Stonington Feeds Stonington
When local resident Nicole Jones reached out with an idea that could help not only support local restaurants, but also residents, we knew we had to find a way to support this local volunteer effort. Luckily, our team at Human Services are always up for a challenge, no matter how busy they are. What started as a simple idea has turned into an amazing local initiative.
Stonington Feeds Stonington provides support to our local restaurants during this difficult time, while also providing meals to residents in need. Many local residents are feeling the impact of COVID, both financially and emotionally. SFS model is simple and effective. Community members make donations via the SFS that are then used to purchase gift cards from local restaurants. From there, SFS volunteers provide those gift cards to the Stonington Department of Human Services to ensure they get in to the hands of those that need them most. 100% of donations will go to this cause. Every dollar helps us make a difference within our own community. SFS is not a non-profit organization, just a group of people from the community looking to help support our community in this time. From the launch of SFS in late March through the summer this local effort has raised $34,000, which have gone to purchase over 1,500 gift cards that were delivered to local residents (see impact as of summer 2020 below). In addition to direct outreach to residents Stonington Human Services was already aware could benefit from receiving a gift card, residents were also encouraged to share nominations for individuals and families that might benefit from this small gesture of kindness from fellow members of the community. SFS has also inspired three other communities to create their own local initiative, two in Connecticut and one in North Carolina!
$34kTotal Donations 30+Restaurants Supported 1.5kGift Cards Purchased 3.4k Meals Donated
Being volunteer based, the organization took a hiatus over the fall, but seeing the need as we enter the winter season the group has pulled together for another round of fundraising. Yesterday (December 11, 2020), SFS shared this message on their Facebook page and within 24 hours has raised an additional $2,200! We wanted to say thank you to everyone who has shared information about SFS, donated, or nominated a resident in need. Please keep helping to get the word out about this amazing local initative. To learn more or get involved please visit: stoningtonfeedsstonington.com. You can also reach out to us in the First Selectman's office or at Human Services.
In the early weeks of COVID-19 impacting Stonington, the stress of an uncertain future for so many in our Town was evident. From small business owners grappling with how they would protect what they had sacrificed so much to build, to a staggering increase in our families wondering when or if work would come back to them. This led them to seek services of support they had never had to access before. What started as a small and simple idea to help a few businesses and families in need, has spiraled in to a community wide effort to come together to support each other.- Nicole Jones, Founder SFS
This initiative has been a bright spot in a very difficult time for many of our Residents. There has been a sharp surge in Residents reaching out for help as this crisis is far from over for them. Many face a difficult reality that their work may not come back as it was before, or at all given the large number of service industry personnel and small business owners our town is comprised of. The outpouring of support from neighbors looking to help their neighbors has helped so many people feel that people truly care, and they are not alone in this.- Leanne Theodore, Director Stonington Human Services