Visiting Nurse Association of South Central CT Provides Thanksgiving Baskets to Needy Families

New Haven (November 8, 2012) – John R. Quinn, President & CEO recently announced that the Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut (VNA/SCC), located at 1 Long Wharf Drive, Suite 501 in New Haven, CT, and serving Greater New Haven, East Haven, Milford, and the Naugatuck River Valley, is accepting donations of Thanksgiving items for Pam’s Pantry.

The Pam’s Pantry program was started 13 years ago when Pam Gent, Clinical Manager of Acute East Team, realized that many of the visiting nurses had been purchasing groceries for needy patients. She decided to open the effort up so that all staff could pitch in and help. Each year, the VNA/SCC nurses compile lists of around 75-85 families in need, and the entire staff is asked to contribute non-perishable items, such as stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy to Pam’s Pantry. The week before Thanksgiving, the staff works together to distribute all of the items collected into baskets, which the nurses deliver to their patients to enjoy with their families.

Thanks to the nurses and staff, as well as generous support from Webster Bank and an annual food drive held at Yale-New Haven Hospital, the VNA/SCC is able to continue the tradition of providing Thanksgiving cheer to needy patients through the Pam’s Pantry program.

To contribute to Pam’s Pantry, please contact Pam Gent at 203-859-6105 or pgent@vnascc.org. The VNA/SCC will be accepting donations of food items through Friday, November 16^th. To make a contribution to support the VNA/SCC’s mission of providing a wide array of high-quality health services for individuals in the home and community, including the Pam’s Pantry program, please contact Lindsey Christiani, Community Development Specialist, at 203-859-6054. You can also donate online at www.razoo.com/story/Vna-Of-South-Central-Ct. 

About VNA Health Systems

VNA Health Systems is comprised of the Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut (VNA/SCC) and CareSource, Inc.

Founded in 1904, the VNA/SCC, which is the original VNA of New Haven, Milford and the Valley, is a state licensed, non-profit, community-based home health care agency. The VNA/SCC staff consists of highly skilled nurses, therapists, medical social workers and home health aides. A vital resource to the communities it serves, the VNA/SCC provides a wide range of specialized clinical services, community programs, the Nurturing Families Network and subsidized care, through United Way funding, to those who are in need. The agency employs over 230 staff members, has an average daily census of over 1,000 patients and makes over 170,000 home visits per year. The agency is the founder of the Nightingale Awards for Excellence in Nursing. The VNA/SCC is supported in part by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, local United Way organizations, corporate sponsors and individual donors. To learn more about the VNA/SCC visit www.vnascc.org.

CareSource strives to maximize the quality of life for its clients and their caregivers in the home and health care settings. Their services include homemakers, companions and live-in aides. To learn more about CareSource visit  www.caresourceinc.org.