'They Bring In Tons Of Food': Fairfield Trio Is Force Behind Donation Drives

FAIRFIELD, CT — Thanks to three local women with a penchant for helping, for the second year in a row, a “really big” food drive Saturday at Operation Hope helped bring supplies to those in need.

Three Fairfield residents — Helene Daly, Heather Dubrosky and Alexis Harrison — continue to show their commitment to encouraging others to share their bounty with those facing challenges at the moment.

“We started doing the food drives at the beginning of COVID,” said Harrison, with Saturday’s event being the 28th that the trio has led for Operation Hope since March 2020.

While she said they didn’t know exactly how much food they would take in with this larger event, the group was hopeful that enough would arrive to fill the enormous storage pod at the back of the property behind Fairfield First Church Congregational, adjacent to the Operation Hope offices.

“They’re great,” Operation Hope intern and perennial volunteer Andrew McKinnis said of the threesome.

“They bring in tons of food,” he said. “We sort it and we put it right out there for people.”

The effort began as an informal discussion among friends.

“We all said we needed to do something,” Daly said.

When they started learning about the impact the pandemic was having on people in terms of food needs, as well as the challenges facing older people in terms of safely getting to stores, they decided to pitch in.

Their first initiative in March 2020 was very informal, with Harrison setting up a table on Sherman Green for collections, joined by the others.

“We filled up two trucks worth and a couple of cars,” Daly noted.

After that they decided to focus their attention on getting items more directly into the hands of Operation Hope, doing their collections there behind the church.

“It’s been unbelievably heartwarming,” Dubrosky said. “The community has truly come together during the worst of times and everybody wants to give back.”

But Harrison said more is needed, and likely will be for the near future, as even during their food drives they have seen people stopping by because they’ve needed to get food to take home.

“The issue isn’t going to go away soon,” she said, noting that nationwide the need for food is up 35 to 40 percent because of lost jobs and poverty.

“We’re just so appreciative that everyone gives,” Dubrosky said, “no matter the size.”

As well as filling this basic need by helping out as best one can, Daly pointed out that it’s also a great way to bring some good feelings home.

“Everyone who comes here is so happy,” she said. “When anyone drops stuff off, they’re so happy to do it. It’s a very uplifting experience.”

This story is part of Patch's new partnership with Feeding America. Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 54 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.

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