Give the Gift of Home this Winter Season 🏡
Everyone deserves a place to call home. Give the gift of home this winter season.
Home is hope.
A safe haven and a comfort zone.
A place to plan a future and to build memories.
A place where we are welcome and can welcome others.
A place where we can truly be ourselves.
As we continue our march through the winter season, we are reminded that homelessness and hunger are the devastating results of many complex events and circumstances. These problems can seem overwhelming. But together, we can make a difference and create positive change.
Give the gift of home this winter season. Thank you. We appreciate your support – today and always.
NCL Class of 2028 Makes Freezer Meals for Pantry
Thanks to National Charity League Inc-Fairfield CT Chapter Class of 2028 for spending some time together to help our neighbors in need. The girls gathered to make trays of lasagna for our Food Pantry’s freezers. Ready to bake freezer meals provide a complete, nutritious meal for individuals and families struggling to put food on the table. Our clients are always grateful for these meals at the end of a long day, and for that, we are grateful for community partners such as NCL Fairfield 
Operation Hope Receives 2023 First County Bank CommunityFirst Grant
We are honored to have been selected as a 2023 recipient of First County Bank Foundation’s annual CommunityFirst Grant Program. The $5,000 grant will be used for our Supportive Affordable Housing Program. Our affordable housing provides clean and safe permanent rental housing for previously homeless families and individuals. The combination of affordable rent and support services helps our tenants to remain in housing and achieve their ongoing goals. This grant is incredibly important to our clients. Thank you to First County Bank and First County Bank Foundation for striving to make a difference in the communities that it serves, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to local charitable needs.
Established in 2001 in honor of the Bank’s 150th anniversary, First County Bank Foundation was created to distribute funds annually to nonprofit organizations that support community and economic development, affordable housing, and programs that support educational enrichment for children and families. As a mutual bank with no shareholders, First County Bank considers grants made by the foundation a means of paying dividends back to the local communities it serves.
Ruscito Resolutions Raises $1,075 for Operation Hope with Tree Pick Ups
What a unique and helpful way to help our neighbors in need, help a small business and help yourself! Triple win 
Keep Paul in mind for other small jobs, such as dump runs, assembling furniture/sheds and other odd jobs. Call or text Paul at 203-767-1582.Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on this Day of Service
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will forever hold a place in the hearts of millions of people around the world. While his messages focused on the immediate need for freedom from racism, discrimination and brutality toward African Americans, Dr. King also used his platform to shed light on global poverty and the need for nations to come together to combat this epidemic. In Dr. King’s Nobel Peace Prize address in 1964 he said, “There is nothing new about poverty. What is new, however, is that we have the resources to get rid of it.”
More than 50 years later, Dr. King’s message still rings true, and unfortunately poverty, which generally leads to hunger and homelessness, continues to permeate our society. But together, we can do something about it, and honor Dr. King by making our small part of the world a better place. Even though we are closed today, you can help us end hunger and homelessness right here at home by doing one of these three things on this Day of Service and at any time:
1. Donate non-perishables and personal care items for our Food Pantry clients and drop off at 636 Old Post Road, M-F, 9am-4:30pm. Our pantry wish list is here.
2. Purchase non-perishables and personal care items from our Amazon wish list here and have them sent directly to us.
3. Make a financial contribution here. $.90 of every dollar received by Operation Hope goes directly to our clients by providing food, housing and supportive counseling:
We cannot take on this task by ourselves and are truly grateful to be part of a community that cares so deeply for its neighbors in need. Thank you 
UI, SCG, and CNG Award Operation Hope Tax Credit Funds through Neighborhood Assistance Act
Operation Hope is fortunate to be a recipient of funding through Connecticut’s Neighborhood Assistance Act (NAA) Tax Credit Program from United Illuminating (UI), Southern Connecticut Gas (SCG) and Connecticut Natural Gas (CNG) – subsidiaries of Avangrid, Inc. Funding will be used to purchase energy-efficient rehab and upgrades to Operation Hope’s affordable housing units. The NAA program is administered by the State of Connecticut through the Department of Revenue Services (DRS). Read the full press release here.
As housing units age, Operation Hope experiences rehab costs that need attention. Required updates include roofs, HVAC systems (heating and air conditioning), windows, and energy efficient bulbs and appliances. Each of these items were part of the energy conservation efforts in line with the NAA tax credits received, and thanks to UI, SCG and CNG, ensure our housing clients have a safe place to live and a roof over their head.
Pictured here is Nadege JeanLouis, Operation Hope’s Affordable Housing Program Manager, accepting the funding.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Closure
- Business office & Pantry (636 Old Post Road) closed Monday, January 15, 2024 (donations are not accepted during business closures)
- Community Kitchen (50 Nichols Street) closed Monday, January 15, 2024
- Business office and Community Kitchen re-open January 16, Pantry reopens January 17
Lights on Lalley Illuminates Night Skies with Hope for 6th Year
Lights on Lalley illuminates the holiday night skies with hope! Thanks to Alex Staikos and the Staikos family for opening their home once again to share the magic of the season and raise money to help our neighbors in need. For now six years in a row, Fairfield Alex Staikos has been illuminating his desire to help our neighbors in need by creating an incredible holiday lights display at his family’s home. Operation Hope is fortunate to be the recipient of 100% of the donations for all six years. Year 1 brought in $175; year 2 brought in $650; year 3, thanks to a very generous match from an anonymous donor, brought in a whopping $2,465; in year 4, Alex raised an astounding $4,850; year 5 brought in $1,000, and this year, $792.97 was raised. The grand total is $9,932.97 donated to Operation Hope over the six years. And this year, Alex won 1st place in the Fairfield Fire Fighters Charitable Foundation “Light Up Fairfield 2023” contest!
The Fairfield light tour continues to be a favorite holiday activity, and the Staikos home is always a featured stop for holiday cheer. And, as Alex is attending Clemson University, we are so happy he has kept the spirit of Christmas alive on Lalley Boulevard despite being away at college for the majority of the holiday season! Thank you to Alex, his family and everyone who donated to Lights on Lalley. We appreciate you helping our neighbors in need and for bringing smiles to the faces of so many of our town’s residents.
Fairfield Girl Scout Troops Donate 200 Dozen Cookies for Client Christmas Baskets
Fairfield Girl Scout Troop 30151 hosted its 7th Annual Cookie Platter Project for Operation Hope in December, making 200 cookie boxes of a dozen cookies each – that’s 2,400 cookies, if you’re counting! Hershey kisses and mini candy canes were also included in these treat boxes that were passed along to our clients along with their Christmas meal baskets. Thanks so much to all Fairfield Girl Scout troops and volunteers around town who provided cookies and treats. The Scouts assembled the boxes at First Church Congregational and delivered them next door to us.
Donate to Fill Our Pantry Shelves this Month
OFFICE & FOOD PANTRY
636 Old Post Road
Fairfield, CT 06824
203-292-5588
[email protected]
OFFICE & DONATION HOURS
Monday - Friday, 9:00am - 5:00pm
(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 06824
203-254-2935
COMMUNITY KITCHEN HOURS
Meals served Monday - Friday:
- Lunch: 11:30am - 1:00pm
- Dinner: 5:30pm - 6:30pm
STAY IN TOUCH