Hartford Stage to Host Third Annual Holiday Food Drive to Support Hands On Hartford    

Hartford, CT – November 8, 2017 – Hartford Stage will host its third annual “Tiny Tim’s Holiday Food Drive” to benefit Hands On Hartford’s MANNA Community Pantry and Backpack Nutrition Program. The food drive begins on Friday, November 24, and continues through the run of A Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story of Christmas, ending on Saturday, December 30.

Last year’s food drive yielded 1,416 pounds of non-perishable food items and 300 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 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. When we think of Charles Dickens’ Tiny Tim and his family, it’s a perfect reminder to us of how vital our MANNA Community Pantry is to hundreds of families in our community, especially around the holiday season,” said Barbara A. Shaw, Executive Director of Hands On Hartford. 

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 non-expired food items include:

• Boxed cereal and oatmeal
• Canned fruit and vegetables
• Drinks (coffee, tea, 100% juice)
• White or brown rice
• Pasta and sauce
• Canned tuna
• Canned soup
• Peanut butter and jelly
• Children’s backpack-friendly snacks
• Holiday staples such as gravy and cranberry sauce

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 its 54th season, Hartford Stage’s mission is to enlighten, entertain, and educate by creating theatrical works of the highest caliber that have a transformative impact on audiences, the community, and its field. Led by Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak and Managing Director Michael Stotts, Hartford Stage is renowned for producing innovative revivals of classics and provocative new plays and musicals – including over 70 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, Hartford Stage has presented the world premieres of the new musical Anastasia by Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens – currently on Broadway; Rear Window with Kevin Bacon; Reverberation by Matthew Lopez; Big Dance Theatre’s Man in a Case with Mikhail Baryshnikov; Breath & Imagination by Daniel Beaty; 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; and Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Water by the Spoonful, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

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.    

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