CCA And RICAN Combine To Fight Food Insecurity
The following letter appeared in local newspapers and is shared with us here by the authors Sheila Andrew and Leo Mainelli. Sheila Andrew is a member of the Charlestown Zoning Board and Leo Mainelli is President of the Charlestown Citizens Alliance.
In mid-November, the Charlestown Citizens Alliance kicked off a campaign seeking donations to ease the burden on neighbors experiencing food insecurity in their daily lives. Coupled with the hardships imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, food shortages were the principal obstacles for our less fortunate neighbors.
With the cooperation of the Rhode Island Center Assisting Those in Need (RICAN), we were able to raise almost $5,000 before Christmas. We thought that the campaign was a success at that point; but we were in for a bigger surprise. As of mid-January, donations have reached almost $10,000 from nearly 50 individual donors. An anonymous donor working directly with RICAN pledged to match the donations. Because we are not aware of the stipulations for the matching funds we do not know the level of impact our campaign has had in the community. We do think that the campaign was a success and look forward to sponsoring future campaigns.
We thank all the donors who participated in our campaign. You have demonstrated that good deeds are abundant in Charlestown. People care about their neighbors. This is an indication of how great a place like Charlestown can be.
