Liberty Bank announced today that it is once again teaming up with the Community Foundation of Middlesex County (CFMC) and 40 Rotary Clubs to raise funds for local families struggling to make ends meet this Thanksgiving. The donation drive runs through Monday, November 18 at 3 p.m.

In addition to providing warm meals this holiday, contributions made to the 21^st Annual Liberty Bank-Rotary Club Thanksgiving Drive will help stock local food pantry shelves in preparation for winter. Funds are being accepted online on the CFMC’s website (www.middlesexcountycf.org) or by mailing a check to the Community Foundation of Middlesex County, 49 Main Street, Middletown, CT 06457 with the name of the benefitting Rotary Club in the memo line.

All Liberty Bank locations will be promoting the drive and encouraging individuals to support it by making an online donation. The Bank’s Foundation will provide matching funds up to $200,000, and all funds raised will be mailed by the CFMC to the nonprofits selected by the Rotaries that are providing free nutritious Thanksgiving meals in their communities.

“Through the support of our generous community members, Rotary partners, and the Community Foundation of Middlesex County, we are continuing our deep tradition of delivering thousands of Thanksgiving meals to those in need,” said David W. Glidden, President & CEO of Liberty Bank and Liberty Bank Foundation. “This strong partnership, combined with our Be Community Kind promise and Rotary’s Service Above Self motto, will provide local families with the opportunity to truly experience the Thanksgiving holiday and put food on the table. We are proud to work together to conquer food insecurity within our footprint one step at a time.”

The Liberty Bank/Rotary Club Thanksgiving Dinner Drive began with the Middletown Rotary Club, which originally conducted its own fundraising drive to provide food for lower-to-moderate income families on Thanksgiving. In 2004, the Club approached Liberty about partnering to expand the project and support those in Liberty’s entire service area.

Last year, in collaboration with 40 local Rotary Clubs and the Community Foundation of Middlesex County, over $741,000 was raised to ensure that more families in the communities served by the Bank had food to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday.

Liberty Bank Foundation

Since its inception in 1997, the Liberty Bank Foundation has awarded over $18 million in grants to nonprofit organizations within Liberty Bank’s market area. The Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for people of low or moderate income by investing in three areas:  education to promote economic success for children and families; affordable housing; and nonprofit capacity building.

Community Foundation of Middlesex County (CFMC)

Community Foundation of Middlesex County’s mission is to improve the quality of life for the people of the County now and in the future by developing endowments, making grants that have impact, and assisting donors in meeting their philanthropic objectives.

Rotary: Service Above Self

Rotary is a global network of more than 1.2 million volunteer leaders who dedicate their time and talent to tackle the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges.  There are 34,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Clubs are nonpolitical, nonreligious, and open to all cultures, races, and creeds. Their work impacts lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world.  As signified by the motto “Service Above Self,” Rotary’s main objective is service — in the community, in the workplace, and throughout the world.