HARTFORD, Conn. — A slow roll of cars in a Downtown Hartford parking lot continued to gain traction for the annual House of Bread Hunger Banquet Drive-Thru on Wednesday.
The event is held before Thanksgiving to help raise funds for the homeless population in Hartford. Donors drive up and pay $30 for a paper bag filled with soup, bread, and a coffee mug from the House of Bread.
Sister Theresa Fonti began the Hunger Banquet 37 years ago, it was moved to a drive-thru event after the pandemic.
“This is one of our main fundraisers," Fonti said while giving out bags to donors driving in the drive-thru line. "We don’t have too many in the course of the year and all the money goes to support our soup kitchen operations where we feed about 200 people a day.”
RELATED: Turkey and Forty kicks off in Wallingford, collecting frozen turkeys, money for families in need
House of Bread Chairman Carl Zyskowski said, “This is our gateway into the Thanksgiving season.”
Beth Boyle, House of Bread’s director of development, added, “It's a day for us to celebrate the House of Bread Community and all that we do – these are our supporters making meaningful contributions to allow us to just celebrate all the people we are serving.”
The team from House of Bread estimated that they sold 225 bags to donors this year, which will go a long way on Thanksgiving for the homeless.
“I love working with the homeless, they’re my friends, they’re part of my life, and I feel like I’ve been enriched by their presence,” Sister Theresa added.
Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
---
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
---
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.