Alert — and very civic-minded — “06880” reader Mary Lynn Halland is a consultant to the Connecticut Food Bank. One of the largest centralized sources of emergency food in the state, it plays an active role in the needy (and sometimes unseen) corners of Fairfield County.
For years, Mary Lynn’s Stamford neighborhood has participated in a “Weekly Neighborhood Food Give.” It’s not the snappiest name, but it works.
Each week at the same time, people put food donations in a shoebox-size Tupperware bin (provided by the CT Food Bank) near their mailbox or door. A neighbor picks up the food, then stores it someplace safe or dry until the Food Bank collects it (usually once a month).
It takes just 20 minutes a week to make the pick-up — and it can be done by children and teenagers as well as adults.
Mary Lynn figures if it works in Stamford, why not Westport?
But she doesn’t know where to start. So she’s asking “06880” readers for help.
If you’ve got an idea for a local neighborhood or condo association that wants to pilot the project — or if you want to help organize one — Mary Lynn wants to hear from you.
Email her: marylynn@crny.net. Call her: 917-657-0943. Or click “Comments,” and let everyone in town know you and your neighborhood are ready to help.
One hopes no comments here, a day later, doesn’t mean Ms. Lynn hasn’t received relevant direct responses.
I know that 2 people contacted her directly. One was from Southport, though, so I think only one Westport neighborhood is interested. So far, anyway.
This is a great effort and a great story, Dan. Thanks for sharing. The comments make it sound like there is concern that there is not much interest in the community for this sort of outreach. Not so. My organization, Homes with Hope, runs the Food pantry at the Gillespie Center in downtown Westport. We distribute around 3000 bags of groceries every year to residents of Westport and surrounding towns. ALL of it is donated by this generous community. There are hundreds of food banks around the state and, we are told, Westport’s is one of a very few that does not draw on the Connecticut Food Bank for any of its supply. We are proud not to have to rely on that great resource, but we applaud Westporters’ efforts to help their good work in this novel way and other aways – and we applaud all those Westporters – including you and John! – who are so generous to us. What a town we live in!!!