The Spooner House annual frozen turkey and fixings drive will feature four locations during the week of November 14.
More people than ever in the lower Naugatuck Valley are in need of support to obtain all the ingredients necessary for satisfying holiday meals. Hundreds more non-perishable fixings, frozen turkeys and/or cash donations will be needed to fill the void this year, so Spooner House is asking everyone to be as generous as possible.
Smile Dental Centers owner, Dr. Bruce Sofferman, along with his wife Deborah Sofferman and their daughter Sophia Sofferman will be wearing traditional Pilgrim and Native American costumes and joined by a turkey mascot as they attempt to flag down drivers to drop off turkeys and fixings from 7 to 10 a.m. in Oxford on Wednesday, Nov. 16. at 318 Oxford Road (Route 67) and again on Thurs. Nov. 17, from 7 to 10 a.m. at the R.D. Scinto Corporate Park, located at One Corporate Drive in Shelton.
Dr. Sofferman’s Smile Dental Centers at 318 Oxford Road in Oxford and 61 Elizabeth Street in Derby will also be collecting frozen turkeys and fixings all week during regular business hours Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 14 through Nov. 23.
The final drive location will be collecting only frozen turkeys on Sat., Nov. 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Seymour. The 8th Grade Gold Team from Seymour Middle School is again sponsoring this drop off location at 211 Mountain Road.
“I have never seen the stock on our shelves so low, we’ve experienced a 130 percent increase in demand in just three years,” said Executive Director Susan Agamy. “Our volunteers have been scheduling last minute food drives since the summer and what we collected from the Valley United Way Harvest House, is already gone. We need everyone’s help to make up the shortfall.”
Visit www.actspooner.org for a list of specific items needed.
The following drop-off centers are accepting donations for the Spooner House:
- Smile Dental Centers will be accepting frozen turkeys and the fixings on Monday – Friday, Nov. 14 – 23 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Locations are 318 Oxford Road (Route 67) in Oxford and 61 Elizabeth Street in Derby.
- R.D. Scinto Corporate Park will be accepting frozen turkeys and the fixings on Thursday, Nov. 17 from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. One Corporate Drive in Shelton, in the parking lot of the Scinto Towers
- Seymour Middle School, accepting only frozen turkeys on Saturday, Nov. 19 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. The 8th Grade Gold Team, 211 Mountain Road in Seymour
If these dates and times are not convenient, you may also drop food items at the Spooner House, 30 Todd Road in Shelton, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 1 to 5 p.m. Contact: Anthony (Tony) Vellucci: avelluccu@actspooner.org or 203 – 225-0453.
Non-profit Area Congregations Together, Inc. (ACT) was formed in 1979 to help fill gaps in the Naugatuck Valley’s social service network. Today, Spooner House is operated by ACT and is a facility that provides food, shelter and support services to approximately 200 men, women and children each year. Spooner House is recognized as one of the most comprehensive emergency shelter programs in Connecticut. The Valley Food Bank provides a week’s supply of groceries each month to participating families throughout the Naugatuck Valley. In 2011 the food bank program provided in excess of 137,000 meals, a third of them children. Spooner House is devoted to helping clients establish self-sufficiency in an atmosphere of respect and dignity. Area Congregations Together, Inc. is a partner agency of the Valley United Way.