by Matt Sparacino, publicity director, Harrington Raceway

Harrington, DE — Harrington Raceway and Casino closed out 2015 in charitable fashion with a trio of donation drives to benefit local non-profit organizations.

Aiming to build on the success of the inaugural Boxing Day food drive for canned goods in 2014, a second annual donation day to benefit the Food Bank of Delaware was held on Dec. 27 and dubbed “Give and Receive Day.”

Harrington Raceway photo

Matt Sparacino (Harrington Raceway and Casino Director of PR), Chad Robinson (Food Bank of DE Milford Branch Director), Alexia Testa (Harrington Raceway and Casino Promotions Manager) and Hank Rosenberg, (Harrington Raceway COO of Hospitality) stand outside the Food Bank of Delaware truck, where more than 8,000 pounds of food items were loaded.

Customers were asked to bring in three items from various food categories that were in demand from the Food Bank and the response was overwhelming as more than 8,400 items were donated. The items included peanut butter, tuna fish, canned meats, cereal, pasta, shelf stable milk and canned fruits and vegetables.

“The Food Bank of Delaware was happy to partner with the Harrington Raceway and Casino,” said Chad Robinson, Food Bank Branch Director for the Milford location. “This important donation will help to ensure there is food available during these cold winter months, when donations are normally down. We thank all the patrons who participated in the promotion and their donation will go a long way in feeding hungry Delawareans.”

“We were delighted to be able to host another successful food drive to benefit a terrific cause,” said Harrington Raceway and Casino Chief Executive Officer Patricia Key. “The outpouring of contributions could not have been achieved without the cooperation of our customers and team members.”

While the food drive was the most successful of their recent charitable endeavors, the Harrington-based casino also hosted a winter clothing charity drive internally in conjunction with its 700 employees to benefit Shepherd Place, a homeless shelter for women and children in Dover, as well as Home of the Brave, a Milford-based homeless shelter for veterans.

Harrington Raceway and Casino also donated nearly 100 unwrapped toys to Toys for Tots as part of a donation drive in the poker room prior to Christmas.

Harrington Raceway and Casino, in conjunction with the Delaware State Fair through its Mid-Del Foundation, continued its commitment to the community in 2015 with donations of $50,000 to local non-profit and civic organizations.