(Salvation Army worked hard and played hard too! Some were volunteers and some were golfers. No matter which category each person fit into, everyone had a fun time, including: L-R Donna Lefleur, Bob Montgomery, CT State Representative Whit Betts, Jeff Ferrero, and Bristol Board Chairman Tom Morrow. Captain Charles Adams [not pictured] said he needed to practice more than he needed to have his picture taken!)

The 10th Annual Fiondella Charity Golf Tournament is History!

Salvation Army Wins Again!

AVON – It was a perfect day for golf… but as the golfers say… "Any day on the golf course beats a day in the office." In total, there were over 160 players participating in the tournament at the Golf Club of Avon, with handicaps ranging from "scratch" to "very high." It also appeared that many of those "very high" handicaps were members of Salvation Army foursomes!

The tournament is dedicated to Bob Fiondella’s mother, Theresa, and the proceeds are shared amongst the Boys & Girls Club and Family Center of Bristol, Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford, and The Salvation Army’s Bristol Soup Kitchen.

Lisa Cretella, Director of Development for The Salvation Army in Southern New England, said, "We are blessed to have a supporter like Bob Fiondella. You can always count on the Fiondellas to be there to help. Bob and his family give back to the community in many ways. We are lucky to be one of the organizations he has once again chosen to support."

The Salvation Army has been benefiting from the Fiondella Golf Tournament since 2008. With Bob’s help, we have equipped many of our centers with equipment that normally gets cut when budgets are tight. Thanks to Bob’s generosity, a few of the items we still benefit from today include: outdoor aluminum bleachers for our Hartford North End, so that parents can watch their children participate in our sports programs; mats (for behind the baskets) on our very popular Hartford North End Corps basketball court; equipment and furnishings for the tiny tot room, recreational equipment and games for the youth room, a kitchen sanitizer, new flooring, and much more at our Marshall House Family Shelter; and the list continues!

Specifically, proceeds from this year's event will be used to update and replace equipment at our Bristol Corps Soup Kitchen. We hope to purchase a commercial-quality cooking range, dishwasher, and coffee makers. Also on the list are things such as adding a handicapped-accessible ramp and new kitchen cabinets.

Last year, The Salvation Army served 30,545 meals through its Bristol kitchen. With new and updated equipment, thanks again to Bob, we will be able to serve those in need more efficiently than ever before. As Captain Adams noted, "The demand for food keeps increasing, but thanks to generous supporters like Bob Fiondella, and with God’s help, we are able to feed so many!"