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FWMS Raises $507 in Penny War

Thanks so much to the students, staff and PTSA of Fairfield Woods Middle School for running a super fun Penny War last month to benefit Operation Hope. The fundraiser brought in $507 and 7S was the winning team! ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿฝ They won the chance to Dunk the Dean! Thank you to all the families that contributed and to Dean Robinson for being a great sport! We love when school communities help our neighbors in need! ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿฝ๐Ÿ’™

Office, Food Pantry & Community Kitchen Closed for 4th of July

Operation Hope’s business office, Food Pantry and Community Kitchen will be closed Thursday, July 4, in honor of the 4th of July. The business office, Food Pantry and Community Kitchen will resume regular hours on Friday, July 5. Have a safe and happy holiday! ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธย โค๏ธ๐Ÿค๐Ÿ’™ย ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ

Trinity Solar Hits Goal of $25,000 Raised for Operation Hope

Wow! This is so exciting! Thanks to our friend Nick’s recent install of solar, we will hit our $25,000 goal with community partner Trinity Solar at the end of July! ๐Ÿ™Œ
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It’s a win-win-win! Every install 1) helps the homeowner save money; 2) promotes renewable energy sources โ™ป๏ธ๐Ÿ’ก; and 3) every install raises $1,000 for our neighbors in need ๐Ÿ™
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Our deepest gratitude goes to Lori Scala and Anthony Venditto aka Mr. Sunshine, both from Trinity Solar, for always going above and beyond to make this community partnership a success โ˜€๏ธ
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Let’s keep going! Sign up to speak with a Trinity Solar rep here to see if solar works for you! We receive $100 for every consult and $1,000 for every install. This is a wonderful way to help maintain and improve our affordable housing units ๐Ÿก

Happy Juneteenth!

Happy Juneteenth! Operation Hope celebrates this important holiday, which recognizes the emancipation of US slaves. As we celebrate freedom, let us also work to make it a true reality for all.
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โ€œFreedom is the open window through which pours the sunlight of the human spirit and human dignity.โ€ โ€“ Herbert Hoover

Our business office, Community Kitchen and Food Pantry will be closed today in recognition of Juneteenth National Independence Day. We will resume normal operations on Thursday, June 20. Donations will be accepted once reopened. Thank you.

Seeking Volunteers to Make Community Kitchen Dinners – JULY, AUGUST & SEPTEMBER Dates Open

Our Community Kitchen is in dire need of volunteers to provide dinner (or dinner components) for dates this summer, and in particular, July 5. For July 5, please sign up to make and deliver something here. We serve up to 50 guests who come to us hungry, and for many of our guests, this will be the only meal they eat that day. Dates where we need meals prepared and delivered:

  • July 5, 16 & 23
  • August 2, 8, 20 & 27
  • September 12, 17 & 24

Please send us an email here if you can help. We rely on so many generous volunteers in the community and surrounding area to prepare and donate these meals. This is a fun volunteer opportunity for families, book clubs, friends, clubs, teams, Scouts, etc. We will respond with further details and answer any of your questions. Quick overview of what we need:

  • Meal components to feed 50 people and be fully cooked upon drop off
  • Drop off at our Community Kitchen at 50 Nichols Street, Fairfield between 9:30am-3:00pm on day of assigned date
  • Meal components include a protein main course, a starch, a vegetable, salad & dressing
  • Beverages (gallon jugs of tea & lemonade are always welcome)
Thank you for considering and for helping feed our neighbors in need this summer and throughout the year!

Happy Father’s Day!

We wish a wonderful day of blessings to all fathers here today and beyond, and to the people who may not be fathers but serve as role models, cheerleaders, surrogate parents and more to those they love. Happy Fatherโ€™s Day!

Connecticut Seaport Car Club Show A Success!

The Connecticut Seaport Car Club‘s 8th Annual Antique and Classic Car Show held last Sunday at Ludlowe High School in Fairfield was a huge success! Hosted by Fairfield Parks & Recreation, this fun for all ages event had a stellar turn out of over 150 cars! Over 100 trophies were awarded to participants! Thank you to everyone who participated and came out for a great day, and an especially big thank you to CT Seaport Car Club for selecting Operation Hope as the beneficiary of the show. We are grateful

Also, we’d like to thank the many car show sponsors, contributors and volunteers:

And to these wonderful folks from the Connecticut Seaport Car Club:

  • Club President Lissa Seeberger
  • All of its past and present officers
  • The many volunteers
  • The publicity team made up of Gwen & Parker Ackley

Pictured here: Joe Pramer of Morgan Stanley handing a $500 sponsor check to CT Seaport Car Club member Gwen Ackley, who in turn handed the check to Michelle Stearns, Operation Hope’s Volunteer Coordinator.

Columbia University Local Alumni Group Holds Food Drive

Thanks so much to everyone who shopped at the Kings Hwy Cutoff Stop & Shop in Fairfield on Saturday, June 8 and supported the drive sponsored by Columbia University Fairfield County Alumni. We appreciate you adding some extra groceries to your purchase to help us stock our pantry shelves for the summer ๐Ÿ›’ It may seem like we are flush with pantry items from the recent postal food drive, but we care for a lot of neighbors in need, and the non perishables๐Ÿฅซand cleaning products ๐Ÿงป disappear quickly, especially during the summer months! โ˜€๏ธ
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We are grateful for the Columbia University Fairfield County Alumni for their efforts to organize the drive, supply volunteers and deliver the donations to help feed and care for those most in need in our community ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿฝ

Young Friends Gather to Make Freezer Meals for Pantry Clients

Recently, we had some young chefs gather to make some delicious freezer-ready meals for our neighbors in need. The chefs, along with their moms Jamie Braden and Katie Holley, were Emma (12), Ava (11), Elodie, Hailey and Alexandra (9), and Abigail (7). The girls made 6 trays of pasta and meatballs as a baked casserole and 3 trays of mac and cheese loaded with hidden veggies. These take and bake meals are some of the pantry items our clients most appreciate. After a long day, it’s so convenient to pull from the freezer and bake when needed to offer their families a nutritious and filling meal. We’ve also used these take and bake meals in our Community Kitchen to feed our guests when we’re in need of last minute meals. They really are a blessing!

According to the moms, the girls were so excited to be in the kitchen cooking meals for others! We love that the girls took their own initiative to help those in need, as this was just a group of friends gathering to see how they can make a difference, it was not associated with any organization. Thank you, girls! You are shining lights in our community.

We happily welcome anyone who’d like to make a meal or two for us to stash in the Pantry and Community Kitchen freezers. Contact us here for details.ย 

OFFICE & FOOD PANTRY


636 Old Post Road

Fairfield, CT 06824
203-292-5588
[email protected]

OFFICE & DONATION HOURS

SUMMER HOURS (July 5 - August 30, 2024)
Monday - Thursday, 9:00am - 5:00pm; Friday, 9:00am - 1:00pm
(donations accepted until 4:30pm)
Please do not leave donations at the door when the office is closed.

PANTRY HOURS

  • Monday, Wednesday & Friday:
    10:00am - 12:00pm
  • Thursday: 4:00pm - 6:00pm

OUTREACH & COMMUNITY KITCHEN

50 Nichols Street
Fairfield, CT
ย 06824
203-254-2935

COMMUNITY KITCHEN HOURS

Meals served Monday - Friday:

  • Lunch: 11:30am - 1:00pm
  • Dinner: 5:30pm - 6:30pm