YMCA and Rotary Club team up to provide Thanksgiving Meals

In a small ceremony Tuesday at Liberty Bank in New Britain, Eric R. Hutchinson (Treasurer of the New Britain-Berlin Rotary Club) and Marzena Bukowski (Branch Manager of Liberty Bank/Rotarian) presented Marci Moskal of the New Britain-Berlin YMCA with a check to sponsor the Y’s Thanksgiving Day Residence Dinner. In addition to their expansive fitness facility and award-winning programs for youth development, the Y provides dormitory-style housing to 88 men in their Hart House Residence.

In 2013, Marci Moskal began a drive to provide a warm Thanksgiving meal to each of the Y’s residents who might otherwise go without. The meals were sponsored by donations from Y staff and members. This year, in addition to these community contributions, the Y turned to the New Britain-Berlin Rotary Club for help. Liberty Bank helped to create a fund where money for the Thanksgiving Day Food Drive could be collected. Additionally, each Rotarian collected spare change at their places of employment and turned it over to Liberty Bank. All in all, the Rotary Club was able to collect $615.46 for the Y’s new Thanksgiving tradition. Liberty Bank was generous enough to match this contribution with an additional check for $153.87.

“Rotary International is a wonderful organization that promotes service about self,” said Hutchinson, Rotary Treasurer and Director of Membership and Marketing for the Y. “Our club recognizes the crucial work that the Y does for our community and we are proud to support these efforts any way we can.”

The Rotary Club of New Britain-Berlin hopes their contribution will help to brighten the Thanksgiving holiday for the residents of the YMCA. To learn more about Rotary and the Y, visit www.nbbymca.org/rotary.