New beginnings boutique House of Harrison invites the community to a night of music, food, and fun on Friday, May 29, from 6:30-10:30 pm at Newtown Community Center.

The event aims to be a night of "music, food, and fun," featuring a live DJ, dessert, pizza from Slice of New Haven pizza truck, beer from NewSylum Brewing Co, and wine.

It will feature several silent auctions along with a balloon pop, where attendees can buy their own balloon, pop it, and get a gift card.

There will also be a giving tree, in which someone could buy items such as a $50 gas card or an oil change while having the donations go to the nonprofit.

Tickets are $70 per person and must be purchased by Wednesday, May 20.

All proceeds will help House of Harrison purchase and maintain a van to expand its reach in Connecticut.

Newtown resident Lynne Farah, who founded House of Harrison with former Newtown Parent Connection Executive Director Dorrie Carolan, did not want the event to be "like every other fundraiser."

"I really want it to be a fun-raiser," Farah continued. "It is about our community all having fun together and hopefully raising some money toward a van to help reach more people."

While House of Harrison is based in Newtown, Farah said the people who need it the most are not in the area. Instead, they are located in larger cities such as Waterbury, Danbury, Meriden, Wallingford, and Torrington.

The need in those bigger cities did not appear overnight; since House of Harrison's launch in early 2024, Farah and her volunteers have used their own vehicles to deliver clothing and blessing bags to people across the state.

Those in need can receive clothing such as socks, shoes, pants, shirts, and pocketbooks. Each blessing bag contains a wide variety of items, including snacks, water bottles, toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, moisturizer, sanitary products, and sunscreen, among others.

Purchasing a van to deliver these items is an old idea, but Farah said she needed to wait until she had some money in their account.

"Because if the van breaks down, then you have to pay for insurance and gas ... I was just being patient until everything was set up and managed properly," Farah said.

In its two years of operation, House of Harrison has provided clothing to over 5,000 people and given out 370 blessing bags. It has assisted around 480 people since the start of 2026, according to Farah.

With a van, Farah hopes to elevate House of Harrison's mission while giving back to the community that has helped her so much along the way.

The nonprofit is named in honor of Farah’s late son Harrison, who died in August of 2023. Farah said House of Harrison carries on her son's kind and compassionate spirit, with the goal of helping people the way he did.

House of Harrison previously operated under Newtown Parent Connection, a nonprofit which provides resources for individuals and families affected by substance use.

However, Farah eventually realized she wanted to help more people beyond those transitioning from treatment and sober living. She later relaunched House of Harrison as its own nonprofit, earlier this past fall; this meant it could help anyone in need, from those coming out of prison to young adults coming out of a treatment center.

Farah said these people are not just numbers or statistics, but people who needed help, whether it was a blessing bag with sanitary products or a hat to keep warm through the winter.

House of Harrison coming as far as it has in the past two years would not have been possible without the community's support, according to Farah.

"How lucky am I that I have a village? I know I always say that, but I am lucky because I could not do what I'm doing if all the people who donate clothes, who buy off the Amazon wish list or give monetary donations ... I couldn't do this if they didn't help me," Farah said.

Even with the hardship that came from the loss of her son, Farah said she is amazed at the sheer amount of kindness from other people.

"People are really good," Farah said. "I'm grateful to have such an amazing family and amazing friends ... their support, in all kinds of ways, has made me able to continue that support and help more people."

Tickets to the fundraiser can be purchased online at houseofharrison.org/events or by check; the check should be payable to: House of Harrison Corp, 2 Washington Square, Fairfield Hills Campus, Newtown, CT 06470.

For more information about House of Harrison, visit houseofharrison.org or call 203-994-7352.

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.