By MICHAEL WALSH, Special to The Hartford CourantThe fourth annual Emergency of Hunger Food Drive, a community staple in the Manchester area since its 2009 debut, serves much more than helping the town prepare for the holiday season.
While more than 1,000 Thanksgiving turkeys are donated each year to the food drive, which is organized locally by the Ambulance Service of Manchester, those who see hunger first-hand say the food drive allows food pantries to remain stocked in the slower winter months.
“It really stocks us well into [the winter],” said Beth Stafford, executive director of the Manchester Area Conference of Churches. “Sometimes after the holidays, everyone’s a little over-stressed. This carries us through those dead months, like January, where it’s always a struggle for the food pantries.”