Blog - Operation Hope of Fairfield

Halloween Saturday Walkthroughs at Henry Hollow to Support Operation Hope

Oct 20, 2023

Fun Family Halloween Walkthroughs at Henry Hollow, 45 Henry Street, Fairfield, 6-8pm, this Saturday, October 21 and next Saturday, October 28 for Operation Hope! With so many rainy Saturdays behind us, our friends at Henry Hollow have not been able to open so let’s cross our fingers and toes that the rain will stay away the last two Saturdays in October!

Please bring a suggested donation to this family-friendly Halloween walkthrough at Henry Hollow. Our spookiest thanks to the Wilson family for this creative and fun way to help our neighbors in need! Suggested donations:

Oatmeal & cereal
Peanut butter & jelly
Baking mixes, jello & pudding
Rice & pasta side dishes
Canned chicken (and other meats)
Pancake mix & syrup
Cookies & crackers
Pasta sauce
Chili & stew
Ramen & ramen cups
Ensure & Boost
Deodorant & shaving supplies
Cleaning products

Food Drive @ Will Evans LIVE at FTC StageOne

Oct 18, 2023

Join @willevansmusic of Barefoot Truth on Saturday, November 25 at 7:45pm (doors open @ 7pm) at FTC’s StageOne for a night of fantastic live music. Purchase tickets here. Will Evans is hosting a food drive to benefit Operation Hope’s Food Pantry to help feed families in need this holiday season. Please bring non-perishable food items to the show to donate. And come meet other #KindFolk fans! Join Will’s ‘Kind Folk Fan Group’ on Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/kindfolk

Will Evans is a conscious roots musician of environment, hope & inclusion. Evans displays technical mastery of live-looping in his shows that include the didgeridoo, ‘hand pan’ drum, percussive beatboxing, acoustic guitar, and layers of soulful vocals. Special guest Hayley Jane is opening for Will Evans. Thanks to Will for including our neighbors in need in his heart and mind!

Thank you for Supporting Operation Hope’s Golf Outing!

Oct 12, 2023

On Monday, October 2, a group of enthusiastic supporters of Operation Hope gathered together on a gorgeous fall day at the stunning Country Club of Fairfield for Operation Hope’s annual Golf Outing to tee up to end hunger and end homelessness in our community. With your support, we can continue to help provide clinical support, housing affordability, food and hope for the future for those experiencing hunger and homelessness today.

We extend our deepest appreciation to our sponsors: Lunch Sponsor Turner Construction Company, Reception Sponsor Global Infrastructure Partners, Putting Contest Sponsor United Security Inc., Beverage Sponsor The DiNardo-Aiello Family Fund, Greens Sponsor Webster Private Bank; Birdie Sponsors: Harry’s Wine & Liquor Market, EC Scott Group, M&T Bank; Hole Sponsors: The Fucigna Family, Palmer’s Electric Motors & Pumps. Also thanks to our generous raffle prize donors.

Everyone who made our Golf Outing possible knocked it out of the park, or course, this year! Thank you for pulling together to make the event a success: Golf Outing Co-Chairs and Board Members Mark Scott and Peter DiDimenico; Former Board Secretary, current Finance Committee member and Club sponsor Tim Clark; Country Club of Fairfield staff including General Manager Tim Minahan, Golf Pro Eric Seindel, Clubhouse Manager Josue Alban; Operation Hope staff, Board Members and volunteers; and Mike Lauterborn/Fairfield HamletHub for photos. A very special thanks to Board Member Sharon Risley and Suzanne Francis for sharing their time and talents with us.

The event promised a day “filled with fundraising, fun and great golf” – and it delivered on all of that, and more. Visit the Facebook post here to see the photos from the day (courtesy of Fairfield HamletHub).

We are grateful to you as we continue to rely on your support now, more than ever. The demand for food and services continues to increase tremendously. We are filling the needs of our regular individuals and families, elderly, disabled, as well as the unemployed, right here in our own town. You are giving a vulnerable population the opportunity for positive and lasting change – and directly breaking the cycle of homelessness. Thank you – and we look forward to seeing you at next year’s Golf Outing!

Girl Scout Troop 30447 Makes “Birthday Boxes” for Pantry Clients

Oct 11, 2023

Thanks to Girl Scout Troop 30447 from Riverfield Elementary School! These 5th graders made birthday boxes / celebration kits for our clients to pick up in the pantry. The “Birthday in a Box” contains a cake tray, box cake mix, can of soda as a substitute for eggs and oil, frosting, sprinkles, candles, napkins, decorations, and a birthday card. Celebrating birthdays and special occasions can be a challenge when you have limited means to do so. Thanks so much to Troop 30447 for helping our clients celebrate their birthdays and big (or small) moments in a special way!

Closed Today for Indigenous Peoples Day

Oct 9, 2023

In observance of Indigenous Peoples Day, our office at 636 Old Post Road, as well as our Food Pantry, will be closed today, Monday, October 9. The office will reopen for regular hours, 9am-5pm, Tuesday, October 10 and the Food Pantry will resume regular service, 10am-12pm, Wednesday, October 11. Donations will be accepted once the office reopens; please do not leave them unattended and while the office is closed. Thank you.

Thank You Taste of Fairfield!

Oct 7, 2023

We would like to wish Fairfield Moms a wonderful Taste of Fairfield on Sunday! Last year, we were fortunate to be the beneficiary of the raffle prize portion of Taste of Fairfield. Thanks to everyone’s generosity, we raised $1,155 to help our neighbors in need with food, housing and basic necessities. We are excited for this year’s beneficiary – Norma Pfriem Breast Cancer Center – and how timely in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We wish them a wonderful event!

Pictured here are Fairfield Moms’ founders Jessica McCormack and Amber Smith, Fairfield Lifestyle Magazine Publisher Bruce Bernstein, and from Operation Hope, Executive Director Carla Miklos, Volunteer Coordinator Michelle Stearns and Marketing Associate Sonal Rajan.

Our deepest appreciation goes to Fairfield Moms’ founders Jessica McCormack and Amber Smith, Fairfield Lifestyle Magazine Publisher Bruce Bernstein for selecting Operation Hope as the 2022 beneficiary, the event patrons for their support and all of the local businesses for donating generous raffle prizes:

2 Waves & The Sun
21 Seeds Tequila
Aquila’s Nest Vineyards
Arbikie Distillery
Artisan Southport
Barcelona Wine Bar
Be Chocolat
Black Rock Social House
Blue + Berries
Bonkers Cupcakes
Delamar
Equinox
Fairfield Rum
Fifth State Distillery
Feast & Fettle
Gingko Cuisine
Grace & Co
Hanesie
hip V Jewelry
Hoax Brewing
Isla & Co
Italian Kitchen
Hub & Spoke
JB Percival
Kitchen Melissa
La Plage
Layla’s Falafel
Little Pub
Luna’s Cauldron
Mine Hill Distillery
New England Brewing
Next Century Spirits
Nordic Fish
Priva Med Spa
Post Oak BBQ
Primo Pizza
R2Glass
Sasha Drexler Dentistry

Closed for Indigenous Peoples Day

Oct 6, 2023

In observance of Indigenous Peoples Day, our office at 636 Old Post Road, as well as our Food Pantry, will be closed Monday, October 9. The office will reopen for regular hours, 9am-5pm, Tuesday, October 10 and the Food Pantry will resume regular service, 10am-12pm, Wednesday, October 11. Donations will be accepted once the office reopens; please do not leave them unattended and while the office is closed. Thank you.

Help Us Stock Our Pantry Shelves in October

Oct 3, 2023

Please consider helping us stock our Food Pantry to help our neighbors in need this month. Our most pressing needs are cash, checks and grocery store gifts cards, which allow us to purchase fresh produce, dairy and meat for our clients. Regular sized items (not bulk) appreciated. Drop off at our pantry M-F, 9am-5pm at 636 Old Post Road; there’s a drop off area to the left of the building. Please ring the bell and someone will greet you. Please do not leave donations unattended and when the office is closed. Monetary donations are always welcome so we can purchase exactly what we need for our clients, donate here. Or, feel free to purchase from our Amazon wish list here and your donation will be shipped directly to the pantry. Thank you!

– CASH, CHECKS, GROCERY STORE GIFT CARDS (to buy perishables)

– Canned fruit

– Pasta sides & rice dishes

– Pasta sauce

– Sugar, flour & oil

– Ground coffee – regular, decaf & instant

– Hot chocolate / cocoa

– Canned chicken & SPAM

– Cereal & oatmeal

– Toiletries

– Cleaning products

– Dried potatoes

– Gravy

– Jelly & honey
– Pancake mix & syrup

Burn Boot Camp Collects Toilet Paper for Pantry

Oct 3, 2023

Thank you to Burn Boot Camp-Fairfield for this abundance of toilet paper This is truly amazing, thank you so much for helping stock our pantry with this necessity! SNAP benefits do not cover paper products so having toilet paper to give to our clients is greatly appreciated!

Fore! Today Is Our Annual Golf Outing!

Oct 2, 2023

What a gorgeous day to play golf and do good! ⛳️ We welcome our sponsors and guests for today’s Annual Golf Outing at Country Club of Fairfield, and wish them a wonderful day! Many thanks to the club and to our generous sponsors for making today possible: