Local Families Give Thanks For Newtown’s Outpouring Of Generosity

By John Voket

When Kevin Parker’s cancer went into remission a few years ago, he thought he was finally finished with one of the most harrowing experiences of his life. He admits the recovery was difficult on his family, and primarily, his mother Marie with whom he shares a modest residence in Sandy Hook.

Putting the pieces of his life back together involved an arduous succession of job interviews and attempts to become productive again, while dealing with the lingering effects of his illness. But slowly, things were coming together.

He finally secured a part-time job at a local store just a few months ago and said he enjoyed the newfound social atmosphere that came from working with the public. And although the money was tight, he was able to afford to drive the sole family vehicle the five or six miles back and forth to work several days a week.

Until the head-on collision.

When that oncoming vehicle veered into his lane on Route 34 a few weeks ago, the wreck not only cost him his ride to work, but seriously injured his mother, who was traveling with him that day. Between Mr Parker’s transportation woes, and a more pressing need to remain home to take care of his recovering mother, he said he hoped to get a brief break while retaining his job under the Family Leave Act.

But under his new tenure with the company, he was just a few days short of qualifying for the benefit, so he was laid off, leaving the family with little more than a disability income to sustain themselves.

It was because of these and other circumstances that Kevin and Marie Parker came to the Newtown Methodist Church last Friday evening. They were just one of the 85 families or individuals who were the recipients of weeks and weeks of community donations to the Women Involved in Newtown (WIN) Thanksgiving basket initiative.

For nearly eight hours last Friday, WIN members, their families, and other volunteers from schools and scout troops all put in time sorting specific donations into 85 separate “baskets” around the church basement corresponding to anonymous numbers assigned to each recipient by Newtown Social Services.

The Social Services staff takes responsibility for qualifying virtually everyone receiving donated food and other items through programs like this organized by WIN, as well as The Newtown Fund, The Salvation Army, and other service organizations.

Though just a couple of recipients asked to go on the record thanking the people of Newtown for their generosity, both families said they probably speak for almost everyone who will be enjoying the staples this Thanksgiving and beyond.

“This is really great,” Kevin Parker said as he watched volunteers rolling a wagon out to the vehicle that brought him and his mom to the church. “I mean, this is really fabulous…we’re really so very grateful to everyone for this food. It’s hard for people to relate sometimes, but when you get knocked down the way me and my mother have, it’s just a little harder to get back up.”

Marie Parker also extended her appreciation to the staff of Newtown Social Services for their assistance in helping the family access support.

“With his illness, and my injuries from the accident, we’ve had to use other [programs offered through] Social Services,” she said.

Ms Parker said she planned to stretch the donated food and other items as long as she could, and she was pleased to be able to plan a home cooked Thanksgiving meal now that they had the appropriate fixings. “We’ll probably spend some time with my daughter at her place in the afternoon, then we’ll come back and cook dinner for us at home,” she said.

A few minutes later, another WIN visitor arrived. She told The Bee it was her second year utilizing the Thanksgiving basket program. Asking to remain anonymous, she talked about her challenges as a single mother trying to afford to keep her children in the town’s high school until their graduation.

“I’ve got two kids in high school,” she said. “And on a [part-time] salary, the food we get at this time of year makes a big difference.”

She said the donations provided to her and her children would allow her to budget a little extra money for buying a few inexpensive Christmas presents this year.

“I was going to have to choose between groceries and presents if it wasn’t for this,” she said. “I just want the people to know that it’s appreciated. I’m working as many hours as I can, but it’s hard to make ends meet today.”

She said at this time of year, it was gratifying to see how much Newtown residents care for their own.

“I don’t have the money to play the lottery, but if I did, and I won, I would give it all back to the people like me who need it,” she said.

As the 7 pm deadline for pickups drew near, most of the basement floor at the church was visible once again. Brownies from Troop 440 mingled with volunteers from St Rose and the high school as the vehicles coming to pick up, and those of volunteers who went out to deliver more than a dozen “baskets” dwindled to a final few.

Ms Piccini and her assistant JoAnne Klopfenstein walked through the room gathering up the last couple of bags of leftover items, which were going directly to the Salvation Army food pantry at the Social Services office. Ms Piccini said that even though many families were assisted by the Thanksgiving basket initiative, she was still looking toward the December holidays and some significant shortages of food items.

“We still need turkeys for the freezer. Those could end up lasting through the winter if we get enough,” she said. “We’re also in need of Ensure nutritional drink, any other frozen foods, jelly, canned hams, canned stews, cereal as well as household products, paper goods, shampoo, soap, and other personal items. No beans or peanut butter — we’ve got plenty of that.”

For more information about Newtown Social Services programs, call 203-270-4330.