Newtown Fund’s Holiday Basket Program Still Needs Help

By Kaaren Valenta

The daily news is full of optimistic reports about how the economy is improving, the jobless rate is dropping, the malls are full of shoppers.

But Newtown’s social services department has compiled a list of more than 90 local households that are in need of help this holiday season. The households range from senior citizens to families with as many as five children. There are single parents with children and also individuals with disabilities.

There are fewer households on the list this year, but not by many. And more names probably will be added as the holidays approach.

“We try to compile our list before the holiday season starts, but every year a week before Christmas we will get someone who is really desperate,” said Ann Paccini, social services director.

Each year the Newtown Fund operates its Holiday Basket Program to ensure that none of these households has to go without a holiday meal and gifts. The fund puts out a call for local individuals, families, businesses, and churches to “adopt” one of the households on the list or to make a monetary donation so the fund can purchase gift certificates for fuel, shoes, and other items.

For the past two years, Newtown Fund board member Rick Mazzariello has coordinated the Holiday Basket Program, getting a list from social services and matching it with the donors.

“Everything is anonymous,” he said. “No one except social services knows the names of the recipients. The adopting group doesn’t know who they adopted. The adopted family doesn’t know their benefactor either because the delivery is done by a third party.”

As the holidays approach, Mr Mazzariello is concerned because he still has more than 30 households on the list that have not been adopted.

“People need a couple of weeks to do the shopping, so it is important to get them matched now,” he said.

The late Joseph P. Chase organized the first Holiday Basket Program more than 40 years ago. The program has continued through the years because of the efforts of many individuals, organizations, and businesses that volunteer and contribute in a variety of ways. Without this townwide support, the program could not reach out to all of the families that need it, Mr Mazzariello said.

“This is truly a community effort,” he said. “Without this support we could not do it.”

Mr Mazzariello said the Junior Women’s Club sponsors a Tag-A-Gift project each year to get the toys for children up to age 12 on the list. “So many organizations do things behind the scenes that I couldn’t name them all,” he said. “For example, we couldn’t do without the Boy Scouts who show up each year on delivery day to work.”

Mr Mazzariello said it is a big responsibility to adopt a household. Besides the cost of the food, donors buy gifts of clothing and other necessities, a cost that can average $250 to $400 per person.

“That’s why big families are usually adopted by groups of people, like neighborhoods or churches,” he said.

Mr Mazzariello got involved with the Newtown Fund about five years ago when he organized a fundraiser for a teenager in his neighborhood who is a quadriplegic. The Newtown Fund served as a third party to handle the money that was raised. Later Mr Mazzariello joined the Newtown Fund board of directors, and last year he took over the coordination of the Holiday Basket Program, getting the names of donors to match up with the recipients.

“My business operates out of my house so I have the flexibility to do this,” he said. “It’s an intense six weeks but we get it all done.”

The social services department screens the persons in need to verify that they meet the criteria to be a recipient. Then the information about their requests, minus their names, is sent to Mr Mazzariello.

“It’s much easier this year –– a lot less paperwork since we started using email,” Mr Mazzariello. “Joanne [Klopfenstein at social services] handles the applications and emails me the information that I need. I can email it to the adopters. It’s 1,000 percent easier.”

Ms Paccini said that this year’s list is smaller than last year for a number of reasons.

“Some of the families that lost jobs after 9/11 finally got jobs and don’t need help,” she said. “Some people have moved away. Quite a few of our older clients passed away or went into nursing homes. At Nunnawauk Village there was a big turnover of units –– 20 to 22 –– this year. Usually there are only four or five a year. We lost one client who was 93, but we still have a 96-year-old on our list.”

Mr Mazzariello said that besides donors, he still is in critical need of volunteer drivers to deliver the food and gifts on December 20.

There are four ways that the community can participate in this year’s Holiday Basket Program. The first is by “adopting” a needy family, by making a commitment to provide a complete holiday meal for a family, and to buy gifts for each family member. The second is by making a financial contribution to the Newtown Fund. The third way is by making donations of food, new clothing, blankets, and new toys. These should be delivered on December 20 before 9:30 am to the Sandy Hook School. Finally, members of the community can volunteer to deliver the holiday baskets to the adopted families on December 20.

To adopt a family or to help deliver holiday baskets, contact Mr Mazzariello at 270-9190. Tax- deductible contributions, payable to The Newtown Fund, Inc, may be sent to: The Newtown Fund, Inc, PO Box 641, Newtown, CT 06470-0641. Any local family that wishes to be adopted can contact Newtown Social Services at 270-4330.