Community radiates warmth through cold winter months

Throughout Litchfield County, compassion takes shape in service and generosity. This holiday season, a chorus of voices from the Northwest Corner were asked to define what community means to them.

Norfolk Fire Chief Brian Hutchins said, “Community is the comfort and security you feel being connected to something bigger than yourself. It doesn’t have to be geographic, and it can be whatever fills a person with joy and purpose.”

For many, community begins with meeting people’s basic needs.

Friendly Hands Food Bank in Torrington responded, “Community is where change begins. We must ensure everyone has access to the resources for healthy lives.” On Dec. 22, Friendly Hands offered a free Christmas food party for all area veterans.

The Corner Food Pantry in Lakeville reported serving 235 families/1,107 individuals at Thanksgiving, a 20% increase over last year. The Norfolk Food Pantry made holiday baskets for 66 families, including 176 loaves of cranberry orange bread baked by the Ministry of Bread.

Erick Olsen, pastor of Church of Christ in Norfolk for 22 years, said, “The termination of SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, benefits is driving a spike in food pantry usage. I hear regularly from folks working full-time yet are forced to choose between paying rent and buying nutritious food. No one should face such choices. Our church offers help with rent, heating oil, auto repairs, medicine and care.”

Housing insecurity is another pressure point where community matters.

The folks at the Winchester Emergency Homeless Shelter at the Y in Winsted, which has 16 beds, added, “As the weather turns cold, many of our neighbors rely on us for warmth, safety, and support.”

Friends In Service to Humanity, FISH, in Torrington provides 35 shelter beds, including five beds reserved for homeless veterans. Director Deirdre Houlihan Di Cara said, “We now provide meals to 2,652 individuals, 938 families. We distributed enough food for 182,859 meals, an increase of 952 people from last year.”

Julie Scharnberg, VP of Community Engagement, Northwest CT Community Foundation, wrote, “To me community means being together in a way that generates a positive benefit; something rooted in kindness and care, that works to overcome barriers, celebrates joy and success, providing comfort at times of loss or grief.” Her work with homelessness, affordable housing, addiction, women’s issues and early childhood care “is how we help NW CT move forward for the next generations that will call this beautiful region home.”

Marinell Madden-Crippen runs the Icebox Café in Norfolk with her husband Peter. She put it simply, “Community to me is saying hello to your neighbor and asking how their week was and caring and remembering their name. We support our community by being a neutral space and remembering who people are and what they are up to and caring. Genuinely.”

Jenny Langendoerfer, executive director of Little Guild in West Cornwall explained the animal shelter’s mission, “Beyond caring for the animals within our shelter, we serve as a vital community resource. Financial hardship can separate families from their beloved pets. We created an on-site Pet Pantry providing free pet food and supplies. We hold no-cost wellness clinics for dogs and cats.”

Community is enhanced by art and music, poetry and literature, public libraries and schools, children and families, both young and old.