This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

First Impression

Thank you to everyone who has extended a hand or a smile during my first few weeks on the job here in Ridgefield.  I am now nearly a month into the job and I am learning a lot about what is important to Ridgefield residents and what makes you tick.  As the saying goes, you only get one chance at a first impression...

I’d like to share with you my first impression of Ridgefielders and I’d like to focus on one resource and characteristic that I have seen exist all across Ridgefield in many sectors. I have witnessed this resource consistently since I first stepped into this town.  Its your GENEROSITY.

The warm welcomes and the offers to help have been constantly flowing, since I met and thanked my first donor at the food pantry who was dropping off non-perishables.  Since then, the giving has just seemed to continue to flow all around.

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As the Social Services Department does not have a programming budget, ALL of the assistance we provide our residents; and your neighbors in fact comes from you.  There are many critical needs for many residents that would go unmet without this community’s thoughtfulness and willingness to share resources.  

During my first week I saw no fewer than 10 individuals or moms with their kids dropping off food.  Several boys from the Ridgefield Community Volunteers then asked if they could drop off several car loads of food they had gotten during a food drive done over social media.  (Someone was even thoughtful enough to pack chocolate bars, marshmallows and graham crackers.)  No sooner had we thanked them for helping those in need, than the owner of a local store stopped in to drop off a check for the food pantry he had collected from his customers’ change near his register.  While I was thanking him, more people dropped off food.  I capped off my first week by visiting the mobile food Bank truck on Halpin Lane, where nearly one hundred local residents received fresh produce, milk, eggs and more.  This service is offered in coordination between the CT Food Bank and a local anonymous donor.

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As week one ended and week two began, the flow of generosity continued.  A class from Veteran’s Park school dropped off food items they had collected at their food drive, as well as money they had accumulated from cashing in on bottle deposits.  Next a girl scout troop dropped off cookies and soon after, another Girl Scout troop dropped off more food.  Next it was another local not for profit who dropped off a donation to help kids attend summer camp.  Beyond food, my office has fielded calls with offers for everything from clothes to labor to do light maintenance and more.

While many are likely aware that this is a giving community, you might not be aware about the important role that volunteering plays in our lives.  Giving and volunteering has been linked to such things as better self-esteem, better overall health and well-being, lower rates of depression, increased community connection, and more.  These benefits are felt across all ages and all sectors of community.  If you are familiar with the www.search-institute.org 40 Asset model, one might also suggest that the more “service to the community” we engage in, the more likely we are to have better grades, healthier families and a healthier community as a whole.

Its important for the community to know that the Social Services Department can’t thank YOU enough for your giving spirit and willingness to help.  All donations of food, gift cards, and money go directly to help those residents in need, and since I sit across from them and hold the doors for them as they exit the pantry with grocery bags filled with food, I can tell you they can’t thank you enough.

And I can’t thank you enough for welcoming me to town with open arms and a warm heart.

If you know someone who is in need of social service assistance or someone who’d like to volunteer or donate, please contact the Director of Social Services, Tony Phillips, LCSW at 203-431-2777 or Karen Gaudian at 203-431-2754.  I'll also invite you to "like" us on facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ridgefield-Social-Services/ to hear about current needs and programs being offered.

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