At one time, our agency was known as the “Hotel of Last Resort,” a badge staff wore with honor. It was well-known that we served many of the hardest to serve because, even after Father Donagher moved on, we stood behind our mission as the team embraced sheltering “because housing is a human right.” Those who struggled with mental health issues and substance abuse addictions and who were not welcome at other shelters knew they could come to the former Immaculate Conception Church.  continued...

If you live in central or eastern Connecticut, it’s hard to miss the annual push throughout the month of November for donations of turkeys and nonperishable food items to feed our less fortunate neighbors on Thanksgiving. The most well-known drive in the area is through Foodshare, their “Turkey and Thirty” drive focuses on collecting turkeys for Thanksgiving and $30 to help sustain their programs year-round. ImmaCare’s annual Turkey Distribution Day is made possible by Foodshare and the generosity of community members who donate to this drive.

While ImmaCare’s specialty is focused on housing and combatting homelessness, Foodshare specializes in providing food and fighting hunger. Organizations with big missions such as these are well served by specializing in their field and collaborating to solve challenges. In recent years, Foodshare’s turkey drive goal has been upward of 15,000 turkeys in order to accommodate demand, providing turkeys to a number of organizations in the area in addition to ImmaCare.

Though Foodshare is the facilitator that makes this incredible turkey distribution happen, it wouldn’t be feasible without the generosity of our communities and each individual or group that donates turkeys, $30, and nonperishable food items to the cause. This three-pronged combination of community members, Foodshare, and human services organizations like ImmaCare comes together to provide a Thanksgiving meal to over 15,000 families in Connecticut – no small feat.