Gubernatorial candidates, elected officials, and community leaders to join Union members today in assembling and distributing turkey dinners donated by active and retired public sector workers

WHAT: Distribution of turkey dinner meals for families of Union members serving overseas in the military or laid-off during 2009 and organizations that provide meals to those in need.

WHO: Members of CSEA/SEIU Local 2001's Good Works Committee, gubernatorial candidate Ned Lamont, State Senate President Donald Williams, West Hartford Mayor Scott Slifka, other candidates and elected officials, and representatives from regional community organizations.

WHEN: Media availability begins at 11:30 A.M. -- Monday, November 23, 2009.

WHERE: CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 Headquarters, located at 760 Capitol Avenue in Hartford.

DETAILS: Public sector workers and retirees will continue their tradition of distributing meals to needy families in communities throughout Connecticut during the week of Thanksgiving. Members of CSEA/SEIU Local 2001's Good Works Committee have organized donations and coordinated with partner organizations to bring joy -- and a turkey dinner -- to thousands of Connecticut families over the holidays since 1991.

"This year we are thanking our Union members in the military who are deployed overseas, and we're reaching out to help those who have lost their jobs during the economic crisis" Committee Chair Mark Lucey said. "Providing a Thanksgiving meal to members facing challenges during the holidays is one way to let their families know that they are not forgotten" Lucey, a correctional lieutenant in the State's Department of Correction, continued.

Complete meal packages will also be distributed to several community and faith-based organizations providing Thanksgiving meals for those most in need. In 2008, an outpouring of support made it possible to donate nearly 300 turkey dinners to a dozen charities and churches, as well as one hundred school bus drivers in West Hartford who had been working for six months without a union contract.

Declared candidates for Governor, as well as those with exploratory committees, members of the Connecticut General Assembly, State Constitutional office-holders, and area municipal officials have been invited to attend help assemble meal packages this morning. They will be available, along with members who have coordinated the drive, to comment to the press at the CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 hall in Hartford beginning at 11:30 AM this morning.


CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 represents 25,000 active and retired public sector workers across Connecticut. The union's membership also includes workers with non-profit organizations and private companies contracted to provide public services through state and local government agencies. Visit www.seiu2001.org for more information about the support and participation of its Good Works Committee in the grassroots efforts of community-based organizations throughout Connecticut.