Norwich CT: The Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce the return of our 2nd Annual Duck Race. Approximately 3,000 rubber ducks will tumble, splash, bob, and slosh down the Yantic River, racing to the finish line to win "QUACK"tacular prizes for their adopters!

The event will be held in Yantic at Fireman’s Field, next to the Yantic Fire Department from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm on Saturday, June 3, 2023. The Duck Race begins at 1:00 pm, with a race to the finish line. Throughout the day, enjoy music, vendors, food trucks children’s activities, games, and face painting. Busy Bees’ Play Hive is also back and they will be bringing their climbable “play hive”, bouncy house, games, and more!

Proceeds from this year's fun-filled special event will support the Rosalyn Allen Food Pantry at UCFS Healthcare and the Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce. Duck tickets are $5 each and are available online at www.NorwichChamber.com  or at the following local Norwich businesses; CorePlus Credit Union, Busy Bees, Eastern CT Savings Bank, Scranton Chevrolet of Norwich, and Centreville Bank. The top 10 ducks to cross the finish line will receive large cash prizes and other awards.

“This event is a great way to engage the community while giving back to support one of our local pantries,” says Angela Adams, GNACC Executive Director.

The Rosalyn Allen Food Pantry at UCFS Healthcare opened on January 3, 2017, and has provided over 38,000 individuals with food given to those in need in our local community.

"We are humbled by the stories we hear from participants who wait in line for assistance with food and are honored to be able to assist those who are experiencing food insecurity in our community." Pamela Allen Kinder, VP Business Development at UCFS Healthcare

We are excited to have CorePlus Credit Union return as our Title Sponsor, also known as our “SpeckQUACKular Supporter”.

”CorePlus is proud to once again sponsor the GNACC duck race. It is a wonderful way to bring our community together in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere while raising funds for the chamber and our neighbors in need.” –Meg Martellotta, CorePlus FCU VP of Operations

Sponsorship and vendor opportunities are still available!! To learn more, please contact GNACC at (860) 887-1647 or email info@norwichchamber.com. 

In 2017, UCFS Healthcare opened the Rosalyn Allen Food Pantry at UCFS Healthcare and provided food to about 1,800 of our patients each year. When the pandemic started in 2020, UCFS expanded our role to provide food for the community-at-large and began mobile distribution events. We have continued to offer grab and go food bags at our Plainfield, Griswold, New London, Colchester, and Norwich Health Centers for anyone in the community in need. We offer weekly mobile food pantry distribution events in the Towns of Preston, Norwich, Plainfield, and Colchester for anyone in the greater community in need. Each bag is filled with a variety of items that can be combined to make meals for several days. The goal is to provide a short-term supply to help the family while a longer-term solution can be identified. Many families attend our mobile food pantry weekly as they cannot sustain a reliable source of food on a limited budget.

The need for this program is significant. As stated above, UCFS Healthcare expanded the Rosalyn Allen Food Pantry during 2020 in the height of the pandemic. That year we served over 14,600 people which was eight times the number we he had served the prior three years. Seeing the significant need, we continued to serve 11,049 people in 2021. With the impact of the inflationary surge in 2022, we saw a significant increase in demand in 2022 and served 14,090 children, adults, and seniors. This was an increase of over 3,000 people from the year before. It is clear the need is not abating. As another indication of significantly increasing need, in January of 2022 (a month with traditionally lower demand), we served 663, and in January 2023, we served 1116 – almost double from the year before.

The outcome of the funding, and the measure of success, is that less people are suffering from food insecurity which is a major social determinate of health. While we are realistic that we cannot eliminate this major societal problem, our continued work in this area – identifying pockets of need, finding resources to meet the need, and continuing to support all work in this area with in-kind resources from UCFS Healthcare – will make a difference in the lives of many people throughout Eastern CT. As long as food insecurity continues to be an issue in Eastern CT, we will continue to do this work.