Kids Flocking for Free Meals

Here's something that's working well in Bristol: the summer breakfast and lunch program.
Thanks to a big push from the Bristol Community Organization (that's their logo to the left), the number of kids eating breakfast and lunch through the USDA program has skyrocketed this summer over last year's paltry figures.
Mostly, it seems it's due to moving the meals from inside O'Connell School on Park Street to the Rockwell Park pavillion. There's also been a real effort to raise awareness among kids and parents about the free meals.
I was over at the park the other day and it was positively teeming with kids of all sizes, playing on the playground, skating at the skatepark and swimming in the pool. Inside the pavillion, two nice women sat behind a couple of tables filled with sandwiches, fruit, fruit juice and milk. There's a decent assortment of sandwiches and the fruit was pears and nectarines that looked good. Kids can have a juice and a milk with their sandwiches and fruit.
The women, Elizabeth and Karen Welch (Karen is Elizabeth's mom) made sure to restock the food and drinks from a nearby cooler. They seemed to know a lot of the kids who came to eat, too.
Rockwell Park is considered an open site for the summer meals program. That means there's enough poverty in the neighborhood that everyone is qualified. No one needs to show any ID or register in advance. Just show up, kids, and chow down. It's really that simple.
The food isn't for adults and it's to be eaten at the site, so there's not much room for abuse. This is giving healthy food to kids who are busy playing (and some are working) in the park. Kids need it to grow their bodies and their brains and to stay healthy and happy. (Ever notice how skipping a meal makes you cranky?)
These little dynamos need fuel to keep going and I'm really glad they've got it.
Another open site in town is at Cambridge Park, which is also showing an increase in participation this year.
For the record, BCO doesn't run the program anymore, but the organization has stayed involved out of an interest in keeping kids fed. Whitsons, a school food service company, does run it and BCO and End Hunger Connecticut!, a non-profit organization, worked to organize the sites and are doing what they can to get the word out.
I wrote about this for The Bristol Press (http://www.bristolpress.com/) but I don't think it's run yet.

BCO Not Hosting Free Breakfast, Lunch After All

Kids, don't head to BCO for your free summer breakfast or lunch this year. The non-profit organization, which does a lot for local elderly, poor and handicapped residents, had been named as an open site for the summer lunch program.

But Tom Morrow, the director of BCO, said today that for some reason BCO wasn't site certified so it won't be a place to get breakfast or lunch. Instead, kids can go to Rockwell Park or Cambridge Park for their summertime meals.

No registration or proof of income is required. Any child or teenager 18 and under can go and get a meal.

Free Meals for Kids

Summer lunch and breakfast programs are starting soon. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the program offers free breakfast and lunch to children in poor neighborhoods.

This summer it starts July 6 and runs through August 20.

There are three open sites in Bristol -- at Rockwell Park, at Cambridge Park and at the Bristol Community Organization. Any kid who is 18 or under can go, regardless of income becuase the sites are certified. They can't take the food off the premises.

I think the program would be quite a hit if they could offer the kids sandwiches that look like these...

Request for Help Still High

Today I wrote about the requests for help -- energy assistance, groceries and meals -- continuing to remain high at local food pantries, soup kitchens and at the Bristol Community Organization, which administers help with heating bills.

Check out the stories in Wednesday's edition of The Bristol Press at http://www.bristolpress.com/.

Gratitude and Understanding

After Bill Hamzy dropped the bombshell that he wouldn't run again, I spoke with some of the people around town who have worked with him and whose organizations have benefited from his efforts over the years. I wrote it for Wednesday's paper, but for reasons unknown to me, it didn't run that day or Thursday. So, here it is:



BRISTOL – Though sad to lose a friend in Hartford, leaders of area organizations that relied on state Rep. Bill Hamzy said they appreciated his work and understood his decision not to run again so he can spend more time with his children.

“We truly appreciate his service and sacrifice, but totally understand his decision,” said Thomas Morrow, executive director of the Bristol Community Organization.

“We also believe that families should come first.”Patricia White, co-chair of the Hoppers-Birge Pond Committee, said she was “stunned” to learn that Hamzy wouldn’t seek re-election.

“While I understand Rep. Hamzy’s reasons for not running again, his voice in Hartford on behalf of Bristol will be missed,” said White.

“This is a good move for him and his family,” said Jean Letourneau, White’s co-chair on the Hoppers committee.

White said Hamzy lobbied in the mid-1990s for funding that was used for the dredging and restoration of Birge Pond and Pine Lake, making him “instrumental” to the success of the Hoppers-Birge Pond Nature Preserve project.

“Rep. Hamzy has been an outstanding representative of our area during his time in the legislature,” said Tunxis Community College President Cathryn Addy. “He is knowledgeable, has been a good communicator back to his constituents, and he has been honest and straightforward.”

Addy said she’s sorry that Hamzy won’t seek reelection.

“I have a great deal of respect for him,” Addy said.

Bristol Hospital President Kurt Barwis said he’s disappointed to lose Hamzy.

“He has been an absolute asset to me and the hospital,” said Barwis. “I’m going to miss that connection.”

Barwis said he hopes Hamzy will run for office again in the future.

Though Hamzy lives in Plymouth and represents both towns, Barwis said, “He really did care a lot about Bristol.”

Al Fermeglia, who is the principal of the Bristol Technical Education Center, said Hamzy has been one of the tech school’s strongest supporters.

“He helped keep us open when we were slated to be closed,” Fermeglia said. “We are very happy to count Mr. Hamzy as a friend of Bristol TEC.”

Hamzy visited the school for graduations and other occasions over the years, Fermeglia said, and helped when the school was up for accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges in 2008.

Hamzy backs the school’s model of students entering as juniors, Fermeglia said, based on the idea that younger students may not have a defined career path.Hamzy sponsored a bonding bill that brought in $1.5 million towards the construction of the new educational building at Indian Rock Nature Preserve, said Jon Guglietta, executive director of the centers.

“Bill was a strong advocate for the Environmental Learning Centers of Connecticut through his work as a state legislator and as an individual, helping to build relationships with business and individuals in the community,” Guglietta said.

Morrow said Hamzy has always been a strong supporter of BCO and the elderly, low income and handicapped people it serves.

“He has always made himself available to us,” said Morrow.

Letourneau said that while he didn’t always agree with Hamzy on the issues, he appreciated the work he did to get funding to dredge Birge Pond.

“In my opinion Bill was very nice servant to the voters who elected him and he will be remembered for that,” Letourneau said. “Unlike many who hide behind anonymous comments, he always put his name behind the issues he supported.”

Bristol Kids are Eating the Stimulus Package!

Ever wonder what happens in BCO's Community Kitchen? Here's a story I wrote for The Bristol Press (http://www.bristolpress.com/) about one program there:

BRISTOL – Instead of just hanging out after school, 15 Bristol middle school students are spending time doing homework, exercising and learning to cook meals for their families.
The after school program, run by the Bristol Community Organization in its community kitchen, started in early January, said Thomas Morrow, executive director of BCO.
Funded by federal stimulus money, the program, which serves seventh grade students from Memorial Boulevard Middle School, employs three adults in part-time positions.
The 15 youth meet every day after school and walk, escorted by program coordinator Christina Welch, the short distance to BCO at 55 South St.
Welch said the walking is part of the exercise component of the program. She said kids use pedometers to measure how fast they’re going and how far.
They’ll do some martial arts as part of the program, too, said Welch, and kids are excited about plans to purchase a Wii for the group, “to make exercise more fun, less painful.”
“I decided to do it because I love cooking a lot,” said Christopher Remillard Jr., who is 12. He said he wanted to take cooking classes in school, but found out there aren’t any in the middle school.
Kyla “Moon” Bruno, 12, said she loves cooking, which she does at home with her mom. Once, she got burned on the stove, she said, and for awhile, she was afraid of it. But now, she enjoys it again, especially in a group of friends.
“When I grow up, I’m going to have to cook on my own,” said Bruno.
Amber “Hoshi” Boyne, also 12, said her sister encouraged her to get into the program.
“I like that you actually get to use real kitchen supplies,” said Boyne. “You actually get to do the stuff yourself and taste it. It’s pretty cool.”
The kids stay at BCO from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., and each night three of them spend time cooking in the kitchen, preparing a meal for their families, who join them that evening to eat. That way, every family comes once a week for their evening meal at the community kitchen.
In the program, students learn about nutrition and good food handling techniques, have a snack and have the use of computers to do homework when they’re not in the kitchen.
“I learned how to make a banana strawberry smoothie,” said Remillard, “and I learned how to make banana bread.”
Remillard said he’s also perfected ramen noodle soup by adding his own special spices to it.
“It’s kind of fun,” said Gary Belanger, 12. He said he likes to experiment in the kitchen and has learned to improvise, like when they used English muffins for pizza crust.
“So far, my favorite thing that we made was nachos,” Belanger said.
The program also teaches discipline, said Boyne, and gives kids a place to go after school.
“The time seems to melt away whenever I’m here,” Boyne said.
The $57,500 program budget covers the school year, said Morrow, and is federal stimulus money.
“We’re hoping that it can be continued with some other funding,” Morrow said.
An additional $1,500 grant from Bristol Youth Services paid for bus transportation home after the program, said Morrow, and for an occasional field trip.

Connecticut Uses Federal Stimulus Money for Appliance Rebates

If you're thinking of buying a new appliance this winter or spring, here's a way to save a few clams:

BRISTOL -- Now is the time to replace electric appliances with more efficient, energy saving ones -- new federal stimulus rebates of $50 to $500 are available for those who do.

Connecticut is using $3.4 million in federal stimulus funds to offer rebates on Energy Star-rated refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, room air conditioners and central air systems.

Sen. Tom Colapietro announced Connecticut’s new applicance rebate program -- paid with federal stimulus dollars -- Friday at the Bristol Community Organization, a regional non-profit agency that handles energy assistance applications.

“People are hurting,” said Colapietro. He said the rebates should help stimulate the economy by encouraging people to buy appliances.

Those who can afford to replace old appliances, he said, will save themselves some “real money” as the buyers get a rebate and the stores get a sale.

“Everybody wins,” said Colapietro, comparing the deal to the “cash for clunkers” program. “We try to help people as much as we can.”

The rebates are easy to get, Colapietro said. He said the forms are online and simple to fill out, joking that even he was able to manage it.

Rebates are $50 for refrigerators, freezers and room air conditioners, $100 for washers and $500 for central air systems.

The rebate program runs through the end of April and may be extended if funds remain. State residents are eligible for one rebate per appliance but can get as many as three for room air conditioners.

Federal tax credits are already in place for people who make larger investments in energy saving measures in the home, such as new windows.

Colapietro praised BCO for offering many types of assistance, and the expertise to help people find the help they need from other agencies as well.

“The trouble with people today is they don’t know where to go for help,” said Colapietro. “There’s lots of help for people.”

Thomas Morrow, executive director of BCO, said the agency has seen “unprecedented increases” in the number of people seeking help with energy costs.

Compared with two years ago, the number of applicants is up 200 percent, Morrow said.

“It’s a whole new class of client,” said Morrow, many of whom have never sought help before.

Joseph Roy Jr. of Bristol, an artist and illustrator for religious books, said his work slowed in the recession and he found himself struggling. A friend suggested he come to BCO for help, he said.

“It’s a great organization,” said Roy. “There are a lot of people out there who need this. This is a dream come true.”

Roy said it wasn’t hard to get help with his heating bill through BCO. He just had to provide some financial information to qualify, he said.

“I’m so glad that I found out that they were here,” he said.

Another way people can save, Colapietro said, is to shop around for electricity. He said the power companies are required to provide a list of competing electricity suppliers if asked.

Consumers can purchase power from a variety of outlets, Colapietro said, and may be able to save $10 to $15 a month by doing so, if they’re careful shoppers.

“Read the fine print,” he cautioned.

More information on the rebate program is available online at www.ct.gov/opm/ApplianceRebates. Forms will be available in stores after Feb. 1 and forms will be sent in the mail to those who call 1-877-947-3873.

Need for home heating help still rising in Bristol

Here's a story I wrote for Friday's Bristol Press (www.bristolpress.com) about how the dramatic rise in requests from residents for help with home heating bills continues to rise. Tom Morrow, the executive director of the Bristol Community Organization, didn't know of any reason for the increase other than the lousy economy. The caseworkers at BCO are scrambling to process all the applications:

The number of people applying for energy assistance to heat their homes through the Bristol Community Organization continues to rise.

“The volume has increased dramatically,” said Thomas Morrow, executive director of BCO.

Morrow blamed the poor economy as the primary source of the 2,202 cases as of mid-November, three and a half months after starting to accept applications. That’s 230 more households in need this winter than at the same time last winter.

“They’ve lost their jobs. They’ve had their hours cut,” Morrow said.

Some people may have had money put aside, said Morrow, but had to use it to cover expenses.

“Now they’ve depleted all their savings,” he said.

Because of the high demand, BCO caseworkers are processing more than 80 applications for help every day, according to Morrow.

Appointments are backed up until March, with people who use deliverable fuel like oil, propane, wood or coal served first because they aren’t protected by a shutoff ban.

“We want to hear from them sooner than later,” said Morrow.

Customers of utility companies can be classified as a hardship, which means the company can’t cut off their heat during the coldest months. It buys some time for processing a heating assistance claim, so those applications are handled later in the winter or early in spring.

When someone comes to BCO for help with heating bills, the caseworker will also advise them about other programs they may qualify for, said Morrow, such as food stamps or home weatherization.

“We can kind of triage the situation,” said Morrow, and give guidance on how and where to apply for other help.

Morrow said a comparison is best made between this winter and the winter of two years ago because in both instances, the agency began accepting applications on August 1. Last year, the intake began a little later, Morrow said.

The difference between those two seasons shows a jump of more than 200 percent, said Morrow.

“We’re the highest increase of any area in the state,” said Morrow.

According to information from Connecticut Association for Community Action, an organization of a dozen community action agencies like BCO, the Bristol-based non-profit showed an increase of 229 percent increase in the number of applications through mid-November.

The state average for the same time period was a 125 percent increase.

After Bristol, the area that showed the biggest increase in the two-year time span was Stamford, with a jump of 201 percent, followed by Danbury with a leap of 185 percent.

BCO serves low income, handicapped and elderly residents of Bristol, Plymouth, Plainville, Farmington and Burlington.

To apply for heating assistance, call BCO at 860-584-2725.

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Mentoring Families Wanted

Here's a story I wrote for today's Press about a program that BCO is hoping to expand:

By JACKIE MAJERUS

STAFF WRITER

BRISTOL – The Bristol Community Organization is looking for about 15 local families to volunteer to mentor other families who are struggling to get out of poverty.

The Neighbor to Neighbor program pairs families who are clients of BCO with families from the community, said Thomas Morrow, director of BCO.

“The goal is to mentor them so they can move out of poverty,” said Fay Tolassi, the program coordinator. “That is the ultimate goal.”

The way it happens, she said, is by the community family sharing their experiences with life milestones like going to college, returning to school, or buying a home.

“It’s up to the BCO family to come up with what they’d like to achieve,” said Tolassi. “The idea is to form a mentoring partnership so people can move ahead in life.”

A mini version of the program started about a year ago and now the agency is trying to expand it to add about 15 new community families and 15 BCO families.

“It has worked fairly well,” said Morrow.

Morrow said the BCO families generally come through the Head Start preschool program. He said there are 74 Head Start families, so finding 15 to participate shouldn’t be difficult.

Recruiting families from the community to mentor them “is a big part of the program,” said Morrow.

The program carries a one-year commitment, said Tolassi. Families willing to fill the role of mentor have to produce a couple letters of reference from a pastor or other non-family member, she said, and go through a police background check and an interview at BCO to help determine whether they’re a good fit for the program.

After that, Tolassi said, she tries to match them with a BCO family.

Besides the local faith community, Tolassi is searching for families through businesses, individuals and Parent Teacher Organizations.

Neighbor to Neighbor started about a year ago as a pilot program funded through a grant from the McPhee Foundation.

The families are supposed to have weekly contact, which can be an email or a phone call, and to get together for an activity at least once a month. On a quarterly basis, all the families get together, share a meal and discuss their progress, Morrow said.

Morrow said the idea behind the program is that everyone needs a cheerleader, a supporter, an advocate. The community family takes on that role for the BCO family, said Morrow.

Many times what’s lacking in a low income person’s life, Morrow said, is what many successful people have – someone who believes in them.

The initial grant paid for computers for the two Head Start families, Morrow said, and for internet access for all the families for a year so they could keep in touch through email.

The idea was that the community family could teach the Head Start family how to use the computer, said Morrow. Neither Head Start family had a home computer when they entered the program, he said.

“That is one of the ways they have communicated,” said Morrow.

It also provided the matched family pairs with $100 each month to cover the costs of their shared activity and money to pay for a dinner for all the families to share during their quarterly meeting, Morrow said.

The new funding, $68,000 in federal stimulus money for 18 months, won’t have the $100 stipend or cash for computers or online access, said Morrow. It pays for Tolassi’s salary, he said, and a little food for the family dinners.

“We’re going to have to get a little more creative,” said Morrow.

After learning from the pilot program, Morrow said, they may try to have more group activities early on after the 30 families are matched, so people can get to know each other more quickly.

He said there may be also more direct work on the goals set by the BCO family.

Morrow said BCO would gladly accept donations of working computers to give to the new families in the program, as long as the hard drive was cleared.

When the funding period is over, Morrow said, he hopes the program can sustain itself.

Anyone interested in participating in the Neighbor to Neighbor program should contact Tolassi at BCO at 860-584-2725.

The First Neighborly Exchanges

Here's a story I wrote for today's Press about some of the first participants in Neighbor to Neighbor:

By JACKIE MAJERUS

STAFF WRITER

BRISTOL – Neighbor to Neighbor, a new initiative of the Bristol Community Organization, harkens back to the old notion of lending a helping hand to someone in need.

The program, said Thomas Morrow, director at BCO, has the lofty goal of reducing childhood poverty, and it aims to do it one family at a time.

Neighbor to Neighbor pairs two families – one a client of BCO, often through the Head Start program, and one that is from the community, often linked to a local church. Together, the pairs try to address life improvement goals set by the BCO family.

They do it through weekly emails or phone calls and monthly get-togethers that are “like a playdate,” said BCO client Teena Quirion, a single mother of two.

Quirion and her daughters were among the first BCO families to take part in Neighbor to Neighbor. She said it sounded interesting, a way to find out how other families do things.

“We were more or less the guinea pigs,” she said, and it’s worked out well.

Her daughter, 16-year-old Britney Correll, said the idea sounded “cool.”

Quirion said she wants to move out of Zbikowski Park, where she’s lived her entire life, get a new car and maybe go to college. She wants, she said, to better herself for the sake of her children.

She gets a lot of encouragement from the Knowles, Quirion said, a Bristol couple who got involved through their church.

John Knowles said he grew up in Hartford in a neighborhood not unlike the housing project where Quirion and her children live. He’s back in school now, he said, after losing his job, and can offer her encouragement to do the same.

The Knowles pay attention to Britney, too, if she needs help with homework or other support.

Of course, the kids are friends.

Quirion’s youngest, four-year-old Morgan Shimo, is rather fond of seven-year-old Nicholas DiMaria, the son of John and Christine Knowles, the community family that got involved through St. John’s Episcopal Church.

“He’s my best friend,” Morgan declared. “I hug him.”

Nicholas said he likes Morgan well enough, but there’s a limit.

“I do not want to marry her,” he said.

Mary and Doug Larson, members of St. Joseph Church, said they learned about Neighbor to Neighbor from a notice in their parish bulletin.

“We decided to give it a try,” said Mary Larson. She’s a teacher and her husband is an accountant, she said, and their two sons are grown, so they thought they might be able to help.

“We wanted to give back to our community and this is a way of doing it,” Mary Larson said.

John Knowles said that’s also what motivated him and his wife.

“It sounded like an interesting concept,” he said.

The Larsons’ skills have come in handy for Head Start parent Jeannie Stewart, who along with her husband Jesse and their two children were matched with the Larsons.

Jeannie Stewart said Mary Larson has given her “a lot of pointers” with her special needs son.

Doug Larson said his advice to the Stewarts is, “Don’t spend. Save your money.”

Did it help?

“No, ‘cause I’m still broke,” Jeannie Stewart said with a laugh.

But Doug Larson said they’ve deliberately tried to take part in some free activities with the Stewarts.

“I wanted them to see that there are a lot of activities in Bristol that are free,” said Mary Larson.

The two couples and children get together once a month, doing a variety of activities, from going bowling, to seeing a drive-in movie to going to an outdoor concert in Brackett Park and to Lake Compounce.

All four families said they believe they’ve built a true friendship over the past year.

“We keep in touch with each other through email or by phone,” said Jesse Stewart.

Christine Knowles said she’d like to do more things with Quirion’s family, but that tight schedules can make it difficult.

Mary Larson and Jeannie Stewart both said they would encourage other families to try the program.

“It’s local and you can help people right here,” Mary Larson said. “People are apprehensive about doing it. They think it’s a big commitment. It isn’t.”

“It gives them the opportunity to meet people they may not have the chance to meet, get out of the house and be part of the community,” said Jeannie Stewart.

The Stewarts decided to get involved in Neighbor to Neighbor, Jesse Stewart said, to see if the program could benefit the children or them.

“It’s a very good program,” he said.

Jeannie Stewart said she likes Neighbor to Neighbor. Thorough it, she said, her family has been able to get out a little bit and get to know other families in a relaxed way.

Creating a friendship out of strangers isn’t necessarily a speedy process.

“It took awhile to get it started,” said Doug Larson.

Though he’s supposed to be mentoring the Head Start family, said Doug Larson, he said his family has gained from participating.

“We also make new friends,” he said. “By interacting with each other, we do things in the Bristol community now that maybe we otherwise wouldn’t have done. I haven’t gone bowling in years.”