The United Way of Southeastern Connecticut offered a big thank-you to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital employees earlier this month after a delivery of more
New London It’s early on a Friday morning and the main gathering room at the New London Senior Center is abuzz with activity. A group of volunteers is furiously sorting through food that covers tables stretching the length of the room.
The senior center has been shut down throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the gathering space once used for things like bingo and yoga is transformed to accommodate the once-weekly headquarters of a mutual aid program some are calling “Food for the People Delivery Pantry Program.”
It doesn’t really have a formal name and it doesn’t advertise. But the collaborative effort to supply food to some of the city’s most vulnerable residents, much of it delivered to front doors, has spread by word-of-mouth and continues to grow.
Norwich Danielle Vincent has been heartened by the outpouring of love and respect for her son, Jason Vincent, and when she learned Norwich leaders were planning a food distribution event in his memory, she donated and said the family wanted to help.
“Jason would be so happy about this,” she said, in between loading boxes of food and packages of eggs into vehicles at the drive-thru food distribution Thursday at the Rose City Senior Center. “He’s smiling down at us.”
Jason Vincent, president of the Norwich Community Development Corp., died Dec. 30 in a suicide in West Virginia. His death shocked city and business leaders who had worked closely with him, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Published January 27. 2021 3:40PM
Ledyard The United Way of Southeastern Connecticut has announced the distribution of $119,984 to local social services agencies through the Emergency Food and Shelter Program. The funding is made available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency to support access to food, shelter and housing cost assistance as determined by a local board.
The awards are as follows:
Mass shelter awards, to cover expenses for on-site housing with organizations with five or more beds in one location, were given to Covenant Shelter of New London ($12,500), New London Homeless Hospitality Center ($13,834), Reliance Health ($5,000) and Safe Futures ($5,000).
Rent and mortgage awards, to cover one month s worth of clients rent, mortgage or lot fees, were given to Always Home ($3,000), Catholic Charities Diocese of Norwich ($7,000), the City of Norwich ($10,000), Thames Valley Council for Community Action ($6,000), Salvation Army New London ($2,000) and the
New London At the walk-up food distribution site at St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Church on Huntington Street, recipients on Friday collected prepackaged bags of canned goods and pasta, a 5 pound bag of potatoes, two bags of apples, a bag containing three or four pounds of frozen ground turkey, along with two or three bottles of juice and a half-gallon of milk.
“I haven’t used a food pantry in 15 years,” said Kasey Belair of Waterford. “I’m grateful for everything.”
Belair, whose hours were cut at Mohegan Sun Casino, said her husband is retired and her mother is disabled. Much of the food she received will be for her mother. Belair said she was surprised at the quality of the food in the distribution, especially the frozen ground turkey.