Canton Mitchell Subaru 'Shares the Love' with Gifts of Love

By Barbara Thomas

In Mitchell Subaru’s Canton showroom March 23, Gifts of Love representatives received a check for $22,814, the net result of the dealership’s Share the Love campaign.
“That’s a lot of money for us and comes at a perfect time of year,” said Diana Goode, executive director of Avon-based non-profit Gifts of Love. “Most of our donations come during the last quarter of the year, but hunger hasn’t stopped.”
Through the campaign, Subaru donates $250 for every new vehicle sold to the customer’s charity of choice, either from a list of four national charities, which this year were ASPCA®, Make-A-Wish, Meals On Wheels Association of America®, and National Park Foundation, or the dealer’s designated Hometown Charity.
“We chose Gifts of Love as our Hometown Charity and we’re so thrilled with the outcome,” Mitchell Auto Group Director of Community Partnership Development Jill Mitchell Gettinger said. “Our sales team, led by Gary Ciesco, did a wonderful job promoting the campaign to our customers.”
Mitchell Subaru came in 75th out of 608 Subaru dealers in the country for the total amount raised, she said.
“Our New England dealers raised more than $1,183,000 for their local charities,” Subaru New England Regional Sales Manager Bob Bennett said.
According to Subaru of America, Inc.’s website, “We believe in making the world a better place. That’s why we build fuel-efficient vehicles in eco-friendly plants. And that’s why we created the Subaru Love Promise. It’s a pledge to do right by the communities in which we all live and work.”
Subaru’s seventh annual Share the Love campaign, which ran from Nov. 21, 2014 through Jan. 2, was the second year where Subaru dealers nationwide were able to designate a hometown charity of choice. Last year, Mitchell Subaru’s campaign benefited The Village for Families and Children.
Expressing his gratitude to Mitchell Subaru for choosing them this year, Gifts of Love Board President Jeremy Greshin said, “This is a great opportunity for a local organization like ours to be partnered with the national name of Subaru.”
Annually, Gifts of Love and Community Farm of Simsbury distribute more than $300,000 worth of goods and services to neighbors in need. Over the past 25 years, Gifts of Love has directly touched the lives of thousands of people in the Greater Hartford community, including residents of more than 30 Connecticut towns.