Grateful for Ganim’s
We are deeply grateful to our friends at Ganim’s Garden Center & Florist for its recent donation of $2,000 to Operation Hope. Over the summer, Ganim’s offered a unique opportunity to support Operation Hope by running an online raffle. The raffle featured thirteen wonderful baskets. All basket contents were purchased from local stores, so not only was Ganim’s supporting Operation Hope but also supporting many businesses that make up Fairfield’s retail community. Thank you to Ganim’s staff for its unwavering support and to the many people who participated in the raffle; your help makes it possible for our neighbors in need to have the shelter, food and care they so deserve.
Girl Scout Annual Cookie Project A Sweet Success
Many thanks to Girl Scout Troop 30151 for coordinating a cookie project to benefit Operation Hope’s food pantry clients! Scouts Margaret Carroll and Anna Gedacht have been doing this cookie project for four years and this year, their collection exceeded expectations! They collected 144 DOZEN cookies! That’s 1,872 cookies! Many thanks to everyone to everyone who donated, baked and assembled – Girl Scout Sister troops, Fairfield Ludlowe High School Key Club and caring friends and neighbors! Huge thanks also to Jessica and Michele at AR Workshop for giving the troop a place to put this all together! This cookie project was a sweet success, thank you for treating our clients to some holiday cheer!
Fairfield Cares Youth Holds Essentials Drive for Community Kitchen
Thanks so much to Fairfield Cares Youth Committee for running an essentials drive for our Community Kitchen. Serving two meals a day to our neighbors in need requires lots of “stuff,” like paper towels and disinfectant wipes. We’re grateful for these donations that’ll keep everyone safe.
The FCYC has collected a total of:
-16 Rolls paper towels
-400 napkins
-2 bottles ketchup
-2 bottles juice
-120 cups
-150 disinfectant wipes
-Surface disinfectant spray
-Several mini hand sanitizers
Fairfield Cares Youth Committee Holds “Essentials” Drive
Thanks so much to the Fairfield Cares Youth Committee and Fairfield CARES Community Coalition for hosting an “essentials” drive to help our neighbors in need. They’re collecting through December 21, drop off at 285 Mill Plain Road. We love seeing our young friends involved in the community 🙏🏽❤️🙏🏽
Latest Update on Donna Schmidt
We would like to share the most recent update on our dear Donna Schmidt, Volunteer Program Manager at Operation Hope. Donna is healing at St. Vincent’s Hospital and making some progress. While still no flowers, calls or visitors are permitted, we encourage you to send a message through the “send a message” link on the hospital’s website here and staff will read your note to Donna. You can also send a card to “Donna Schmidt, Operation Hope, 636 Old Post Road, Fairfield, CT 06824,” and we will get them to her when the time is right. Knowing that someone cares helps the healing process, so please keep sending your healthy and healing thoughts Donna’s way 🙏🏽❤️🙏🏽
Thank you to all who have reached out and please have a safe and meaningful holiday season. We are very grateful to this giving, loving and hopeful community.
Snow Day! We Are Closed Today
Brrrr! It’s a snow day!❄️Our business office, Food Pantry and Community Kitchen are closed today due to the inclement weather. If you see someone out in this frigid weather who looks like they need help, please call 2-1-1. Stay safe out there! ⛄️❄️
Gorilla Commerce Gives – Again!
Gorilla Commerce GIVES BIG – again! Thanks to the employees of this Westport-based home goods company, we just received another large donation of staples to stock our food pantry. Operation Hope was fortunate to be selected as the charity of choice for Gorilla Commerce’s “Gorilla Gives” charitable pilot program. Many thanks to Gorilla Commerce employee Susannah Robinson for spearheading this effort. We are grateful to Gorilla Commerce for thinking locally and for considering our neighbors in need as part of their outreach program.
Black Rock Yacht Club’s Holiday Drive Helps Feed Neighbors in Need
Many thanks to Black Rock Yacht Club and its members for hosting a holiday food drive the other weekend. And Santa even made an appearance ho ho ho 🎅🏾🎁🎄We are grateful to you for filling our pantry shelves and feeding our neighbors in need this holiday season 🙏🏽❤️🙏🏽
Operation Hope Teen Volunteer Wins Essay Contest
This is incredible! Congratulations to all winners of VolunteerSquare’s 8th Annual High School Essay Contest, and especially to second place awardee Harper Treschuck, who volunteers in Operation Hope’s community garden. Harper is a junior at Fairfield Ludlowe High School. She was one of 75 students in 35 high schools across Connecticut this year who submitted essays. The essays submitted truly represented how volunteering impacts the lives of teenagers in Connecticut. Harper, we love that volunteering has made an impact on you; your volunteering has definitely made an impact on us! Thank you!
From Harper, “What started as a project to nourish families in need also nurtured my sense of purpose. While the seeds I sowed did not solve the problem of food insecurity, I joined in solidarity with others to grow an impact that was bigger than myself.” Read Harper’s full essay here. And to see a full list of the awardees and to learn more about the contest, click here.
It’s A Wrap for “Hope for the Holidays, Covid Edition!”
It’s a wrap on our annual gifting program, “Hope for the Holidays, Covid Edition!” All of the gift cards have been delivered to Operation Hope for social workers to distribute to clients. Your generosity has made a difference for 40 families and 81 adult individuals right here in our community. You have helped feed them and their families with literally thousands and thousands of dollars of grocery gift cards and supplied them with so many additional retail gift cards to make this holiday season brighter. THANK YOU! And most of all, THANK YOU to our very own angel, Evie Angel, who quickly and effortlessly pivoted to make this season’s “Hope for the Holidays” yet another success, ensuring the safety of our clients, staff and very limited number of volunteers this year while giving back hope and joy in a year that has taken so much from all of us.
Normally you all get to see a little of the “Hope for the Holidays” magic at work when you drop off gifts: the dozens of volunteers busily organizing and wrapping the room full of gifts, holiday music playing in the background and a sense of community that is truly palpable. Since 2020 is a year like no other, instead of gathering in the social hall at St. Anthony’s Church, “Hope for the Holidays” took place in the room above Evie’s garage. With the help of Evie’s daughter Chloe and 4 of Evie’s “social bubble” besties, they spent last Saturday night counting, sorting and wrapping the INSANE amount of gift cards that you so generously donated! And because it’s a pandemic, working from home in pajamas was a requirement!
A few words from Evie, “On a personal note, I’m still trying to find the right words to describe my gratitude for your unbelievable generosity this year. 2020 has been such a challenging year for all of us on so many fronts. After the extreme divisiveness in our country over the past few months, the way in which our community has pulled together to help our neighbors in need has truly restored my faith in the inherent goodness of people. I didn’t realize just how much I needed ‘Hope for the Holidays’ this year. For that alone, I say the biggest thank you.”
We wish you all the best as this year comes to a close and hoping for much brighter days in 2021!
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
ADDRESS
636 Old Post Road
Fairfield CT 06824
HOURS
Main Office:
Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm
Summer hours: Main Office closes at 1:00pm on Fridays
FOOD PANTRY
Monday, Wednesday and Friday
10:00am to 12:00 noon
Thursday, 4:00pm to 6:00pm
OUTREACH & KITCHEN
ADDRESS
50 Nichols Street, Fairfield, CT
06824
Phone: (203) 254-2934
HOURS
Homeless Outreach: 4am-9pm
Community Kitchen:
lunch from 11:30am to 1:00pm
dinner from 5:30pm to 6:30pm
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