Eastern Student Stephen Taylor Participates in Annual Day of Giving

2012 Nov 28

Stephen Taylor '14 of Higganum, CT, was one of a group of Eastern Connecticut State University students who participated in Eastern's Center for Community Engagement's Annual Day of Giving. Taylor is majoring in Sociology.

On Nov. 21, Eastern held its sixth annual "Day of Giving Community Celebration," a Thanksgiving dinner for community members who are patrons of local soup kitchens and other social service agencies. The Day of Giving was started in 2007 by Eastern student Jason Budahazy '09. Eastern's Center of Community Engagement is now responsible for coordinating the event.

The project consisted of two parts. The first was a large-scale food drive that took place in the local community as well as on the Eastern campus. Local stores and businesses that have supported the food drive include Bob's IGA, Ted's IGA, the Willimantic Food Co-Op, Highland Park of Coventry, East Brook Mall, Main Street Café, Lebanon Green Market, Willimantic's Stop & Shop and Wal-Mart. More than 2,300 food items were donated along with $2,306. Donations were distributed to area food pantries including the Northeast Food Collaborative, Covenant Soup Kitchen, Access Agency, Catholic Charities and others. Eastern students were instrumental in collecting donated items.

The second part of the Day of Giving was a full-course Thanksgiving meal complete with all the trimmings for members of the Willimantic/Windham community who may otherwise not have had a Thanksgiving dinner. Chartwells Dining Services and its vendors donated the food, and Chartwells' staff volunteered to prepare the meal. Eastern students, faculty and alumni volunteered at the event as servers and dining hall staff.

Eastern Connecticut State University is the state's public liberal arts university and serves approximately 5,400 students each year on its Willimantic campus and satellite locations.

It is the policy of Eastern Connecticut State University to ensure equal access to its events. If you are an individual with a disability and will need accommodations for this event, please contact the Office of University Relations at (860) 465-5735.