For 22 years, the Liberty Bank Rotary Club Thanksgiving Drive has helped local families during the holiday season. That tradition continues as Liberty Bank, the Community Foundation of Middlesex County and 41 rotary clubs again team up to raise money for the cause. This year’s drive kicks off today and will end November 17 at 3 p.m.

In addition to providing warm meals this Thanksgiving, donations made to the drive will help stock local food pantries for the winter months. Monetary donations can be made online at www.middlesexcountycf.org, or by mailing a check to the Community Foundation of Middlesex County, 49 Main Street, Middletown, CT 06457. Please include the name of the rotary club that will benefit from the donation in the memo line.

All Liberty Bank locations will promote the drive and encourage individuals to donate online. The Bank’s Foundation will provide matching funds of up to $200,000, and all donations will be mailed by the Community Foundation of Middlesex County to nonprofit organizations that were selected by the rotary clubs to provide Thanksgiving meals.

“Over the years, we’ve provided countless Thanksgiving meals to those in need,” said David W. Glidden, Liberty Bank’s President and CEO and president of the Liberty Bank Foundation. “At Liberty, our brand promise is to ‘Be Community Kind,’ and this is just one example of the many ways we fulfill that promise. It’s important to give back to our community, and by joining forces with the Community Foundation of Middlesex County and our local rotary clubs, we can make an even greater impact. We can help thousands of local families have a peaceful and memorable Thanksgiving, and we can ensure that they have access to the food they need at their local food pantries.”

The Liberty Bank Rotary Club Thanksgiving Drive was started by the Middletown Rotary Club many years ago, and the club originally conducted its own fundraising drive to provide food for families in need on Thanksgiving. In 2004, the Middletown club approached Liberty Bank about partnering to expand the project to support the Bank’s entire service area.

In 2024, more than $728,000 was raised for the cause, allowing families in the communities served by the Bank to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday.

About Liberty Bank Foundation

Since its inception in 1997, the Liberty Bank Foundation has awarded over $20 million in grants to nonprofit organizations within Liberty Bank’s market area. The Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for people of low or moderate income by investing in three areas: education to promote economic success for children and families; affordable housing; and nonprofit capacity building. 

Community Foundation of Middlesex County

The Community Foundation of Middlesex County’s mission is to improve the quality of life for the people of the county now and in the future by developing endowments, making grants that have impact and assisting donors in meeting their philanthropic objectives.

Rotary: Service Above Self

Rotary is a global network of more than 1.2 million volunteer leaders who dedicate their time and talent to tackle the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. There are 34,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Clubs are nonpolitical, nonreligious and open to all cultures, races and creeds. Their work impacts lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. As signified by the motto “Service Above Self,” Rotary’s main objective is service — in the community, in the workplace and throughout the world.