Kiran Rajan, a 7th grader at Fairfield Woods Middle School, recently read Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” in health class. To encourage communication, organization, and self-management skills, the students had to initiate, plan, and carry out a community service project of their choosing. Kiran thought about how fortunate she is to never have to know what it feels like to go hungry or not have a roof over her head. She decided to organize a bake sale to raise funds for Operation Hope. Kiran planned the menu, shopped and baked with her mom, had her dad help set up and enlisted her sister and a friend to help sell the baked goods outside Snappy Gator, a store in Fairfield Center. Kiran learned how to communicate the work Operation Hope does to end hunger and homeless for those in need in our community and how to ask for donations (not an easy task!). She raised $613, which she presented to Pantry Manager Heather Woelk and Pantry volunteer Kathleen McNamara. We are grateful to students like Kiran for taking the initiative to care for and feed our neighbors in need. Thank you, Kiran, and also to your friends and family who supported you in this endeavor!

Thank you to McKinley Elementary School for its donation of lots of socks 5th grader and Student Council member Mira dropped off the donation today. We appreciate the McKinley community helping keep our clients’ toes cozy this winter

Recently, the Fairfield Early Childhood Center (ECC) held its “Colors for Caring” food drive to benefit Operation Hope. Colors for Caring is the ECC’s collection/donation drive that they do every other month. The staff and children all wear a color on the same day and the children are asked to put their donation (such as a can of food) on the table to practice giving back to others in need in the community. The drive was held across the district PreK programming located at Warde and Stratfield schools. The ECC program provides services to Fairfield students with delays and disabilities as well as preschool experiences for typical peers ages 3 to kindergarten. The ECC feels one is never too young to care, and believes in giving back to the community and helping those in need.

Thank you to the ECC community for feeding and caring for our neighbors in need. We are grateful for these lessons being taught early in life and love our littlest helpers. One day, we look forward to them becoming some of our biggest helpers!