By Dan Gilbert

Last Saturday (November 23, 2024), Weston’s Kiwanis Club and the Weston High School Key Club members reached out to customers at Lily’s Weston Market and the Weston Pharmacy to stock the Weston Food Pantry with nutritious and hearty shelf-stable food and personal care products. Weston residents were very generous.  It was wonderful seeing parents and their children donating food and personal care products to help their Weston neighbors.

Anne Bigin, the Food Pantry president, noted, “This past weekend’s food drive brought in over 65 bags of shelf-stable foods and toiletries. In addition to the items purchased or dropped off, we $454 outside of Lily’s, and an additional $340 was donated through Venmo for a total of $794! The food and toiletries drive helps over 70 Weston families with food insecurity. It’s important and necessary to help our neighbors in need, and the Weston Food Pantry appreciates all that Kiwanis does to help our town.”

A good many wonderful volunteers made the drive happen.  Reed Ameden provided the Kiwanis certificate of insurance to Weston Shopping Center Manager Josh Tolk.  Harry Falber submitted information regarding the drive to Ted Craft (Weston Today) and First Selectman Samantha Nestor.  The publicity the drive received was superb.  Anne Bigin brought food bins, a cash jar, lists of needed food and personal care products, and a food drive sign.  Key Club Advisor Dawn Egan coordinated with the Weston High School Key Club for volunteer support.  Allison Lisbon recruited two student volunteers.  Reed Ameden, Dave Burns, and Tom Failla set up and took down Kiwanis branding material (tent, feather flag, food drive sign). 

The Kiwanis volunteers who interacted with shoppers were Karen Chrisley, Bill Flanagan, Dallas Kersey, Carl Urbania, Dave Burns, Tom Failla, Harvey Luft, and Judy Stripp.  Steve Thomas provided invaluable guidance. Allison Lisbon’s son Justin and his friend Skyler Cole moved the food and personal care products to the pantry’s storage area. 

Pictured in the Kiwanis group photograph by Dan Gilbert, left to right: Bill Flanagan, Reed Ameden, Dallas Kersey, Carl Urbania Anne Bigin (President Weston Food Pantry), Annabel Gill, Emily Kreger, India Kreger, Lily Fournier, Paige Macnicki, Antonina Chmiel, Clarice Braun, Grant Mattinson, and Liam Rothlein.

Click or touch the button below to see over twenty pictures of the food drive from Dan Gilbert, Jim McMorris, and Reed Ameden.