By TORY DENIS
[email protected]
CLAREMONT — Volunteers bustled in the kitchen late Friday morning, preparing the Claremont Soup Kitchen for lunchtime visitors as piles of fresh bread and rolls awaited local citizens in need.
In the dining area, Subaru of New England District Sales Manager Michael Hutchings and Subaru of Claremont General Manager / co-owner Peter Mans Jr., were also at the facility on Friday, presenting a donation of $13,929.81 to Cindy Stevens, executive director of the Claremont Soup Kitchen, Inc., to help meet that need.
Steven said the Claremont Soup Kitchen is grateful to Subaru of Claremont, Subaru of America, Inc., and the local community for their continued support of the food pantry and nightly dinner programs.
“Their generous contributions allow us to ensure that any individual or family in need always has the security of food provisions and one warm meal seven days a week,” said Stevens.
This is the fourth year that Subaru of Claremont has chosen the Claremont community soup kitchen and pantry as its local charity partner of choice for the 2017 Subaru Share the Love event. With this year’s donation, the auto dealership has given approximately $50,000 to help the soup kitchen feed local citizens and families in need, according to Hutchings.
With a cost of about $2 per meal, the donation will help the Claremont Soup Kitchen provide more than 6,500 meals this year.
On April 6, Claremont Soup Kitchen, Inc., received a letter stating a donation of $11,879.91 would be made from Subaru of America, Inc., through their 2017 charitable giving event. Subaru of Claremont donated an additional $2,050 to that total.
Over the past four years, the fundraising efforts of Subaru of Claremont have helped provide about 25,000 meals, Hutchings said.
At the end of each year, the Subaru Share the Love event donates $250 for every new Subaru vehicle sold or leased during the annual campaign to the customer’s choice of charities, including national partners the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Make-A-Wish, Meals on Wheels America, and National Park Foundation. Each Subaru retailer also selects a hometown charity organization from their local community to support, adding more than 670 local causes to the Share the Love campaign.
Mans Jr. and his father, co-owner Peter Mans, made the selection again this year to help the soup kitchen, as they have consistently done for the last few years.
Local Subaru dealers have raised $1.5 million in New England to give to local charities of their choice, Hutchings said on Friday at the soup kitchen.
Claremont Soup Kitchen has participated in Subaru Share the Love since 2014. Nationwide, this is the 10th year Subaru of America has participated in the charity partnerships.
The company has donated $21.8 million to national and local charities as part of the 2017 Share the Love event, according to a company press release.
This year’s donations, along with a match of more than $2 million from Subaru retailers, brings the grand total donated through the life of the program to more than $118 million.
In celebration of the automaker’s 50th year anniversary in the U.S., and the program’s 10th anniversary, Subaru did not place a cap on total contributions to the charitable partners for the second consecutive year.
Claremont Soup Kitchen, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides qualified residents of Sullivan County and the surrounding area with a monthly USDA food box. Dinner is served every night from 4 to 5 p.m. at the center at 53 Central St.
The center also participates in children’s community lunches in the summer, offers a free medical clinic twice a month, and includes a food pantry open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every weekday.
To learn more about services, visit claremontsoupkitchen.com or call (603) 543-3290.
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