Filling in the Blanks

‘It’s Going To Feed Thousands’: Filling In The Blanks Earns $100,000 IMPACT Grant

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When Tina Kramer and Shawnee Knight founded the nonprofit organization Filling in the Blanks in 2013, their mission was to feed as many children facing food insecurity as possible. 

Fast forward to more than one decade later, and Filling in the Blanks is one of two Fairfield County nonprofits to receive a major grant. The $100,000 “IMPACT Fairfield County” grant is “a big deal,” according to Knight. “It’s going to provide 175,000 pounds of food to families, so we’ll be able to do seven additional distributions next year,” she said. “It’s really important to the families, it’s going to feed thousands.”

Kramer, Knight, Filling in the Blanks volunteers, state legislators and representatives from IMPACT attended a check presentation ceremony at the nonprofit’s Norwalk packing and fulfillment center. 

The beloved organization has sourced, packaged and delivered more than 2 million weekend meals to children. 

That caught the eye of IMPACT co-presidents Jenny San Jose and Kristen Rosenbaum. IMPACT encourages women to engage in local philanthropy through deeper knowledge and active participation in grantmaking.

Around Town

‘We’re Here Today Because They Lived’: Standing-Room-Only Crowd Attends Annual Memorial Day Ceremony

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Though it may not feel like the United States is at war, the U.S. Armed Forces are deploying and fighting at home, abroad, “and often on a moment’s notice,” according to U.S. Army veteran and New Canaan resident MyLinh Brewster Shattan. Addressing a crowd gathered in the Town Hall Meeting Room for the annual Memorial Day ceremony, Brewster Shattan noted that she has attended two military funerals and a unit memorial in the last nine months. 

The parents of two of the deceased—a 24-year-old woman serving as scout platoon leader with the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and a 38-year-old man on board a UH-60 Black Hawk deployed after the Hamas attacks on Israel—are friends of Brewster Shattan. “Both parents and their children—all six of them served in the U.S. military,” Brewster Shattan told the standing-room-only crowd at Town Hall, gathered there instead of Lakeview Cemetery because the annual Memorial Day Parade had been canceled due to expected rain. 

“What is the purpose of Memorial Day? To honor them. To honor the fallen,” she said, adding that we honor them “because they lived.”

“We honor Americans who gave their all from the revolution through Vietnam and current conflicts,” Brewster Shattan said.

Around Town

Memorial Day Parade Canceled; Ceremony at Town Hall [UPDATE]

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UPDATE 6:55 a.m. Monday

Town officials canceled the Memorial Day Parade due to expected rain. There’s limited space at Town Hall for the ceremony led by VFW Post 653 at 10 a.m.

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Officials from New Canaan Fire Company No. 1 are reminding residents that after the Memorial Day parade and ceremony, they’re hosting the community for a barbecue at the firehouse on Main Street. The lower bay of the firehouse is open to the public and free hot dogs are available for anyone who wants them, usually starting around 11:15 a.m., according to volunteer firefighter Steven Kryger. “It’s a great chance to drop in, get a picture with our fire trucks, step inside the station, eat a hot dog and an ice cream sandwich, and meet some town firefighters,” he said.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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New Canaan Police are investigating a complaint of a package stolen from a Huckleberry Hill Road home’s mailbox, reported at 7:27 p.m. Tuesday. 

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Congratulations to the NCHS girls varsity tennis team on notching an FCIAC title by defeating Greenwich High School 4-3. Led by coach Catherine Walker, they will head into the state tournament this weekend. ***

The 2024 New Canaan Old Timers Golf Outing will be held Tuesday, June 25 at Fairchild Wheeler Golf Course in Fairfield. The ​New Canaan Old Timers Association’s outing benefits the Vin Iovino Scholarship and New Canaan High School athletic scholarships. Shotgun start at 1 p.m., scramble format with dinner to follow—$175 per golfer includes golf, cart and dinner.

Around Town

Meet NCHS Senior Intern Zoë L’Henaff

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We’re thrilled to welcome New Canaan High School senior Zoë L’Henaff as our intern through the end of the school year. Hundreds of NCHS seniors poured into businesses throughout the community on Tuesday as the popular Senior Internship Program got underway. The program is overseen by New Canaan resident and SIP Coordinator Kelly DelMazio. We put some questions to L’Henaff on her first day as a New Canaanite reporter, most of which was spent at the New Canaan Library green on a clear, sunny day. Here’s a transcription of our interview.