FAITH Food Pantry has joined the social network world, thanks to the efforts of Sandy Hook resident Gary Jeanfaivre, along with FAITH volunteer Nancy Taylor. “I have just helped the FAITH Food Pantry set up a Facebook page, as the volunteers are looking to use it as a way to connect with the community,” Gary tells us. His grandmother, Laura Hewitt, has been a longtime pantry volunteer, says Gary, so he is pretty familiar with what a wonderful group of people operate the local food pantry. Look for lists of what donations are most needed, or how to volunteer, at .www.facebook.com/faithfoodpantrysandyhook

In case you haven’t made it over to St John’s to drop off donations, a collection for FAITH will take place Saturday, October 25, during the Sandy Hook Halloween Walk. A collection bin will be set up in the parking lot of 100-102 Church Hill Road (near PJ’s Laundromat), where participants can drop off donations and pick up a trick or treat bag from members of Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue. Firefighters and ladies auxiliary members will have their own trick or treat location set up for this year’s event.

Congratulations to resident Paul Meisel, who was in Winston-Salem, N.C., the weekend of October 9–11 to pick up one of this year’s North Carolina Children’s Book Awards. Children throughout that state are invited each March to vote for their favorite book from a list of nominated titles. Paul was responsible for the illustrations in David LaRochelle’s The Haunted Hamburger And Other Ghostly Tales, one of 12 books nominated in the Picture Books category. Of 95,982 votes cast this past spring, The Haunted Hamburger received 22,182. David and Paul were among those honored during an award ceremony last weekend, conducted during the fall North Carolina School Library Media Association Conference.

Douglas Calderone, who built and raffled off the large green Adirondack chair, which you probably noticed outside My Place Restaurant for the last month, has found a winner: Carly Goeller of Sandy Hook. Luckily, she won’t have to pick up the giant chair. Doug has made plans to deliver the chair to Carly. The raffle raised more than $500 in support of Reach Newtown, an organization dedicated to “creating meaningful and lasting relationships with our children to help shape the future.” Thanks to Doug for the fundraiser, and congratulations to Carly — and all of her friends who will be able to share the chair with her.

A local landmark has reached the end of its run. A dumpster and a small excavator were parked recently on the Washington Avenue lot that for years housed Alfred Penovi’s Plumbing & Heating Shop. An old New England hay and cattle barn, Mr Penovi’s father converted it for the business shortly after the family moved into Sandy Hook, in the late 1920s. It was well known for the “parts, materials, plumbing, and philosophical advice that could be gotten there,” The Newtown Bee reported in 2010, following Mr Penovi’s death. Often referred to as Penovi’s Palace, over the years it became a repository for plumbing fixtures of all kinds, and a place for a good chat with Al. Since Al’s death, residents have watched the barn slowly collapse upon itself. Goodbye to another bit of Newtown history.

If my paws were a bit more dexterous, I’d be certain to carve a pumpkin for the Great Pumpkin Challenge, which Newtown High School junior Mackenzie Page is bringing back to Main Street for the fourth year. The Great Pumpkin Challenge asks residents to carve a pumpkin, drop it off for display at her home at her 14 Main Street before Halloween, and offer a suggested donation of $5. This year all of the donations will go to The Hole In The Wall Gang Camp, Paul Newman’s nonprofit organization for seriously ill children. Pumpkin drop-off dates and times are Sunday, October 26, from 10 am until 5 pm; and Monday, October 27, through Thursday, October 30, between 3 pm and 7 pm. I hope all my friends with opposable thumbs will get to work for this good cause.

Something spooky is also set to happen on Queen Street this weekend. Newtown Middle School students are at it again, creating scarecrows for the My Favorite Scarecrow Sculpture Contest. Each year eighth grade students are challenged to design and create a “larger than life” scarecrow not only with a theme, but also with the durability to survive inclement weather. Community members vote for a favorite scarecrow, with each vote costing $1. The money raised goes to the top three winning student groups to give to charities of their choice. Voting ballots are available at the school and are printed in this week’s Education section of The Newtown Bee. Submit each vote with $1 to either NMS or at The Bee’s 5 Church Hill Road office. Votes can also be submitted in person to volunteers overseeing the scarecrows on Saturday and Sunday, October 18 and 19, and Saturday, October 26, between 10 am and 4 pm.

Newtowners Jason Carey and Stacy Broughton met at Newtown High School and had their first date at Ferris Acres Creamery years ago. Former employees, Jason and Stacy have had such a connection to the Creamery, Jason felt it was the best place to propose to his girlfriend. The stage was set this past Saturday, with friends hiding with cameras, as Jason and Stacy ordered and received their ice cream cones. In a downpour of rain, Jason intentionally dropped his ice cream allowing him to drop to one knee, only to find Stacy disappeared into the Creamery to get paper towels to help clean up. Upon her return, Stacy was proposed to and accepted, to the joy of Jason and the other patrons of the Creamery!

Fall Book Donation Day, sponsored by the Friends of the C.H. Booth Library, takes place rain or shine on Sunday, October 19, from noon to 5 pm. Drop off your lovingly read or gently used books, CDs, DVDs, and LPs. Volunteers in the back parking lot of the Main Street library will be happy to assist you, and even provide you with a tax receipt, if you so desire. Donations help stock the tables at the Friends’ annual Book Sale in July, the biggest fundraiser of the year to support the library. As much as I love them, I’ve got my whole series of Lilian Braun’s The Cat Who… books ready to drop off. Any questions? Call 203-270-4537. See you there!

I’m The Cat Who… gets the news. You can get the newsiest news, too, if next week you’ll just… Read me again.