With 'Elf,' Remake, Family's Feeding America Pledges Top 50K

SOUTHINGTON, CT — The latest remake of a famous movie by a Southington family was done especially for the holidays. It the Presser family remake of "Elf."

And the pledges now top $50,000.

The videos began as a creative way for the Presser family to keep busy during the initial phases of the coronavirus pandemic. That was in April, during what Southington resident Dan Presser called "the height of the pandemic," in Connecticut. Presser's daughter, Maddie, was home from preschool and, with college sports on hold last spring, Presser was in a timeout in his job as producer of ESPN's ACC Network.

Presser decided to put his video experience to work and he and Maddie recreated a scene from the Movie "The Lion King." Presser and his wife, Beth, shared it with with a few friends and relatives and the popularity began mounting.

The "company:, dubbed "Quarantine 2020 Productions" then became a YouTube channel with scenes recreated from such famed movies as Pretty Woman, Forest Gump, Field of Dreams, Braveheart and The Shining and shows like the 2020 Emmy Awards.

Presser said the family decided to turn the efforts to work for charity and a donation page for Feeding America was created, which is attached to the videos.

Donation pledges came pouring in and quickly reached $13,000. Then, a matching donation came in from celebrity motivational speaker Tony Robbins and made it $26,000. As of Dec. 23, the total was $50,351.

And now we present ... Elf:

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This story is part of Patch's new partnership with Feeding America. Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 54 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.

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