Time To Help WIN Fill Thanksgiving Baskets

By Shannon Hicks

Nearly 70 families benefited last year thanks to the efforts of Women Involved in Newtown (WIN) and its annual Thanksgiving Basket Program. WIN works in conjunction with Newtown Social Services to provide a Thanksgiving meal to those in need, as well as food and other supplies to hold them over through Christmas.

Donations have in the past included not only food, but cleaning supplies, personal hygiene items, dog and cat food, toys, “anything people can think of,” co-chair Mandy Monaco told The Bee last year.

Thanks to young adults, including Confirmands from some of Newtown’s churches, WIN has enough volunteers for its receiving and sorting day.

It could use help again, however, filling the baskets that will be going to homes in Newtown and Sandy Hook. With Thanksgiving only about two weeks away, that means WIN’s Thanksgiving project is kicking into high gear. Now.

Co-chair Cyndy DaSilva reminds anything who is thinking about adopting a family that “family” has a wide definition.

“We have more families than ever, in the traditional definition of mother and/or father and children,” she said this week, “but ‘family’ can also mean a single person. We have a number of single senior citizens, in fact. We also have a large number of couples who are looking for some help.

“We can help match groups, families, organizations, and even individuals with a family that will work best for their budget,” she promised.

In addition to adopting families, residents can also donate funds or some items for the program. Donations can be mailed to WIN, PO Box 286, Newtown CT 06470.

“Those funds will be used to purchase perishable items,” Ms DaSilva explained. “Anything left over, we’ll use to help someone else in town or we’ll hold on to it until the spring and our Easter Baskets Program.

“We try to keep our ears to the ground so that we can help as many people as possible,” she said.

WIN and its volunteers will be organizing all of the donations, which will be delivered or picked up, on Friday, November 20. Residents who would like to donate items for the baskets can drop them off that day between noon and 4 pm. The group has again secured the use of the lower meeting room at Newtown United Methodist Church, 92 Church Hill Road in Sandy Hook.

To adopt a family or find out how to help WIN’s Thanksgiving Basket Program, contact Cyndy DaSilva at 364-1061 or Mandy Monaco at 426-5600.