UConn Health

December 5, 2012 | Allison England

Health Center Employees Make Generous Donation

More than 300 boxes were filled with food and clothing and donated to families impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

Health Center Clothing and Food Drive

(left to right) Thimmayya Billava, Lisa Nuzenski, Jack Ferraro, and Jamie Fournier

Health Center Clothing and Food Drive
(left to right) Thimmayya Billava, Lisa Nuzenski, Jack Ferraro, and Jamie Fournier with boxes bound for Hurricane Sandy victims. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health Center Photo)

UConn Health Center employees have come together to support families affected by the damage of Hurricane Sandy through an outstandingly successful food and clothing drive.

Over 300 boxes were filled with non-perishable food items, bottled water and warm winter clothing. Because of the overwhelming response from Health Center employees, the donation deadline was extended to this week. The packages were picked up today by Nationwide Movers and will be delivered to the Connecticut Food Bank and the Salvation Army, and then distributed to the families in need.

“We are truly gratified with the enthusiasm and the magnitude of the response from our staff. The idea originated with Dawn Beaudoin and the nursing float pool staff and rapidly grew into a Health Center wide effort. Jack Ferraro and the Materials Management staff have done a wonderful job coordinating the collection, and we are grateful to Nationwide Movers for delivering the donated items,” says Dr. Mike Summerer, chief executive officer of John Dempsey Hospital.

Health Center Clothing and Food Drive
Christian Perez from materials management and Ernest Brault from Nationwide Movers load boxes of donated items from generous Health Center employees into the truck. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health Center Photo)

Jack Ferraro, operations manager for the Office of Materials and Supply Chain Management, organized the drive.

“We have had several hundred responses, a true outpouring of care, from the entire Health Center community,” says Ferraro. “I have personally taken many calls, with individuals wanting to be involved in any way they could assist. Jamie Fournier, our Materials Management Help Desk Operator has done an outstanding job for us and has been a great help to me during the entire process.”

At the peak immediately after the storm on Oct. 30, about 625,000 businesses and residents lost power, according to Connecticut Light and Power. Now, just over a month later, reconstruction is still not finished. With the struggle of cold weather, Connecticut residents continue to rebuild and repair what was damaged.

Health Center Clothing and Food Drive
More than 300 boxes were filled with food and clothing and donated to families impacted by Hurricane Sandy. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health Center Photo)

“I am grateful to all of the Health Center staff who expressed interest in starting these efforts, especially Dawn Beaudoin, for her inspiration and determination. Thank you for thinking of those who struggle every day as the state recovers from the recent storms,” adds Summerer.

The Connecticut Food Bank works closely with FEMA and organizations like the Red Cross and Salvation Army to provide critical lifesaving services. For more information on how to help families affected by Hurricane Sandy go to http://www.ctfoodbank.org/.

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