Liberty Bank, Connecticut Rotary Clubs Raising Funds to Provide Thanksgiving Meals Plus More to Local Families
For the 18th consecutive year, Liberty Bank and 45 local Rotary Clubs are teaming up to ensure that all families throughout Connecticut can enjoy a Thanksgiving meal this holiday season.
From now until November 20, Liberty’s branch offices will accept donations to local Rotary Clubs for the purpose of providing Thanksgiving food. Every dollar donated at a Liberty office will be matched with 25 cents from the Liberty Bank Foundation. The Rotary Clubs will either purchase food and deliver to local families in need, or donate the funds to a local human services agency that provides Thanksgiving food.
Since it began in 2004, the Liberty Bank/Rotary Club Thanksgiving Dinner Drive has raised over $4 million to supply holiday meals to residents of the communities served by the bank. Last year’s drive raised over $858,488, and was matched with over $215,000 from the Liberty Bank Foundation, for a total of over $1,074,000.
“We know families are still struggling and the financial impact of the pandemic is long-term,” said David W. Glidden, President & CEO of Liberty Bank and President of the Liberty Bank Foundation. “As a community bank that’s been around for nearly 200 years, we are fully dedicated to continuing our mission to improve the lives of our customers, teammates and communities for generations to come. Today, more and more people are struggling to put their daily food on the table—much less a Thanksgiving feast. Together with the help of our Rotary partners and our generous community, we can change that. Our goal is to raise enough money not just to provide Thanksgiving food, but to stock our food pantries in preparation for the winter.”
The following Rotary Clubs are participating in the 2021 Liberty Bank/Rotary Club Thanksgiving Dinner Drive: Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Branford, Bristol, Cheshire, Chester, Clinton, Colchester, Deep River, Derby/Shelton, East Hampton, East Hartford, East Haven, Groton, Hamden, Kensington/Berlin, Ledyard*, Madison, Meriden, Middletown, Montville, Mystic, Naugatuck, New Britain/Berlin, New Haven, New London, Newington, Niantic, North Branford, North Haven, Norwich, Old Saybrook, Plainville, Seymour/Oxford, Simsbury/Granby, South Central CT, Southington, Stoningtons, Tribury, Wallingford, Waterbury, Waterford, West Hartford, Wethersfield/Rocky Hill, Willimantic, Woodbridge, and the East Haddam Community Lions Club. Each Liberty Bank office will collect contributions for its local Rotary, so the funds will remain in the communities where they were donated. Some Rotaries will collect and distribute funds for nearby towns as well as their own, so that every town with a Liberty Bank office will be included. (Visit www.liberty-bank.com/locations for a list of Liberty Bank offices.)
The Liberty Bank/Rotary Club Thanksgiving Dinner Drive was first conceived by the Middletown Rotary Club, which for several years conducted its own fundraising drive to provide food for needy families on Thanksgiving. In 2004, the club approached Liberty to see if the bank would be interested in a partnership to enlarge the drive. The bank responded that it would support the drive if it could be expanded throughout its entire service area. Members of the Middletown Rotary reached out to fellow Rotarians in other towns, with the result that 45 clubs are now involved, covering every town where Liberty has an office.
Rotary is a global network of more than 1.2 million volunteer leaders who dedicate their time and talent to tackle the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. There are 34,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Clubs are nonpolitical, nonreligious, and open to all cultures, races, and creeds. Their work impacts lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. As signified by the motto “Service Above Self,” Rotary’s main objective is service — in the community, in the workplace, and throughout the world.
About Liberty Bank and its Foundation
Established in 1825, Liberty Bank is one of the oldest and largest mutual banks in the country. With more than $7 billion in assets, Liberty has 62 banking offices across Connecticut. As a full-service financial institution, Liberty offers consumer and commercial banking, cash management, home mortgages, business loans, insurance and investment services. Named ‘Top Workplace’ by the Hartford Courant every year since 2012 and designated a 2021 Best-In-State Bank in Connecticut by Forbes Magazine, Liberty maintains a longstanding commitment to superior personal service and unparalleled community involvement.
Since its inception in 1997, the Liberty Bank Foundation has awarded over $14 million in grants to nonprofit organizations within Liberty Bank’s market area. The foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for people of low or moderate income by investing in three areas: education to promote economic success for children and families; affordable housing; and nonprofit capacity building. www.liberty-bank.com.