The news from Haiti — as devastating as it is — may seem distant from Westport.
Haitians working in Fairfield County support relatives back home. Days after the earthquake, the fate of many is still unknown.
But Fairfield County has a substantial Haitian population. It is centered in Bridgeport and Norwalk — and though we don’t always notice them, we see Haitian men and women every day. They work in our stores and shops; they serve as nurses, health aides and home care attendants. One of the biggest local employers of Haitians — before it closed — was Shaw’s.
An “06880” reader reports:
I was talking to the man who collects carts in the parking lot at Stew Leonard’s today. He does not know if his wife, children, mother or other family members are even alive. He is certain he has lost his home and everything he has in the world — and he said he has no one to speak to about it. He is only one of the many Haitians working there.
Westporters can donate to Haitian relief in plenty of ways, including Westport-based Save the Children. We can also help the Haitians here, if only through the simple act of lending an ear.
Your latest $4 million expansion is impressive. You’ve added more aisles without changing the store’s footprint — I still can’t figure out how — and introduced new pasta and pizza stations. The bathrooms no longer resemble a third world country.