Thanksgiving Happiness!

November 7, 2007
BE HAPPY ZONE
By Lionel Ketchian

Have you ever been hungry and did not have enough money to buy food? Did you ever skip a meal so another family member could eat? Unfortunately, this is happening right here in Connecticut. You could help make a positive difference. For the last 14 years a number of volunteers have been feeding children in need. Lydia M. Child said, "An effort made for the happiness of others lifts us above ourselves."

You're invited to join me in the 2007 Thanksgiving Basket Brigade! It will be held on Saturday, November 17th. We'll have Starbucks Coffee and Danish waiting for you! We could use your help that day and we need your donations to help our growing fundraising need. I tell people that if they come, they will thank me for telling them about this wonderful gathering. Every year, my participation makes me really feel like the holidays are here.

Here's a letter from a yearly volunteer: "The day of the Basket Brigade is one of the best of the year for me. While it makes me sad to think that people need that kind of help, because certainly no one should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from, it makes me happy, too. To reach out to people and to know that everyone who participates in the Basket Brigade reaches out, too. That is what life is all about, isn't it, helping each other? All of you folks responsible for starting and organizing it are fantastic. I'm in awe of how hard you all work to put it all together and to make sure there is food to put in those baskets. It's truly been a blessing for my family, who also helps and as my niece and nephew get older, they'll help out, too. Sending much love and appreciation that I feel for all of you and I look forward to seeing you on November 17th. Many thanks!" Rachel

All donations are tax deductible and can be mailed to: CCCC (The Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis), 131 Dwight Street, New Haven, CT 06511. Please indicate "Basket Brigade" in the memo section. The CCCC is a non profit organization that has been providing client names and assists with our efforts every year. A donation of $300 feeds 10 families, $150 feeds 5 families, and $30 feeds 1 family. Any donation will help tremendously! One hundred percent of your donations, every single penny, will go to purchasing food and toys. The entire overhead is donated. You will receive a thank you letter and your name will be included in the CCCC annual report.

I trust you will get excited about this project and join me in talking to everyone about it, coworkers, friends, family, neighbors, etc. Invite them to contribute and come help us deliver! Since 1993, we provided 100-125 families with food. We were excited the year we reached a new plateau of feeding 185 families. Last year we fed 300 families and this year we are going to feed 350 families. That's over 7 tons of food and personal items.

I thank Dr. John Sottery, who originally organized this Basket Brigade in 1993 and is still involved in it. I would like to express our sincere appreciation to Paul Featherston, the owner of Champ Direct, who has donated his facilities to this wonderful cause. His wife Kathleen and their family will also be there to help out. I also want to thank Chris of Adams Supermarket at 1301 New Haven Avenue in Milford, CT. for helping us reduce our food costs. All these wonderful people really make the sprit of the holidays real.

A young man said to me, "Last year was the first time I volunteered to help. It made me realize that I could feel good about giving. I always enjoyed receiving, but giving was also good, yet slightly different. It made me feel like I was contributing. It energized me. It made me feel good about myself. I never realized that giving was like a gift as well. Giving is receiving. It was not only a gift I gave others but also a gift I gave myself." A. Neilen, so correctly stated, "If you have not often felt the joy of doing a kind act, you have neglected much, and most of all yourself."

Please meet us at 8:30 AM at the new Thanksgiving Basket Brigade location, which is Champ Direct Printing & Mailing, 75 Cascade Boulevard, Milford, CT 06460. On the weekend before Thanksgiving, volunteers have been putting together and delivering baskets with all the fixings’ to those in need in the greater New Haven area. In the last few years we added several deliveries to Bridgeport. We work with several agencies to find families in need of assistance. We work with the CCCC (Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis), Yale Child Study Center, Cornerstone, Bella Vista, and The Connecticut Department of Social Services.

If you have questions please feel free to contact: Victor Frazao, phone: (203) 258-3888 e-mail: Victor@frazao.com, Lionel Ketchian, phone: (203) 258-7777 e-mail: PrintLRK@aol.com.

Lionel Ketchian is the founder of the Happiness Club and can be reached at PrintLRK@aol.com. The website is www.HappinessClub.com.