Annual Food Drive in Southington on July 9

This is the 4th Annual Food drive honoring late teacher, former colleagues, to support Bread for Life Summer Lunch Program.

SOUTHINGTON – The annual food drive in honor of late Southington High School teacher Cheryl A. Jankura will again support the summer lunch program run by Bread for Life.

To help reach – and surpass – this year’s collection goal, two of Jankura’s former colleagues, World Language teacher Angela Orsene and Social Studies teacher and soccer coach Daniel Murawski, will be recognized as the 2022 Southington Legacy honorees. Both died in November.
Orsene early in her career taught for a brief time at Southington High and returned in 1963 to teach French. She retired as department chair in 1992. At the time of her death, she had been married for 67 years to former high school coach Joseph Orsene.

Murawski began his career in the SHS Social Studies department in 1969, the same year he was appointed the head coach of the then-new boys' soccer team. He resigned in 1998 as one of the longest-serving coaches in school history and retired from teaching in 2007, several years after he had been elevated to department chairman.

The items collected at the drive will help supplement the summer meals provided by Bread for Life, according to executive director Donna Ayer. Requested items include water, juice boxes, individually-packaged fruit cups, granola bars, instant macaroni-and-cheese, pudding, fruit snacks and other snacks like cookies and chips.

“Simply having lunch can be a challenge for children who receive free meals at school. When summer comes and school is out, there is a food gap and Bread for Life steps in to fill it,” said Ayer. “Last summer we prepared and served thousands of lunches for Southington children in need. Through the lunch program we were able to help many families that may be challenged by feeding their children during the summer.”

To help cover the cost of perishable food items, grocery store gift cards are welcomed, as are monetary donations that can be made by check or online, according to Ayer.

The fourth annual Cheryl A. Jankura Memorial Food Drive will run from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 9, at Bread for Life, 31 Vermont Ave. The yearly event honors the popular visual arts teacher who spent her 36-year career in Southington, the bulk of it at the high school. She retired in 2005 and died six years later at age 63.

Those wishing to donate before or after the drive can drop off items at Bread for Life weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit southingtonbreadforlife.org or call Ayer at 860-276.8389.