| Mission Statement:
Gifts of Love helps meet the basic needs of individuals and families in Central Connecticut experiencing a financial crisis so that they can achieve and maintain self sufficiency. Our clients are hardworking people who simply can't make ends meet.
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Thank You!
Dear Friends,
On behalf of the staff, Board of Directors and especially the clients of Gifts of Love, I would like to express our gratitude and appreciation to the community for the tremendous outpouring of support for our programs, and for the families we serve.
More families than ever took part in our Holiday Program this season. We received many thank you notes, and I thought I would share our clients' sentiments:
"Thank you so much for your gracious gifts to our family. It brought joy and peace of mind."
"I would like to thank you for making these wonderful gifts available for my family. It is truly a Christmas miracle. Thank you from my heart to yours."
"To my generous donors - I never thought I would be in a position to need these gifts. Happy Holidays to you and yours. Thank you with all my heart!"
"Thank you so much for all that you have done for me and my girls. You have truly made this a Merry Christmas for us! I would have never been able to see the smiles of my girls' faces without your generous help."
Our community not only steps up at the holidays, but throughout the year. After Storm Alfred, we were very concerned that we would have difficulty meeting the increased demand for our services. Like most of us, our clients lost precious resources of food, and had increased expenses, and many lost income as hourly wage-earners whose places of business were forced to close due to the power outage. Replacing basic needs for our families was critical, as they did not have the means to do so themselves. High school volunteers showed up unsolicited and offered their services; additional food and monetary donations came in after our post-storm appeal, and we had an excellent turn-out at our annual fundraising gala, A Night Out in Style that was held only three weeks after the storm.
One of our clients said it best, "Thank you for the offering of love, joy, and hope you give to me and my family all the year 'round. No words could describe how grateful we are."
To all the families, individuals, businesses, faith communities, civic organizations, and schools who consistently share their abundance, whether it be time, talent, in-kind donations or financial support, we thank you and send you warm wishes of hope, joy, and love in the New Year. You truly are the heart of "Families Helping Families".
Sincerely yours,
 
Diana Goode
Executive Director |
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Local Supporters
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From left is Dom Basile, Metacon Board member, Mallory Goode Fons, Diana Goode, Gifts of Love Executive Director and Bob Margolis, Metacon Board member. |
Metacon Gun Club
presented a check and several containers of
food to Gifts of Love. This was the third year Metacon has organized shooting to benefit Gifts of Love. Before the presentation, Mallory did a little shooting with a .22 semi-automatic.
Students from Ether Walker School in Simebury donated their time at the Foodshare Regional Market. The kids inspect and  repack fresh produce to be given out by mobile Foodshare units in the Greater Hartford area. Mobile Foodshare trucks bring perishable food directly to those who need it most. A mobile truck visits Avon, Farmington and Burlington twice a month.
 | | Dave Roberts of the ISCC, Diana Goode and Lori Shield of Gifts of Love and Bob Crawford of the ISCC |
The International Skating Center in Simsbury raised $3,500 for Gifts of Love, and entertained a crowd of over 1,400 during New Year's weekend with wonderful performances by local figure skaters as well as Olympic champions, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Ilia Kulik. Thank you to Hartfordskates.com, the ISCC, Bolton Ice Palace, and Champions Ice Rink for supporting us, and to all of the skating fans who attended. AND thank you to the Avon Rec. Dept, Simsbury Farms Rink, Flatbread Company, Body Talk, and The Hair Loft for serving as ticket sales venue.
We look forward to doing this again!
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Uncoming Events!
"Be Our Valentine" special fundraising gourmet dinner at the home of Chrissie d'Esopo on Saturday, February 11th at 6:00 PM. $100 per person, all donated to Gifts of Love. For more information and to RSVP, contact Lori Shield at lshield@giftsoflovect.org
or 860-676-2323.
Click here to view the menu!
Join the Greater Hartford Association of Realtors at their "Diamonds and Champagne" fundraiser on Thursday, Feb. 9th at Tower Ridge. Proceeds to benefit GOL. Thank you GHAR!! Click here for additional information
Annual Give a Kid A Smile Day! This program provides free dental care to children who do not have access to dental services. The following local dental offices contacted us, and are participating:
Avon Wellness Dental Center, 100 Simsbury Rd, Avon - will treat area children up to age 18 on Friday, Feb. 3, 2012. 860-606-0066, Avon Dental Group, 20 West Avon Rd, Avon - will treat area children from Kindergarten - 6th grade on Saturday, March 6, 2012. 860-673-2012, Canton Valley Dental to participate in Give Kids a Smile Day Friday, February 3, 8:00 am Canton Valley Dental, 191 Albany Tpke, Canton, CT
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What happens to old and expired
supermarket foods?
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"Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year but when you volunteer, you vote everyday about the kind of community you want to live in."
Author unknown
If you are interested in volunteering at Gifts of Love please contact Chris at cnapierski@giftsoflovect.org
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