Thursday volunteers at Bristol Hospital put together hundreds of food packages that will make their way to needy Connecticut families for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Cans of food are arriving by the truckload in Bristol. Staff members from Bristol Hospital’s WIC program open boxes and sort the items.
"We’re putting bags together for Thanksgiving," said Erika Tate.
This food will go directly to local pregnant women, mothers, and their children.
Inside the bags are everything from cream of mushroom soup to hot chocolate. The families will also pick up gift cards to get a turkey from stop and shop.
"It feels amazing that we’re able to do this for them," Tate said. "To see the smiles on their faces when they come in. It’s really heart-warming."
"I love helping out the less fortunate. I think we all should try to do it sometime," said volunteer Darieyn Tate.
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WIC is a federal program, but these Thanksgiving meals come from nearly $10,000 in donations from medical staff at Bristol Hospital.
"It’s a little more than usual and we’re able to give 200 families Thanksgiving meals this year," said Melissa Dickau, the WIC program director at Bristol Hospital.
"By the end of the month, funds are kind of tight for them so if we can take just one thing off their mental plate. They don’t have to worry about how they are going to put together their meals," she added.
Thanks to these donations, the families can focus on giving thanks this year.
