Stamford's Fairway Market kicks off a week-long campaign Sunday, the day before Valentine’s Day, to benefit one of the city’s oldest community agencies.
The store’s Share the Love fund-raiser will give a portion of its proceeds from Feb. 13-19 to St. Luke’s LifeWorks. A kick-off event will take place at the store Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m. Local and state officials are expected to attend, including Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes and state Rep. Carlo Leone, among others. The launch is free and open to the public.
St. Luke’s LifeWorks is a social support agency for lower Fairfield County’s homeless and for individuals living with HIV/AIDS or recovering from mental illness. It helps clients secure housing and provides life skills training to foster independent living.
Fairway Market opened here in November. Its entrance into Stamford was lauded for creating hundreds of jobs. The store is located at 699 Canal St. in the city’s South End, one of the primary areas where St. Luke’s LifeWorks services are targeted, noted St. Luke’s LifeWorks CEO Jason Shaplen.
"This is a wonderful example of how to marshal expertise and resources within the community to benefit those in need and break the cycle of homelessness," Shaplen said in a statement.
Pavia said St. Luke’s LifeWorks and Fairway “will team together to provide some of our residents the path to finding and keeping employment with innovative approaches during these very challenging times."
And Himes called the partnership “a great example of businesses and organizations working together to put people back to work and improve communities.”
What do you think of Fairway Market’s Share the Love program? Do you plan to support it by shopping at Fairway between Feb. 13 and 19?