Union Savings Bank In Danbury Donates $25K, 1,000 Pounds of Food

DANBURY, CT — Union Savings Bank in Danbury recently gathered 1,000 pounds of nonperishable food and contributed $25,000 to five local food pantries as part of its fourth annual “Feeding Our Neighbors” food drive.

The collected food was delivered to Community Food Rescue in Danbury, while the financial donation was distributed among five organizations, each receiving $5,000: Hillside Food Outreach in Danbury, The New American Dream Foundation in Danbury, Meals on Wheels of Ridgefield, Southbury Needy Fund, and Friendly Hands Food Bank in Torrington.

“We are proud to continue the Feeding Our Neighbors initiative in support of local food pantries and our neighbors,” Union Savings Bank President and CEO Chelen Reyes said in a statement. “Thanks to the generosity of our community, customers, and staff, we have collected nearly 4,000 pounds of food over the past four years. Through the bank and our USB Foundation, we have also contributed more than $350,000 to area food pantries so they can continue their essential work in addressing food insecurity.”

The Feeding Our Neighbors Challenge was launched in October 2020 by United Way of Western Connecticut—now United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut—and Union Savings Bank in response to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Former Union Savings Bank CEO Cynthia Merkle played a key role in bringing together two other local banks, securing an initial $45,000 in donations to kickstart the program. Additional contributions from local organizations helped the initiative surpass its $100,000 goal, raising a total of $117,000 in its first year. The bank has continued the food drive annually since then.