Opinion

Op-Ed: No One Should Go Hungry in Our Town

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According to the State of Connecticut website as of Wednesday, October 29th, “The Department of Social Services has received notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services that if the federal government shutdown continues into November, there will not be enough funds to pay November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) benefits.”
SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, is a federal program that provides monthly funds to low-income households to help them buy food. According to Jacqueline D’Louhy, the New Canaan youth and family services coordinator, our town in 2022 had about 201 families receiving SNAP benefits. Since COVID, more families have moved to town so that number may be up to 225 or more families. While Gov. Ned Lamont will be offering $300 million from state emergency funds, that supplement will not benefit New Canaan’s food pantry, so more donations are needed. The New Canaan Clergy Association invites you to consider how to help ensure that no one in our town or general area goes to be hungry by making donations to the St.

Around Town

‘His Gentle Sparkle’: Family, Friends Remember Toby Woods at Well-Attended Funeral

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When he was little, Toby Woods was very cuddly, his mom recalled Sunday. He’d give his parents “enormous tight hugs, wrapping his arms around us, and laying his head on our shoulder,” Kristina Woods told hundreds of people gathered at First Presbyterian Church of New Canaan for her son’s funeral service. “He loved snuggling with his stuffed animals, and climbing into our bed in the middle of the night,” she said. “As he grew older, he still gave the tightest, most wonderful hugs.”

Described by family and friends as intelligent, thoughtful, talented, compassionate, loving and fun, Toby Woods died Feb. 21 in Williamstown, Mass.

Adrienne Reedy

‘We Have Work To Do’: Community Gathers for Stirring Service Honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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The Rev. Adrienne Reedy was a seven-year-old girl at home waiting for her favorite show, “Bewitched,” to come on the TV the night that a news reporter interrupted to tell the nation that Martin Luther King had been shot and killed. Her father was stoical, sitting up straight and “showing absolutely no emotion,” Reedy recalled Monday morning. Her mom was out grocery shopping but when she came home “it was the complete opposite,” Reedy told more than 150 people gathered at United Methodist Church of New Canaan for an annual celebration of the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“She was frantically crying as she busted through the door shouting, ‘Calvin! Oh Lord, no! They’ve killed him!

Around Town

PHOTOS: New Canaan Marks Memorial Day with Parade, Ceremony

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The Rev. Dr. R. Scott Herr of First Presbyterian Church of New Canaan addressed more than 300 residents gathered at Lakeview Ceremony following Monday morning’s Memorial Day parade to “remember and give thanks for the patriots who have given their lives in service to our great nation and the service of peoples around the world who desire justice, freedom and peace.”

“Today we honor those men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our Constitution and our democracy,” Herr continued during an opening prayer to the ceremony organized each year by the Howard M. Bossa and Peter C. Langenus Post 653 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. “We are free to worship here today because they were brave, and we live by the light of the flame of liberty they kept burning. As we remember those who gave their lives to defend our freedoms, we also pray for other peoples in the world who seek democracy—especially the people of Ukraine and Russia, and pray for a just and lasting peace between those people. We also remember those innocent victims in places like Buffalo and Uvalde, and how truly fragile a free a peaceful society is. As we honor those from all races and religions who served in the Armed Forces, we pray for courage and wisdom to be a people who heal our divisions, right our wrongs and bring unity here at home.