FOOD PANTRY HELPS BRIDGE THE END-OF-MONTH GAP
(Excerpt from The Reminder. Please follow link to read full story by Janice Steinhagen.)
NORWICH - Lori, a client at Reliance House, was running short on groceries as the last days of January stretched ahead and her food stamps ran low. “The end of the month is tough,” she said.
Lori was at The Salvation Army at 262 Main Street, with Reliance House service coordinator Janet Cartell, taking care of some paperwork so that she could receive a bag of groceries from the agency’s food pantry. The three-day supply of non-perishables like canned vegetables and boxed mixes would help tide Lori and other food pantry clients over for a while.
“They’ve been very supportive,” Cartell said of The Salvation Army’s work in Norwich. She said that clients of Reliance House, a nonprofit agency which assists adults with mental illness, have also received holiday gift baskets from The Salvation Army. “They’re definitely a help to the community,” Cartell said. More details on this food pantry and meet its volunteers...
THE SALVATION ARMY'S NORWICH CORPS VIGIL
PAYS TRIBUTE TO NEWTOWN VICTIMS
Sense of loss still runs deep
(Excerpt from Norwich Bulletin. Please follow link to read full article by Adam Benson.)
NORWICH - Though it ended on an uplifting note, a special Sunday afternoon prayer vigil hosted by The Salvation Army’s Norwich Corps for the victims of last week’s massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School reflected the pain and deep sense of loss that is still felt across the state.
“All of these children are now singing together,” said Maj. Philip Ferreira, Divisional Music Director for The Salvation Army’s Southern New England Division.
As photographs of the 26 victims — 20 of them children — flashed on a small screen, Ferreira led a small congregation in songs of healing and faith. He also recounted anecdotes from a pair of memorial services he attended over the past nine days for two of the dead. Additional details on this touching prayer vigil...
Q&A: NORWICH SALVATION ARMY CAPTAIN JERRY UTTLEY
(Excerpt from the Norwich Bulletin. Please follow link to read full interview by Adam Benson.)
NORWICH — Jerry and Mindy Uttley moved to Norwich from Syracuse, N.Y., and have quickly become part of the fabric of the local fundraising community by way of the Norwich Salvation Army branch. With the holidays approaching, Jerry Uttley recently spoke about the state of the group’s local arm and where the needs are greatest.
Q: What do you think of Norwich in the time you’ve been here?
A: A: I really enjoy Norwich. It’s a very nice town, and there’s just a lot of work that needs to be done in meeting the needs of the community. I see an issue with homelessness and people also not having enough to eat, and we’ve been trying our best to do what we can.
More questions and answers...
ARMY ON CALL
In an emergency . . . you can always count on The Salvation Army!
GRISWOLD – Immediately after Hurricane Sandy hit Connecticut, there were over 600,000 homes without power. Although electricity was restored at a much faster rate than after the freak October storm a year ago, if you were one of the homes with no lights, no heat, no water, and in some cases no food, then it really didn’t seem to matter.
When The Salvation Army’s Captain Jerry Uttley took a phone call from Griswold First Selectman Philip E. Anthony, asking if he could be of any help, Captain Uttley jumped into action. Captain Uttley, who is the Corps Officer of the Norwich Corps, hung up the phone and immediately called Major Steve Lopes at The Salvation Army’s Divisional Headquarters in Hartford. Major Lopes then called on the New London Corps to check on the status of its Emergency Disaster Services canteen (or as they are referred to in The Salvation Army – EDS truck). Bob Heal, EDS Director for the New London Corps, then called Captain Uttley and dedicatedly asked "what, when, and where."
On November 2nd the truck arrived! At 1:00 P.M. The Salvation Army was already serving meals and by dinnertime 262 had been served. During the afternoon, it was a lunch of franks and beans, chips, and assorted drinks such as coffee, water, Gatorade, and more. For dinner, Thanksgiving came early. Turkey was served with mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, and mixed vegetables. Volunteers from the Corps, Jacob and Steve, closed the truck down at 7:00 P.M. and headed back to New London for another day. Captain Uttley reflected, "We are grateful for the manner in which everyone responded so quickly. We all partner together to help fulfill our mission of helping others."
NORWICH CORPS SERVES MONTHLY COMMUNITY
MEAL
NORWICH – The need keeps
growing! The Norwich Corps' Community Meal, which takes place on the second
Sunday of each month, starting at 2:00 PM, had over 120 participants this past
Sunday, October 14th. What began in July with a small group of 82 has already
grown to over 120 participants who can put the money saved in receiving a free
meal toward meeting other basic needs. Norwich Corps Officers Captains Jerry
and Mindy Uttley have enjoyed serving this growing "community group." "It's a
wonderful opportunity to reach out to the community... to help people that need
a hand just to stay even. This meal is an opportunity to provide a social
service and minister to those who need it," noted Captain Mindy. A sampling of past menus and details on the mobile canteen...
NORWICH SALVATION ARMY KIDS ARE READY Back to School Shopping Spree at Walmart a huge success!(In Photo: Major Steve Loveless with the first group of shoppers that completed the "shopping spree" while waiting for the next group to complete their tasks.)
NORWICH – Forty kids were treated to a “Back to School – Shopping Spree at Walmart” by The Salvation Army of Norwich. Norwich Community officers, Majors Steve and Paula Loveless and a crew of adult volunteers led the charge into the Lisbon Walmart Superstore with a $75 dollar gift card for each child. Parents dropped the children off at the Corps on Main Street where they waited patiently for the big yellow bus to arrive and begin the “Shopping Spree.” When they arrived at their
destination, many of the shopping lists were filled with new sneakers, shirts, skirts and pants. Pens, pencils, crayons, rulers and notebooks were also in big demand to make sure that the kids would be able to start the school year off right.
Major Steve Loveless said, “This is a really great program. This is something tangible. You don’t have to wait for the results. You see the smiles on the kids faces and you know they are thrilled. We thank God that we are able to help these kids start the year well supplied and well dressed.”