Annual pumpkin, ice cream giveaway collects record haul for food shelf

October 24, 2020  |  By Lisa Scagliotti

Do the math: Ben & Jerry's gave away 300 pumpkins and 240 "sleeves" of Milk & Cookies and Gimme S’more!™ ice cream. Each sleeve has 8 pints. Courtesy photo.

Last weekend’s food drive and pumpkin giveaway at Ben & Jerry’s factory was a success for the Waterbury Area Food Shelf. 

The drive-through event collected an estimated 750 pounds of non-perishable food items and $475 in cash donations for the food shelf.

An October tradition, staff from the plant organized and ran collection and giveaway. Donors each received a pumpkin, Halloween treat bags for kids, and eight pints of ice cream. 

Kim Audet is supply chain administrator at the Ben & Jerry’s factory, although for this she joked that she was more aptly called the Pumpkin Give-Away Coordinator. 

She said eight plant staffers worked the curbside event for which she ordered the usual 300 pumpkins. The difference year was that there were none left over. “In previous years we always had about 50-70 to bring back to the plant. ALL went this year,” Audet said. 

Donors drove up to hand off their bags of food and checks for the food shelf. Plant staff loaded them up with a pumpkin, treat bags for kids, and a “sleeve” of ice cream -- those familiar with the factory know that’s eight pints -- with either Milk & Cookies and Gimme S’more!™ flavors.

They handed out 240 sleeves. Audet said some folks passed on the ice cream if they didn’t have a way to keep it cold.  

Eight staff at the Ben & Jerry's factory on Rt. 100 in Waterbury distribute ice cream pints and pumpkins in exchange for food and cash donations for the Waterbury Area Food Shelf last weekend. Courtesy photo.

Cash donations totaled $475 and the food filled 30 boxes with an estimated total weight of 750 pounds. Audete said this was the best collection for both food and cash for this event.  “In some cases, people who came did both! Talk about extraordinary and during a pandemic no less,” Audet said. “We even had one person donate another $40 once he received his ice cream by saying this is a wonderful event and supporting your local food shelf is awesome.”

Food Shelf Director Dani Kehlmann said she was impressed with the turnout and donations. “Even with the changes they made due to COVID-19, they had a hugely successful event that benefitted the Food Shelf,” Kehlmann said. “We are blown away by the generous spirit of our community and are so grateful to see our shelves filling up so that individuals and families in the Waterbury Area can come to us when they need a little help.”

The Food Shelf is located at 57 South Main St., Suite 3, and it’s open Mondays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon; Wednesdays 3-6 p.m. The Food Shelf serves families and individuals from Waterbury, Duxbury, Bolton, Middlesex and Moretown. For more information, call 244-1561 or email wafsmainstreet@gmail.com.