Close to 30 funeral homes across Connecticut will welcome public donations of bring unwrapped toys and gift cards for the Connecticut National Guard’s Operation ELF collection drive starting this Thursday, Nov. 17 through Wednesday, Nov. 30.
For the past 11 years, members of the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association (CFDA) have made personal donations of toys, gift cards and funds for Operation ELF (Embracing Lonely Families).
That yearly collection drive has been so successful that the professional funeral service organization is encouraging Connecticut residents to join them in a statewide collection drive.
“Our family of Connecticut funeral directors and suppliers is expanding our annual Operation ELF collection drive to encourage state residents to assist military families who could use help during the holiday season,” explained Howard K. Hill, CFSP, CPC, CCO, the 2015 and 2016 President of the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association.
“By doing this, we add 28 new Operation ELF drop-off locations to supplement the wonderful effort’s four major sites. We ask everyone to step forward, take a few minutes of their time, and come donate an item that will mean so much to another Connecticut family.”
In addition, on Thursday, December 1st from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., people also may bring unwrapped toys and gift cards to the CFDA’s Annual Convention at the Radisson Cromwell Hotel at 100 Berlin Rd. (Route 372) in Cromwell.
All items collected by the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association will be delivered directly to Operation ELF, which assists the families of Connecticut National Guard soldiers and airmen who are deployed during the holidays, and provides a wide range of support to military families throughout the year. Needed are donations of unwrapped toys for young people of any age, and gift cards of any dollar value to grocery, department stores, home supply stores, gas stations, and pharmacies.
“We are grateful that our military men and women have bravely answered the call to duty. Operation ELF makes that deployment just a little bit easier for their families,” said Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman, who launched Operation ELF’s 15th annual collection effort earlier this month with Major General Thad Martin, Adjutant General of the Connecticut National Guard. “I applaud the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association for their support and thank them for supporting Connecticut’s troops.”
In 2015, Operation ELF distributed more than $10,000 in gift cards to military families in need, its Adopt-A-Family program supported more than 125 military families, and hundreds of toys were distributed to children of Soldiers and Airmen.
Donations to the following CFDA Funeral Homes may be dropped off during regular business hours at any of the following 28 funeral homes between Nov. 17th and Nov. 30th (in alphabetical order according to town):
Carmon Funeral Home & Family Center
301 Country Club Rd. in Avon, 860 – 673-8610
Funk Funeral Home
35 Bellevue Ave. in Bristol, 860 – 583-4107
Alderson-Ford Funeral Home of Cheshire
615 S. Main St. in Cheshire, 203 – 272-7209
Cornell Memorial Home
247 White St. in Danbury, 203 – 748-4833
Edward F. Adzima Funeral Home
253 Elizabeth St. in Derby, 203 – 735-0111
D’Esopo East Hartford Memorial Chapel
30 Carter Street in East Hartford, 860 – 568-9420
Shaughnessey-Banks Funeral Home
50 Reef Rd. in Fairfield, 203 – 255-1031
Spear-Miller Funeral Home
39 South Benson Rd. in Fairfield, 203 – 259-0824
John F. Tierney Funeral Home
219 West Center St. in Manchester, 860 – 643-1222
John J. Ferry & Sons Funeral Home
88 East Main St. in Meriden, 203 – 235-3338
Mystic Funeral Home
51 Williams Ave. – Rt. 1 in Mystic, 860 – 536-2888
Erickson-Hansen Funeral Home
411 South Main St. in New Britain, 860 229‑5676
Howard K. Hill Funeral Service
1287 Chapel St. in New Haven, 203 – 624-4477
Newington Memorial Funeral Home
20 Bonair Ave. in Newington, 860 – 666-0600
Thomas L. Neilan & Sons Funeral Home
48 Grand St. in Niantic, 860 – 739-6112
Burke-Fortin Funeral Home
76 Prospect St. in Rockville, 860 – 875-5490
Rose Hill Funeral Home
580 Elm St. in Rocky Hill, 860 – 529-3381
Ralph E. Hull Funeral Home
161 West Church St. in Seymour, 203 – 888-2538
Riverview Funeral Home, Inc.
390 River Rd. in Shelton, 203 – 924-6800
Samsel & Carmon Funeral Home
419 Buckland Rd. in South Windsor, 860 – 644-2940
Adzima Funeral Home
50 Paradise Green Place in Stratford, 203 – 375-2200
Cook Funeral Home
82 Litchfield St. in Torrington, 860 – 482-4456
Gleeson-Ryan Funeral Home
258 Prospect St. in Torrington, 860 – 489-4104
B. C. Bailey Funeral Home
273 South Elm St. in Wallingford, 203 – 265-1111
Wallingford Funeral Home
809 North Main Street Ext. in Wallingford, 203 – 269-7777
D’Esopo Funeral Chapel
277 Folly Brook Blvd. in Wethersfield, 860 – 563-6117
Potter Funeral Home
456 Jackson St. in Willimantic, 860 – 423-2211
Carmon Community Funeral Home
807 Bloomfield Ave. in Windsor, 860 – 688-2200
For more information about the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association or its Operation ELF collection drive, call 860 – 721-0234 or 800 – 919-2332, or visit www.ctfda.org.
