NORWICH – During the holiday season, and every day, many individuals struggle to find the food they need to survive. Every day, area food pantries, like the Catholic Charities’ Roots and Wings work to alleviate that strain, but since the demand is much higher during the holidays, this week, Catholic Charities will be holding the first of its “shopping cart” challenges.
The first challenge began on Monday and will run through Friday. Two area businesses will compete in the challenge. “The goal is to see who can bring in the most food during the week,” said Dan Valla of Catholic Charities.
This week, Valla explained the competition will be a David vs. Goliath like story. Community Workshop Shelter ARC, with a total of approximately 300 employees will take on Raymond Corporation, with a total of nearly 1,000 employees.
Catholic Charities provides each business with a shopping cart to be placed in the lobbies, and each business will have one week to collect as much food as possible. At the end of the week, the food will be weighed to determine which business won the challenge, and both businesses will receive a “You Made A Difference” award.
Although the challenge is currently between CWS and Raymond, Valla explained that Catholic Charities would love to see other businesses participate in the endeavor as well. Any business that would like to hold a food drive, or to challenge another business, should contact Valla at 334-8244. “We would like to see who in the community can bring in the most food,” Valla said.
The shopping cart challenge was an idea that was instituted last year at Catholic Charities, but has not been seen yet this year. “We rely on the generosity of the communities for food pantries,” Valla explained. While other organizations and groups have held food drives for Catholic Charities, this is the only food drive the organization holds themselves. “We started this up to have businesses help us to meet the needs of the community,” Valla said.
In addition to the shopping cart challenge, Catholic Charities will soon begin putting together Christmas food baskets for those in need. The organization generally makes about 250 baskets for a total cost of approximately $3,500. “We’re always looking for food and hams for the food baskets,” Valla said. Each basket contains a five pound canned ham and other canned food items. “If anyone wants to donate a canned ham or contribute to the food baskets, it would be greatly appreciated,” Valla said. For more information, call Catholic Charities at 334-8244.