By Kathy Brown.
Sarah Colonghi of Haddam found a fun way to collect food for the Haddam Food Bank. Santa and Mrs. Claus will drive around town in a big red truck on December 12, 2021 to collect food, giving candy canes to children at each location as they pick up the food donations.
Sarah said that her friend who owns Charlie Brown Christmas Tree Farm in East Hampton was without a Santa due to illness, so she and Matt Pytlik volunteered to help. “We volunteered and now it’s sort of taken on a life of its own!” explained Sarah. “We had the idea to create the food drive as a way to help the community. We figured we have access to the suits, might as well put them to good use.”
They said they hope to make it an annual event, and “hope it grows and grows.” They will also be at the tree lighting in Higganum Center on Friday, December 3.
- 10:00 a.m. Charles Mary Drive
- 10:30 a.m. Burr Del Drive & Jackson Road
- 11:00 a.m. Morris Road
- 11:30 a.m. High Street
- 12:00 p.m. Maple Avenue W.
- 1:15 p.m. Old Cart Road
- 1:45 p.m. Wood Cart Road
They’re hoping that each neighborhood will congregate in one area and wait. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be spending about 15-20 minutes per stop and “will have candy canes for all the good little girls and boys!”
The Haddam Food Bank holiday wish list includes canned soups, tunafish, tomato sauce, canned fruits and vegetables, complete canned meals, as well as other non-perishable food items.
They ask that the food items are in bags or boxes so they can travel more easily with Santa and Mrs. Claus throughout their journey through town.
Photo by Patricia Pytlik.
