Corporate Volunteer Council raises $15K to feed children

'Give A Duck' fund-raising effort in Shelton

Rubber ducks fill pool around fountain at 'Give-A-Duck' event Thursday at Corporate Park in Shelton./ Contributed photo

SHELTON - The Valley United Way Corporate Volunteer Council raised $15,000 to address food insecurity in children over the summer months as part of the 2014 Day of Action.

In an effort to address growing concerns about food insecurity in the Valley towns of Ansonia, Derby, Seymour, Shelton and Oxford, the Valley United Way Corporate Volunteer Council sold rubber ducks for $5.
The fund-raising effort concluded June 19 at Shelton Corporate Park, where rubber ducks were placed into the water fountain to represent the thousands of children who will receive meals this summer.

“We are delighted to address the food needs of the Valley community through continuing events involving the Valley Corporate Community. Our goal is to open hearts to fill the Valley food pantries to fill lives throughout the year, particularly when children who rely on free or reduced-price school lunches are home from school. These children should be focusing on fun, not coping with hunger,” CVC Co-Chair Kristen Urso-Rio said.

“The ducks in the fountain represented the children that will be fed this summer.  We were able to raise awareness to this issue, reach out and make a difference,” Katie Scinto, CVC Co-Chair, said.

                                                          

This initiative is taking place as part of the Day of Action.
United Way rallies communities each year near the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, to make a collective impact in a call to action to create a measurable difference.

Food during the summer is critical for children who are part of the supplemental nutritional assistance program, otherwise known as SNAP. During the summer months, these children do not receive meals they would be provided during the school year, which places added stress on families currently in need.

For more on this story, visit - http://www.valleyunitedway.org/index.php/15000-raised-in-cvcs-day-of-action/.

Valley United Way is the leading philanthropic resource for the Valley towns of Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton matching the needs of the community and the interests of donors to improve the quality of life in the community. 

United Way supports and creates initiatives addressing youth, families and people in crisis.

Contact Patricia Tarasovic, Director of the Volunteer Center, at patricia.tarasovic@valleyunitedway.org or at 203-926-9478 for more information.

This is a press release from Valley United Way.