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12/17/2018 11:00 PMWith need growing, the East Haven Rotary Club is accepting donations for its upcoming 18th annual Ben Mazzucco Clothe the Children Drive coming to town in February.
Clothe the Children is an annual charity for children in need nominated by East Haven schools. Each child will receive $100 to spend on clothes and shoes at Kohl’s in Branford, which has partnered with the Rotary and offers post-holiday sales during the event.
According to Barbara Brow, co-chair of the Rotary Club’s Clothe the Children Committee, says that the club expects to see around 80 children this year up from 65 the previous year.
This number comes from five of the six East Haven schools that have partnered with the Rotary Club. It may rise with the final list of names.
“With the economic hardships presented to everyone all over, we see more and more children needing this. Our businesses are good, but I’d like outreach to more people.” Brow said.
The event was recently renamed to honor its founder, the late Ben Mazzucco. He initiated the program in 1999. Clothe the Children has purchased clothes for more than 900 East Haven children since then.
“At the time Ben founded Clothe the children, he did what we’re still doing,” Brow said. “At that time, there were 25 children. We’ve seen that number increase substantially over the years.”
According to Brow, the program is supported by Rotary’s yearly fundraisers and backing from local business. But as kids’ participation in the event rises, so too does the Rotary’s needs.
“We’ve been very fortunate,” Brow said. “People that have unfortunately passed…people do gift in their memory.”
The Rotary Club is a 501(c)(1) organization that has been operating in East Haven for 78 years, providing services both in town and even internationally.
In the past, the Rotary has provided assistance to create a point-of-use water treatment system in Uganda and many charitable causes closer to home.
The Rotary’s holiday-based services are coming to a successful close as Christmas approaches.
This year, their Thanksgiving program gave out 228 dinners to local families that Rotarians and volunteers packaged and delivered on Thanksgiving Day.
On Dec. 8, they held Breakfast with Santa, providing an opportunity for more than 100 kids to meet with him.
The Clothe the Children trip to Kohl’s, coming in early January, will close out the season.
“The kids give these enthusiastic thank you’s and the smiles on their face make it a memorable day,” Brow said. “It gives us a good feeling to know that we’re helping.”
To contribute to Clothe the Children, checks made out to the East Haven Rotary Club may be sent to treasurer Carl Ruggiero at 12 Oak Hill Drive, East Haven, 06513.