Hartford Stage to Host “Tiny Tim’s Holiday Food Drive” to Support Hands On Hartford

Hartford, CT – November 7, 2016 – Hartford Stage will host “Tiny Tim’s Holiday Food Drive” to benefit Hands on Hartford’s MANNA Community Pantry and Backpack Nutrition Program . The food drive will begin on Thursday, November 17 and continue through the run of A Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story of Christmas – Friday, November 25 through Friday, December 30. Last year’s food drive yielded 1053.50 pounds of non-perishable food items and 680 pounds in equivalent monetary donations for Hands On Hartford.

“We are delighted to support Hands On Hartford with Tiny Tim’s Holiday Food Drive, a perfect tie-in with our production of A Christmas Carol,” said Mike Stotts, Managing Director for Hartford Stage. “There are so many people in our community that are in need of healthy food that we would like to see the food drive exceed 2,000 pounds this year. Please join us in helping others enjoy the holiday season.”

Founded in 1969 as Center City Churches, Hands On Hartford’s programs focus on food, housing, economic security, engaging volunteers and connecting communities. MANNA provides direct relief to thousands of Hartford neighbors each month. Through Community Meals, Community Pantry, Senior Community Café, and the Backpack Nutrition Program for children, Hands On Hartford provide meals and groceries to individuals and families facing food insecurity.

“We have recently seen a 37% increase in the number of households seeking assistance at the MANNA Community Pantry, and this generous offer of support from the Hartford Stage will go a long way toward enabling us to continue to support these families through the end of the year,” said Barbara Shaw, Hands On Hartford’s Executive Director.  “As we approach the holidays, the assistance we provide through our food pantry can take the edge off what can be a very challenging time of year for families with few resources – working together, we can spread joy and abundance.”

Other Hands On Hartford programs include Assistance and Advocacy – which offers vital support through community connections, referrals, security deposit and utility assistance, basic health screening, nutrition education and employment & education expense assistance – and HOH Housing – which provides individuals and families with safe and affordable housing and related support services (including for those living with HIV/AIDS), supportive services to tenants of George Beach Home, and individualized housing case management and related support services through the Healthcare & Housing and Homelessness Prevention projects.

Patrons may drop off non-perishable goods at Guest Services in the Geo & Laura Estes Lobby on performance days for A Christmas Carol or at the box office during regular business hours. Suggested food items include:

• Boxed cereal
  
• Canned fruit and vegetables
  
• Drinks (coffee, tea, 100% juice)
  
• White or brown rice
  
• Pasta and sauce
  
• Canned tuna
  
• Canned soup
  
• Peanut butter and jelly
  
• Backpack-friendly snacks
  

For more information about Tiny Tim’s Holiday Food Drive, contact tmacnaughton@hartfordstage.org or call 860-520-7114. For more information about Hands on Hartford, visit http://www.handsonhartford.org/.

HARTFORD STAGE

Now in our 53rd year, Hartford Stage is under the leadership of Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak and Managing Director Michael Stotts. One of the nation’s leading resident theatres, Hartford Stage is known for producing innovative revivals of classics and provocative new plays and musicals, including 73 world and American premieres, as well as offering a distinguished education program, which reaches approximately 20,000 students annually.

Since Tresnjak’s appointment in 2011, the theatre has presented the world premieres of A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder on Broadway, winner of four 2014 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical by Tresnjak; Rear Window with Kevin Bacon; the new musical Anastasia by Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens; Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Water by the Spoonful, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama; Breath & Imagination by Daniel Beaty; Big Dance Theatre’s Man in a Case with Mikhail Baryshnikov; and Reverberation by Matthew Lopez.

Hartford Stage has earned many of the nation’s most prestigious awards, including the 1988 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Other national honors include Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, OBIE, and New York Critics Circle awards. Hartford Stage has produced nationally renowned titles, including the New York transfers of Enchanted April; The Orphans' Home Cycle; Resurrection (later retitled Through the Night); The Carpetbagger's Children; and Tea at Five.

The leading provider of theatre education programs in Connecticut, Hartford Stage’s offerings include student matinees, in-school theatre residencies, teen performance opportunities, theatre classes for students (ages 3-18) and adults, afterschool programs and professional development courses.

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