Donation

WATERFORD — Charter Oak Federal Credit Union has donated more than 700 pounds of food and $3,000 in funds to the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center in New London to assist the center with its Thanksgiving holiday food distribution efforts.

Charter Oak donates to the food center at Thanksgiving in memory of the credit union’s former CEO Larry Hertell. The annual “Turkeys for Larry” fund-raising efforts began seven years ago, and since then those efforts have grown into a joint effort of the credit union’s Community Giving Program and its nearly 200 employees who collect food to donate to the New London-based food center.

This year, more than 700 pounds of food was collected from Charter Oak employees as part of the credit union’s annual “Fixins’ Food Wars,” which challenges each department to collect nonperishable food items that can be paired with a traditional Thanksgiving meal, such as stuffing, cranberry sauce, canned goods and other holiday food items.

Since the inception of Charter Oak’s Community Giving Program in 2009, the Waterford-based credit union has awarded in excess of $1 million to non-profits, charitable groups, and scholarship recipients in New London and Windham counties.