For Immediate Release
Contact: Theresa M. MacNaughton, tmacnaughton@hartfordstage.org
Office: 860-520-7114

Hartford Stage Hosts Fourth Annual Holiday Food Drive to Support Hands On Hartford

Hartford, CT – November 8, 2018 – Hartford Stage will host its fourth annual Tiny Tim’s Holiday Food Drive to benefit Hands On Hartford’s MANNA Community Pantry. The food drive begins on Friday, November 23, and continues through the run of A Christmas Carol–A Ghost Story of Christmas, ending on Saturday, December 29.

Last year’s food drive yielded 1,134 pounds of non-perishable food items and another 83.3 pounds in equivalent monetary donations for Hands On Hartford.

“We are delighted to once again support Hands On Hartford with Tiny Tim’s Holiday Food Drive,” said Mike Stotts, Managing Director of Hartford Stage. “The Hartford Stage production of A Christmas Carol is a diversion from these very troubled times we are in and a reminder of the good in humanity. We want to do our part for helping those in need in our community. Please join us in helping others enjoy the holiday season.”

Patrons may drop off donations at Guest Services in the Geo & Laura Estes Lobby on performance days for A Christmas Carol–A Ghost Story of Christmas. Suggested non-perishable, unexpired food items include:

Boxed cereals
Pancake mix and syrup
Canned soups
Canned fruit and vegetables
Drinks (coffee, tea, 100% juice)
White or brown rice
Pasta
Canned tuna
Canned meats and stews
Peanut butter and jelly

Approaching its 50th year serving the Hartford community, Hands On Hartford’s programs focus on food and nutrition, improving health, and housing support, while engaging volunteers and connecting communities. MANNA provides direct relief to thousands of Hartford neighbors each month. Through Community Meals, Community Pantry and the Backpack Nutrition Program for children, Hands On Hartford provides meals and groceries to individuals and families facing food insecurity.

“We are so grateful for this support from Hartford Stage and its patrons. The holidays can be especially difficult for families struggling to get by on very little income. Donations of food make an immediate impact on our neighbors’ well-being, and just as important, lets them know their community cares,” said Barbara A. Shaw, Executive Director of Hands On Hartford.

For more information about Tiny Tim’s Holiday Food Drive, call 860-520-7114. To learn more about Hands On Hartford, visit http://www.handsonhartford.org.

HARTFORD STAGE

Now in our 55th season, 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 close to 21,000 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 1989 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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