New options this year regarding Middletown Thanksgiving Project

Since 2010,  various groups & businesses,from around the city have come together for the Middletown Community Thanksgiving Project to purchase and assemble baskets of food for people who cannot otherwise afford to prepare a Thanksgiving feast. In  2013 MCTP provided 900 baskets to community members. Baskets are distributed by St. Vincent DePaul at the Salvation Army on Main Street. The bulk of basket's are assembled at Fellowship Church which last year put together over 1,200 lbs of food for donation. Pies can be dropped off until Wednesday for distribution. New this year is the option of assembling a basket for single people in need- rather than just families. Often times, in need individuals have no where to go on the holiday and spend it alone. Individual sized baskets will include turkey breasts rather than whole 15 lb turkeys.


Registration has closed for those in need of a basket this year. Baskets can be picked up Tuesday, Nov. 25 between noon and 3 p.m. Families of two or more will pick up baskets at Fellowship Church, 1002 Saybrook Road. Individuals will pick up baskets at Amazing Grace Food Pantry.

Middletown Community Thanksgiving Project includes the City of Middletown, Cross Street AME Zion Church, Fellowship Church, Heritage Commons, Liberty Bank, Liberty Bank Foundation, Middlesex County Community Foundation, Middlesex Hospital Volunteer Services, Middlesex United Way, Middletown Kiwanis Club, Middletown Police Department, Middletown Public Schools, Middletown Rotary Club, St. Luke's Community Services, St. Vincent De Paul Middletown/Amazing Grace Food Pantry, The Salvation Army, Wadsworth Glen Health Care Center, and Wesleyan University as well as countless others.

There is still time to help! Pies can be dropped off at Fellowship Church on Saybrook Road. If you wish to contribute, checks can be made out to 
"Rotary-MCTP" and sent to MCTP, c/o Fellowship Church, 1002 Saybrook Rd., Middletown, CT 06457. For more information about volunteering or contributing a donation, please Contact Lara SantaMaria at Fellowship Church at 860-346-1181 or MCTP2013@yahoo.com.

United Way Stuff a Cruiser Event

Young Leaders Society holding Holiday Social and Stuff-A-Cruiser Dec. 13

The Middlesex United Way Young Leaders Society is holding a Holiday Social and Stuff-A-Cruiser Toy Drive Thursday, Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m. at Esca Restaurant & Wine Bar, 437 Main Street, Middletown.
Young professionals 40 and under who work or live in Middlesex County are invited to this free event. Light hors d'oeuvres will be provided, and a cash bar will be available with happy hour prices.
Brighten up a child’s holiday season by bringing a new, unwrapped gift for a child age 5-11 and help us stuff a Middletown Police cruiser for children in Middletown. All gifts will benefit children who attend schools in Middletown.Monetary donations for toys will also be accepted.
If you can’t attend on Dec. 13 but want to get involved, you can participate in the toy drive by holding a collection at your workplace or in your neighborhood. For more information about the toy drive, call Middlesex United Way at 860-346-8695.
The event is being sponsored by Attention to Detail (ATD)/Wireless Zone in Middletown, with special thanks to the Middletown Police Department for use of the cruiser.
The Young Leaders Society is a unique and dynamic group providing community involvement, personal development and networking for individuals or couples 40 years of age or younger who live and work in Middlesex County. The mission of the Young Leaders Society is to create opportunities for young professionals to get involved with Middlesex United Way, connect with colleagues and community leaders and give back to advance the common good.

Learn more about the Middlesex United Way Young Leaders Society.
RSVP to the event.

United Way Young Leaders Event February 23, 2013

Young Leaders Society at an upcoming event! Volunteer: BINGO at
One MacDonough Place

Saturday, Feb. 23, 1:30-3 p.m. One MacDonough Place
1 MacDonough Place, Middletown, CT 

Join us for an afternoon of BINGO with residents at One MacDonough Place! One MacDonough Place offers seniors assisted living, personal care and household services in the privacy of their own apartments.

- Are you in? -
 Invite a friend (or two)! It’s as easy as forwarding this email! 
If you would like to attend, RSVP to (860) 346-8695 or jennifer.sprague@www.middlesexunitedway.org Space is limited to the first 10 people who RSVP.

Middlesex United Way Women's Initiative to Hold ANnual Meeting & Valentine's Social

Press Release:

MIDDLETOWN – The Middlesex United Way Women’s Initiative is holding its Annual Meeting & Valentine’s Social at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7 at The Village at South Farms, 645 Saybrook Road, Middletown. Anyone is welcome to attend this free event where you can connect with other women professionals and volunteers.


Featured speaker Anna Wasescha, president of Middlesex Community College, will speak about “Women in Leadership Roles: The Risks and Rewards.” Women’s Initiative chair Jean D’Aquila of D’Aquila & Vollono Law LLC share highlights of the group’s accomplishments, volunteer activities, and grants that were made in 2012. Representatives from Pretty Wings and Community Music School in Centerbrook, both of which have received grants from the Women’s Initiative, will speak about their work and how the Women’s Initiative has supported their mission.

To RSVP for the event, please call Middlesex United Way at (860) 346-8695 or email georgie.leone@middlesexunitedway.org.

The Middlesex United Way Women’s Initiative celebrates the power of women to bring about positive change in our community through philanthropy and volunteer service. The group provides opportunities for women of all ages and backgrounds to invest their time, talents, and treasures in ways that strengthen the lives of women and children in Middlesex County.

Some of the Women’s Initiative’s ongoing activities include a bi-monthly women’s networking breakfast; an annual free financial literacy workshop, annual drives for books, toiletries, and “gently used” purses for local programs working with women and children; and the distribution of small, one-time grants to programs that meet one or more of the group’s focus areas: early childhood development, empowering young women, and financial stability. For more information about the Middlesex United Way Women’s Initiative, visit www.middlesexunitedway.org/wi.

UNITED WAY Point In Time Count of Homeless

January 29th: UNITED WAY Point In Time Count of Homeless: Volunteers needed for homeless count people in our state. The count takes place Tuesday, Jan. 29, from 5:30 to 11 p.m. Information from the count will enable us to gauge the extent of homelessness, determine the services needed to end it, and help leverage federal funding to support those services. The Middlesex County contingent will meet at the YMCA, 99 Union St., Middletown. The evening will begin with orientation and brief training, and volunteers will be assigned to designated areas to located unsheltered people and conduct the survey. To sign up, contact Lisa Callahan at (860) 262-5352 or email lisa.callahan@ct.gov. Follow End In Ten on Facebook 


January Through March Nightly Warming Center: St. Vincent DePaul Middletown with downtown churches have a nightly warming center throughout the winter for the city's homeless people. The warming center will be open nightly from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. The Church of the Holy Trinity will host during January, South Congregational will host during February and First United Methodist will host the warming center in March. This year, St. Vincent de Paul received a $10,000 grant from the city health department and got donations from Middlesex ospital, St. Pius X Church, River Valley Services, Seasons Federal Credit Union and the Liberty Bank Foundation.