Cultural Events

Community Center Hosting Annual Back-To-School Supply Drive

Published: Aug 07, 2026 7:00 am

Newtown Community Center has launched its annual back-to-school supply drive, supporting families and students in Newtown. The collection is done in collaboration with Women Involved in Newtown, Newtown Public Schools, and the Town of Newtown.

Requested items include dry erase markers, backpacks, post-it notes, glue sticks, child-safe scissors, markers, colored pencils, earbuds or headphones, pocket folders, notebooks, lunch boxes, crayons, pencils, pens, and school snacks.

New this year is the option to shop through an Amazon Wish List, which will also donate the supplies directly to the drive. Those interested in this option should visit a.co/06wOFT9j.

Donated supplies are due by August 18.

Newtown Community Center Director Matt Ariniello promises every contribution makes a difference.

“Thank you for helping us make sure every child in our community has the opportunity to begin the school year prepared, confident, and ready to learn,” he added.

Donations can be left in the lobby of the community center, 8 Simpson Street, during regular operating hours: Monday through Thursday, 6 am-9 pm; Friday, 6 am-8 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 7 am-5 pm. For additional information call 203-270-4349.

Members of Women Involved in Newtown joined Newtown Community Center Director Matt Ariniello (center) in August 2023 to celebrate the conclusion of that summer's Back To School Fill A Backpack Drive. More than 30 new backpacks and a large collection of school supplies were dropped off at the community center in just a few weeks. This year's collection is underway until August 18. —Bee file photo

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It's a bit ironic. On July 31, 2025, Bruce Walczak wrote that "evasive answers or silence are unacceptable in government." He also promised to respond to constituent inquiries and to "close the loop," even when there wasn't an immediate answer. Two weeks of silence in response to a legitimate question seems difficult to reconcile with that pledge. The standard wasn't set by his critics—it was set by Bruce himself. Just another politician ... say whatever is necessary to get the job. Original letter: https://www.newtownbee.com/07312025/a-commitment-to-responsiveness/

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Bruce, welcome to the conversation. Your recent statement after the storm — admitting that you should have communicated “faster, more completely, and more personally” — was fine as far as it went. But this is not just about one storm. It is about a pattern. You ran on openness, responsiveness, and transparency, even saying that “evasive answers or silence are unacceptable in government.” The problem is that Newtown residents have been dealing with exactly that silence from you since you were elected. Newtown’s Emergency Management page says the town, together with the Office of the First Selectman, provides “critical public information and warning” during emergencies. The town also rolled out CodeRED cellphone registration on March 24, 2022 so residents could receive emergency information directly. So where were you when police were searching for missing 23-year-old Kateri Doty in January? Where were you during the brush fires near the Newtown town line in April? Where were you on April 22, when state police and Newtown police were searching for two people who fled an I-84 crash and a canine search moved into the Church Hill Road area? Residents should not be hearing about a missing person, wildfire conditions, or police tracking dogs moving through backyards from Facebook, neighbors, or kids in town. They should be hearing from their town government. This is not really about whether you personally press the CodeRED button. Or how many task forces you have created. It is about leadership. You are the First Selectman. You are responsible for making sure the town communicates clearly, quickly, and visibly when public safety is involved. So yes, it is nice that you have finally acknowledged the problem. But the public did not need this storm to figure it out. We have been saying it for a long time. Bruce, you were missing when the town needed to hear from you. The question now is whether this storm finally woke you up, or whether this is just another late apology followed by more silence.

The topic may be the same but the narratives every other week differ and I appreciate the installments. Rebuttals on factual content rather than focusing on form would improve the discourse.

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Who would think that we would start losing count? Maybe not so much a typo as a copy-and-paste error, easy to understand after this much repetition.

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Community Center Hosting Annual Back-To-School Supply Drive

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