Since He Was 7, East Haven Boy Has Held 'Can The Van' Food Drive

EAST HAVEN, CT — When we first met him in the spring of 2021, at the tender age of 7, the then-second-grader at Momauguin School held his first drive, then to collect food and supplies for the pets at the East Haven Animal Shelter. He was also celebrated for that effort nationally by The Drew Barrymore Show's segment called Drew-Gooders, where Barrymore "shines a light on two Drew-Gooders."

The following year, in 2022, driven to do good, then-8-year-old Connor Vece in 2022, began also collecting donations of food and money for the East Haven Food Pantry.

Connor, now 11 and a student at Joseph Melillo Middle School, was inspired to begin collecting pet food after hearing a lot about food pantry drives during the pandemic, his grandmother Mary Corriea Bucko told Patch at the time. His worry was that dogs and cats did not have enough to eat. And soon he was on a mission. He's raised thousands of dollars in donations for the animal shelter, and for the East Haven Food Pantry.

And he's been at it every year, including this weekend. Connnor held his sixth drive along with this cousins to benefit the food pantry. He was concerned about kids and the elderly who may not get enough to eat, and so his "Can the Van," drive was born where folks filled his grandfather's van with pantry items.

Connor was also joined by CT Beach Cruisers, a Jeep club, Bucko said, and cousins Michael and Mila Maldonado. In addition to food items for the pantry, she said $105 in cash was also raised.

The East Haven Food Pantry celebrated Connor with a Facebook post.