Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts from Sleeping Giant District (Southington, Wallingford, Meriden, North Haven and Hamden) are collecting nonperishable food items on Saturday, November 12, 2011, as part of their 22^nd annual “Scouting for Food” program to collect food for the needy. If you received a bag or notice that food will be collected at your home, then please place a bag containing nonperishable food items (cans or boxes, no glass containers, please) on your front porch or step by 9 a.m. The bags will be picked up before noon. Notices are being distributed the weekend of November 5^th.

If you did not receive a notice or missed the pickup for your area, you may bring your food donations on November 12^th between 9 a.m. and noon to the local site. Boy Scouts will carry your donation from your car and sort the food by categories. All food collected will be donated to a food bank in your town. Last year, over 640 Scouts in the 5 towns of the Sleeping Giant district collected nearly 33,600 pounds of food. The need this year is especially high.

Southington -

First Baptist Church, 581 Meriden Avenue  -

Bread for Life/Southington Community Service Food Pantry

Wallingford -

46 North Plains Industrial Road  -

Master’s Manna Food Pantry

Meriden -

Salvation Army, 23 St. Casmir Drive  -

Salvation Army

North Haven -

North Haven Congregational Church, 28 Church St.   -

North Haven Food Pantry

Hamden -

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, 2819 Whitney Ave. -

Hamden Food and Fuel Bank

Participating in this annual food drive is part of the Sleeping Giant District’s commitment to the Good Turn for America Program. This program is a national call to service by the Boy Scouts of America to address the issues of hunger, homelessness, and poor health in our country.

For more information about the food drive, please contact the chairperson, Jim Racca at (203) 237-7556 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

To join a Scout unit, visit www.beascout.org. For more information on scouting, please visit www.ctyankeecouncil.org or call the Connecticut Yankee Council of Boy Scouts of America at (800) 333-7905.

Feeding the hungry has been Bread for Life’s number one priority for over 25 years. Our mission, of course, is made possible because of the generous support we receive from our friends in the Southington Community.

One critical component of Bread for Life’s fundraising efforts is its Annual Appeal. Established five years ago, this appeal has helped BFL raise the funds necessary to keep all their feeding programs going. This year’s campaign, under the leadership of Bill McDougall, Board Chairman, and Lynn Rossini is in need of still greater results.

“This year, because of the devastating economic climate, more and more Southington residents require our assistance. Many Southington residents are struggling to obtain the most basic of life necessities – food,” stated Eldon Hafford, Executive Director of Bread for Life. “The number of individuals and families needing assistance has more than doubled since last year.”

“We have an opportunity everyday to help one another. There are so many people who are truly hurting. If we can ease their pain by making sure that hunger is not an issue, then we have accomplished our mission,” stated Bill McDougall.

If you would like to make a contribution to Bread for Life’s Annual Appeal, please send your tax-deductible check to Bread for Life, P.O. Box 925, Southington, CT 06489. Donations can also be made on our website at www.southingtonbreadforlife.com. If you have any questions, please contact Eldon Hafford at (860) 276-8389.

Plans have been made for Bread For Life’s Annual Community Soup Nite, which will be held on Wednesday, October 19^th, from 4:30 to 7:00 pm at Southington High School. This is a wonderful event in which families can join others to enjoy a variety of savory soups, breads, desserts and beverages. The event also offers an opportunity for light conversation and fun entertainment. Raffle tickets will be sold for some great prizes, as well as a silent auction.

The admission price is only $6.00 per person and a canned food donation. There is also a family package price of $20.00. As an added feature, there will be a limited number of handmade ceramic bowls available for purchase. These bowls were made by students from Derynoski Elementary School and donated to Bread for Life. They will be sold for $10.00 each.

Everything served is being generously donated from many of our very fine local establishments. Volunteers, including high school students, are donating their time to serve the meal. Their tips will also be donated to Bread for Life.

For tickets call Gloria Colonero at (860) 276-0654, Amy King-Fontaine at (860) 983-9700 or Bread for Life at (860) 276-8389. You may also email your request for tickets to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Tickets may also be purchased at the door.

If you are unable to attend, please consider a tax-deductible contribution made payable to Bread for Life and mailed to P.O. Box 925, Southington, CT 06489, or visit our website at www.southingtonbreadforlife.com.

Curtis D. Robinson has known hunger; he grew up in Alabama where life was tough for his family. Maybe that is why when he heard there are people in Southington going to be hungry, he decided to do what he could to help.

On Aug. 24, Robinson, with his wife, Sheila Durant-Robinson, gave a generous check of an undisclosed amount to Bread for Life, the program that provides free meals to people in need.

“On behalf of Bread for Life, we cannot express how grateful we are for Mr. Robinson’s generosity,” said Eldon Hafford, executive director of Bread for Life.

Last September, Robinson made a similar donation to the organization.

The philanthropist was moved to once again contribute after having lunch with Hafford earlier this month. “He asked me, ‘at the end of the month when a child asks ‘Mom, I’m hungry,’ and there is no food, what do you say to that child,’” Robinson said.

“There is no way I could not do something. If God has given me a slice of bread, I have to share it,” Robinson said.

Robinson is a successful businessman who has started and supported many programs throughout the area focusing on education, recovery and health. His most ardent mission is providing, through St. Francis Hospital, free screening for prostate cancer and recently helping to raise the funding through a golf tournament to pay for surgery for 10 indigent men.

“We are all brothers and sisters in the eyes of God,” Robinson said.

Hafford said there has been an tremendous demand for help from Bread for Life and Southington Community Services. The organizations are having difficulty meeting the needs, he said. “More than 30,000 meals have been served this year,” he said.

“The hungriest in our midst may not know where their next meal is coming from, but we do. It is from the kindness and generosity of good people like you,” Hafford told Robinson.