LETTER: Ben & Jerry’s staff swap pumpkins, pints for record food shelf donations
Oct. 23, 2021
Brayden White helps Joe Davis at the pumpkin and ice cream giveaway at Ben & Jerry's. Photo by Gordon Miller
To the community:
Spooky Season is much less scary with friends like Ben & Jerry’s! The annual pumpkin giveaway benefitting Waterbury Area Food Shelf was once again a smashing success!
In just about 90 minutes on Sunday, Oct. 17, staff at Ben & Jerry’s Waterbury factory gave away 300 pumpkins and 2,000 pints of ice cream to people in easily more than 100 cars.
In return, visitors dropped off food, household goods, and monetary donations to help support friends and neighbors in need. Our community raised over $900 and… drumroll… a record-breaking 800 pounds of food!
The Ben & Jerry’s pumpkin and ice cream giveaway to benefit the food shelf has been happening for more than 30 years. Kim Audet says she’s been coordinating for 26 years. Pictured here left to right are volunteers Joe Davis in blue, Roy Cook in gray, and Steve "Huey" Audet on the truck with grandchildren Brayden and Gabriella White. Other volunteers included Meg Audet, Shelley Cook, Sanja Stavric and Kim Reynolds. Photo by Gordon Miller
All of these donations directly support individuals and families in the Waterbury area who need short- and long-term food assistance.
The staff at Ben & Jerry’s are always thinking about ways to benefit the community, and we are so lucky to have such caring and generous partners. A heartfelt thanks to all who organized, attended, and donated!
Dani Kehlmann, director
Waterbury Area Food Shelf