A Cold, Hungry Winter

By Shelley Harms

Connecticut, already above 6 percent unemployment, lost 2,300 jobs in September. This would have been a record, except the state lost even more jobs in January. The stock market is gyrating, the housing market is in crisis, taxpayer funds are committed to waging war and propping up banks. And cold weather is here. Will people be able to afford food and heat this winter? I went to New York City this summer with the Church of Christ youth group, where my team of five teenage boys and two adults went all over the city to volunteer in soup kitchens. We were part of an enormous and varied social safety net. We made homemade lasagna from all-organic ingredients with a real chef on the Upper West Side, served a school-lunch-style meal to more than 300 people in Brooklyn, and put together simple plates of rice and beans at a gospel church in the Bronx. One day, we worked in a furniture bank that helps mothers who are freed from prison get back on their feet, and one night we cooked dinner for homeless invited guests. From the Youth Services Opportunities Project, which set us up with each day’s volunteer work, and from the people we served, we learned about the thousands of people in New York who don’t have a place to live and who need help feeding and clothing themselves and their families. I wonder how the safety net will hold up in the current financial crisis. It is easy to predict that there will be more demand for help, and less ability to supply it. What about the safety net in Norfolk? For heating costs, assistance from the state is available through Town Hall. The Selectmen’s office has forms that can be filled out to qualify. This winter, the state is providing a record $84 million in heating assistance to low-income households. Protection from shut-offs of electricity or other utilities during the winter months may be available by applying for “hardship” status with the utility. The nearest soup kitchens are in Winsted and Torrington, but the Norfolk Food Pantry is available for groceries. Food can be picked up, and donations of nonperishables and IGA gift cards can be dropped off, at Battell Chapel any weekday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., or on Sunday mornings. Particularly wanted are tuna fish, cereal, pasta, peanut butter, canned fruits and vegetables, diapers and toilet paper. The food pantry is available to and supported by those from all denominations. A donation of $2,000 to support the food pantry has just been received from the Archbishop Henry Mancell’s Annual Appeal as a result of support from the Immaculate Conception Church. Just down the hall from the food pantry, Pastor Erick Olsen holds the purse strings of the “minister’s discretionary fund,” money he gives out to help with emergency expenses, frequently for heating costs. Donations of money and store gift cards for the discretionary fund are always needed. Michael Subklew and Leona Alley sell farm-fresh eggs for $4 a dozen, available at the church every Sunday morning, with all proceeds going to the minister’s discretionary fund. The Church of Christ is also running a coat drive right now, and coats can be brought in with food donations. Coats are available for those who use the food pantry; those that are not taken will be brought to Hartford Hospital after the New Year. The Church of Christ also provides Thanksgiving dinners to local families, and runs an “angel tree” with gifts for children. Donors can sign up for the food items or gifts they wish to give. Church of Christ is not the only one doing its part. The Northwestern Regional Middle School is putting together Thanksgiving Baskets to aid families in need. Students can bring in a component of a holiday dinner, or money to buy a turkey, anytime before November 24. The Botelle PTO provides funds for families to buy a holiday meal at Christmas. Scout troops run food drives, and the Church of the Immaculate Conception is having a mitten and hat drive. The Fire Department and Norfolk Lions Club Ambulance sponsor toy and other drives for needy children. When times are hard, we still have each other. As a community, we can get through this.