Food Baskets Distributed, Now On To Gift Giving

By John Voket

Like a giant cornucopia, the basement of Newtown’s United Methodist Church overflowed with bountiful outpourings of goodwill as dozens of local families graciously accepted donations of food and trimmings through an annual local service program sponsored by WIN, Women Involved in Newtown.

According to Mandy Monaco, co-chair of the yearly activity along with Cyndi DaSilva, 76 individuals and families trundled up to the warm and welcoming lower meeting room last Friday evening. And in turn, a contingent of volunteers representing several local service groups carted back to cars and trucks hundreds of bags filled with vegetables, canned fixings for desserts, a turkey for each family, and enough staples to get most recipients through to year’s end.

“We know that a lot of these people would be forced to choose between keeping themselves and their families fed, and having a few extra dollars to maybe buy a few presents this Christmas,” Ms Monaco told The Bee following the event.

Ann Piccini, director of Newtown Social Services (NSS) who either recommended or qualified local recipients for the program, said this year it was more likely that those receiving food would now have extra funds to pay skyrocketing utility bills.

“You wouldn’t believe how many people we had coming in this year for fuel assistance,” Ms Piccini said. “I don’t know what they would do if it wasn’t for these kinds of programs that help local families in need find money to shift around in their budgets so they don’t go hungry paying so they don’t freeze to death or have their pipes freeze up on them.”

The WIN holiday basket distribution was the culmination of many communitywide activities, from individuals donating food, grocery store gift cards and cash through NSS, to local religious, school, scout pack, and service group food drives, even the Newtown High football team filling an El Camino with donations during the Homecoming Game, that helped stock each “basket” that was picked up or delivered last Friday, Ms Monaco said.

“For the past I don’t know how many years Mrs Mulholland at the middle school and her kids came through with their can drive,” she said. “I know Middle Gate School alone sponsored 20 of the 76 families, and literally every church in town held food drives.”

Ms Piccini said one of the highpoints of this year’s activity was one particular individual who previously was the recipient of a holiday basket when times were tough.

“But now her life’s turned around,” Ms Piccini said. “She’s happily married and doing well, so she sponsored a family and provided all their items this year.”

While Ms Piccini and the WIN volunteers can look back on more than 40 years of successful Thanksgiving Basket activities, the Social Services Department has less than 40 days left to coordinate the annual holiday gift program, a signature service initiative of The Newtown Fund.

While last year’s gift program was a nail-biter with more families than sponsors keeping Newtown Fund and NSS representatives scrambling until the 11th hour, this year a combination of early donations and fewer participants has given volunteers time to search for a few more qualifying families.

Newtown Fund President Doreen Kostecki is once again overseeing the holiday gift activity that helps make the season complete for many local children by providing not only a few toys, but new shoes, winter clothes, school supplies, and other necessities.

Just like in years past, the Newtown Fund enlists many merry elves from dozens of organizations throughout the town who pledge to volunteer assisting with the distribution of the baskets on “Depot Day” at Sandy Hook School. Among the volunteers are staff, teachers, and students from most of the schools in town, religious groups, Girl and Boy Scouts, businesses, as well as private individuals and families.

While the Newtown Fund provides the volunteers’ organization and acts as a conduit through which charitable donations flow, Ms Kostecki said in a previous interview that the organization depends increasingly on the Newtown Social Services staff to help identify individuals and families who need the most support.

NSS caseworker Joanne Klopfenstein said the window of opportunity is quickly closing, but she is hoping that any families, especially hard-pressed single parents, will choose to come forward and determine if they qualify for the program.

“This is the time of year when we’ve got donors, businesses, and others coming forward to give, so for the sake of the kids, if anyone if facing a tight financial situation and needs to allocate their family income to food, prescriptions, or medical care, fuel or other pressing needs, we hope they will give us a call and get involved,” Ms Klopfenstein said.

Anyone interested in inquiring about the Newtown Fund holiday gift program, whether donors or potential recipients, is asked to contact NSS as soon as possible at 270-4330 or email: newtownsocserv@snet.net.