News & Events
Service dog Rosie among volunteers fetching prestigious service awards
The Day - During the semi-monthly Thames Valley Council for Community Action Retired Senior Volunteer Program Veterans’ Coffeehouse, Congressman Joe Courtney and AmeriCorps CEO Michael Smith presented Rosie with a Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award, a pin and medal, for volunteering 598 hours in the last two years as a therapy dog, offering comfort, support and companionship to community members.
The “Secret Sauce” to Greater Impact.
SVP Connecticut - Dr. Monette Ferguson is a powerhouse leader and a vital member of the SVP’s Board of Directors. She works tirelessly to close the opportunity gap in CT as she fights against generational poverty and racial inequity. Dr. Ferguson has worked in the nonprofit sector for almost 20 years and currently serves as Executive Director for Alliance for Community Empowerment, an urban community action agency. She was born and raised in Bridgeport CT and says that it is...
Mobile food pantry’s weekly visits offer lifeline to Meriden residents
Record Journal - Each Thursday, a truck filled with fresh produce arrives in Meriden with enough food to distribute to around 200 people. The truck belongs to Connecticut Foodshare’s Mobile Food Pantry program, which partners with New Opportunities of Greater Meriden and Mount Hebron Baptist Church to provide free, fresh and healthy food to community members in need.
New London, Groton school meals programs will feed Norwich children this summer
The Day - During Friday’s online call, state Rep. Derell Wilson, D-Norwich, expressed concern that there was no free summer meals site in heavily populated Taftville, where many low-income families live. Deborah Monahan, executive director at the Thames Valley Council for Community Action, offered to have her agency, which runs a childcare center in Taftville, provide meals in Taftville.
Community Renewal Team Will be Providing Summer Meals to Kids
FOX 61 - CRT's Director of Nutrition Nancy Isa joined Fox 61 morning show to discuss CRT’s summer meal program and gave helpful nutrition tips for the summer heat.
The Community Fund for Women & Girls Awards $190,000 to Economic Security Programs for Women
The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven - The Community Fund for Women & Girls awarded CAANH $20,000 to support the expansion of the Single Mothers Actively Reaching the Top (SMART) program, which provides single mothers with resources and services focused on increasing their level of self-sufficiency and economic security.
More people in Central CT turned to Tax Assistance Program in 2023
CT by the Numbers - In a collaborative initiative between United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut, The Village for Families & Children and Human Resources Agency of New Britain, Inc. (HRA), more than 13,500 tax filers—a 26% increase over last year—received free tax preparation and filing services from hundreds of IRS-certified volunteer tax preparers. Those efforts resulted in nearly $20 million in refunds and credits being returned to Connecticut communities thanks to the 2022 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)...
Dozens “Taste The World” at Sherman Fest
New Haven Independent - Tabling near the food trucks were community health workers Simone Wilson and Lacole Floyd with the Community Action Agency of New Haven (CAANH). CAANH offers multiple services to New Haven residents, including nutrition services with their emergency food pantry, case management services for people who are housing insecure or homeless, and energy assistance through the CT Energy Assistance Program, which gives heating assistance to households in East Haven, Hamden, New Haven, North Haven, and West Haven.
Hartford’s crisis response team responded to over 900 call in a year. Here’s how it works
Hartford Courant - The HEARTeam, a coalition of Capital Region Mental Health Center, Wheeler Clinic, and Community Renewal Team, is marking the program’s first year in the city, is composed of dozens of highly trained clinicians, social workers, community health workers, and peer responders. They are deployed to situations where non-law enforcement intervention can be most effective, including mental health crises and substance use. Upon receiving a call to 911, emergency dispatchers assess the situation and send HEARTeam responders to assist...