Help Newtown This Holiday Season

To the Editor:

The holidays are my favorite time, and every year they are especially gratifying because of the Holiday Basket Program put on by the Newtown Fund. I want to reassure everyone in our community that any contributions to the Newtown Fund are always spent directly in Newtown and that there are no administrative costs to run the fund except for postage and letterhead. Our wonderful board is made up of volunteers who are available for emergency requests from Social Services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We provide funds to help when people fall through the cracks. We pay for medical insurance when someone is incapacitated and can’t get any more help from other sources or when a young person needs extensive dental work and no insurance is available. We have a fuel assistance fund form donations from St Rose and Trinity Churches. Social Services is responsible for screening all candidates.

Because we are set up as a nonprofit entity, the fund can provide the vehicle for approved local fundraisers. We can accept the contributions and write the checks so that your contributions are tax deductible and you know that the money you have so generously given is used for the purpose intended.

We hope that you can help us this year as you have in the past to make the holiday season a happy one for all of the people in this community who really need it.

Delivery Day is at the Sandy Hook School on December 17 this year. We expect to have over 80 families to adopt. If you would like to volunteer that day we can always use help at the wrapping table, in the parking lot loading cars, as hall monitors, and delivering the baskets to our needy families.

We include gift certificates in every basket for gas, shoes, food, etc. We need monetary contributions for these items.

If you believe that you qualify for this assistance, please call Newtown Social Services, 203-270-4330, and fill out an application form as soon as possible.

For more information call Rick Mazzariello at 203-270-9190. Send your contributions to The Newtown Fund, PO Box 641, Newtown. Come and deliver with us on the 17th!

Thank you in advance for your generosity and kindness. Newtown is a wonderful place to live.

Linda Bates

Chairperson

Holiday Basket Program

President,

Newtown Fund

PO Box 641, Newtown                                               November 9, 2011