assist 4,000 families with food.
“We’re honored to have Mayor Finch and his staff working alongside us
to assist our friends and neighbors this holiday season,” Wilcox said.
“The mayor is also encouraging the public to contact the Mission to
learn how they too might take part in the Great ThanksGiving Project.”
The mission also expresses its gratitude to Webster Bank Arena and Grace Baptist Church for hosting the distribution sites.
“The Bridgeport Rescue Mission is a great community partner in the
city and we are equally proud to be working hand-in-hand with Executive
Director Terry Wilcox and his staff to provide a warm coat and a good
meal for those who need help the most this Thanksgiving,” Finch said. “I
know our employees, Bridgeport residents and those from surrounding
towns will give generously to such a good cause.”
For more information on this and other Great ThanksGiving Project
activities, contact Donna Romano at 203-333-4087, ext. 111, or
dromano@BridgeportRescueMission.org or visit BridgeportRescueMission.org.