Helping Hands Seeks Holiday Donations

Killingworth's food pantry will serve nearly four dozen local families this year, providing holiday meals to needy seniors and families.

The food pantry, known to most as Helping Hands, is run by long-time Killingworth residents Jan O'Sullivan and Chiqui Ricciuti, whose volunteer efforts all but guarantee that no one will go without on Thanksgiving or Christmas.

"We have the whole spectrum. We've got people with young children, people who are temporarily out of work, we have a lot of seniors living on fixed incomes and a lot of people that get referred to us are getting fuel assistance," says O'Sullivan about the residents who have come to rely on the program.

Starting this month, donations will begin pouring into Helping Hands' headquarters, which is found inside Killingworth's Resident State Troopers office.

"Pretty much every organization in town donates to us, which is really nice," explains O'Sullivan, who says the food pantry's largest contributors include the Killingworth Lions Club, which holds an annual food drive at the Transfer Station on the first two Saturdays in November and December.

O'Sullivan and Ricciuti say local schools, churches and volunteer organizations also do their part to ensure the program's success.

Volunteers with the town's emergency management department will help package and distribute the boxes a week before each holiday.

"People are very generous here," O'Sullivan says.

Helping Hands also coordinates each year with the Killingworth Women's Organization, which organizes the annual Greg Bousquet Toy Drive to ensure that all children have a gift to open on Christmas.

If you are interested in making a donation, a drop-off box is located inside the Killingworth Library.

IMPORTANT: Many of the items donated to the food pantry have already expired. Please check the expiration date of any food you plan to donate, otherwise volunteers must spend time disposing of the items to ensure the safety of recipients.

Anyone in need of assistance may call the Help Line at (860) 663-1765 ext. 401. All messages will be returned promptly.

Some items needed include:

• Coffee
• Tea
• Tuna
• Peanut Butter
• Kids Snacks (for school children)

Make checks payable to "Helping Hands" and send to:

Killingworth Town Hall c/o Helping Hands
323 Rt. 81
Killingworth, CT