St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Hebron monthly community dinners serve 150 to 200 meals each event, put together by its hard working fundraising committee and volunteers. Through these dinners, a portion of each meal sold goes towards supporting a local charity or organization. It allows St. Peter’s to give back to the community, and help those who are in need.
November’s dinner went towards supporting the Windham No Freeze Hospitality Center located at 75 Bridge Street in Willimantic. The center provides a warm place to sleep and shelter for the homeless during the cold winter months. They provide a vital and needed service to the community.
Robert Mangiafico, one of the vestry members at St. Peter’s, went to visit the center and presented the donation to Leigh Duffy, Executive Director of the No Freeze shelter. “I was amazed at how much the center was able to provide to those in need” said Robert Mangiafico. “From its private entrance to provide its patrons a discreet way to enter the building, to its many services such as beds, a shower, a hot cup of coffee, a phone call, or needed items, the No Freeze center plays a key role in helping those in the community that have nowhere to go.”
Open each night from November 1st through April, the center helps provide shelter for 30-40 adults per night. During the day, they offer things like a hot shower, access to a phone and fax, and the ability to get help from various departments and organizations. Leigh Duffy explained “It’s often difficult for those in need to keep appointments and get to various locations for additional services and help. We have become an access point for helping people needing shelter to connect to housing and other needed services.”
In addition to the shelter and help they provide, the Windham No Freeze Hospitality center is working to end homelessness. Throughout this past summer and fall, The No Freeze as part of the Northeast Coordinated Access Network has worked tirelessly to help provide permanent housing for people in the community struggling with homelessness. They were able to assist over 60 people obtain housing. “Obtaining housing is the first step in the process for the homeless, providing them the stability needed to overcome their current situation” said Leigh.
The Windham No Freeze Hospitality center depends on the community to provide donations, needed items, and volunteers. Donations may be mailed in or dropped off at the center Monday through Thursday between 1 and 4 PM. St. Peter’s is glad to be a small part of providing donations in various forms to help those in need.
More information about the No Freeze center may be found on their website at www.windhamnofreeze.com
More information about St. Peter’s may be found at www.stptereshebron.com
This press release appeared in the Rivereast News Bulletin in December 2015.