Grants from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving

Two grants totaling $22,000 over two years have been awarded by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving to Enfield People for People-Enfield Safe Harbor Warming Center to support securing space in Enfield for use as a warming center for our area homeless population, to provide a range of housing and social services outreach, to support basic human needs, and to defray the Warming Center’s day-to-day operating costs.

“We are grateful for the support of the Hartford Foundation. Thanks to these grants, the Warming Center will advance its strategic plan to acquire a permanent facility in the Thompsonville area and provide temporary overnight respite for our homeless neighbors in need. We can also offer referrals to other social services agencies that we hope will lead to lower levels of housing insecurity, poverty, and unemployment”, said Rosalind Swift, the Center’s Communications Chair. 

At the close of our efforts last winter, and despite the challenges created by the COVID pandemic, the Warming Center served a total of 70 guests. We were able to connect the large majority of them to housing resources, including local accommodations managed by the Community Health Resources office in Enfield. We were also able to supply much needed food and personal items to our guests

To learn more about the Enfield Safe Harbor Warming Center or to volunteer, contact Monica Wright 860-970-9065. To learn more about ESHWC, donate funds or other items, contact Rosalind Swift at ep4p.eshw@gmail.com or Lorraine Creedon 860-749-0931. Checks may be made payable to Enfield People for People, with Enfield Safe Harbor Warming Center in the memo, and mail P.O. Box 165, Enfield CT 06083. Like us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/EPfPSHWC/Enfieldsafeharbor.org and visit our website at https://enfieldsafeharbor.org/.

The Enfield Safe Harbor Warming Center was awarded a Walmart Community Grant this month in amount of $1500.00 to assist the organization in serving the homeless in Enfield. 

Kabir Kumari, Sr. Director, Community Giving for Walmart stated, “You are part of a long history of Walmart’s commitment to giving back to the communities where we operate. In fact, Mrs. Helen Walton, the wife of Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, used to say, “It’s not what you gather, but what you scatter, that tells what kind of life you have lived.”  

The East Windsor Walmart Super Store manager, Bill Fenlon, received the grant application in February, and quickly approved the grant for ESHWS’S 20121 needs.

Walmart’s generous donation will allow ESHWC to provide some of the items needed to operate our outreach and engagement center for our homeless residents of Enfield, Connecticut during the coldest times of the year, and will allow the organization to finish strong this year.  

Rosalind Swift, Chair of the Communications Committee said, “The COVID -19 pandemic has produced a unique set of public health challenges, especially for the homeless.  Enfield is one of many towns in the state and across the country experiencing an increase in homelessness due to the Pandemic”

The Enfield Safe Harbor Warming Center will be operating two nights per week at64 Pearl Street (St Patrick’s Church), Wednesdays and Sundays, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., during the winter months of January 3,-March 31, 2021 as Outreach and Engagement center to assist our homeless here in Enfield during this Covid-19 pandemic. 

The Walmart Community Grant Program provides grants to support the unique needs of local communities in the service areas of Walmart and Sam’s Club stores, and its corporate distribution centers. To learn more about Walmart’s Community Grants go to https://walmart.org/how-we-give/local-community-grants 

To learn more about the Enfield Safe Harbor Warming Center, to volunteer, or to donate funds or other items, contact Rosalind Swift at ep4p.eshw@gmail.com or Lorraine Creedon 860-749-0931.  Checks should be made payable to Enfield People for People, with Enfield Safe Harbor Warming Center in the memo, and mail P.O. Box 165, Enfield CT 06083.  Also, please like us on Facebook –  https://www.facebook.com/EPfP…/Enfieldsafeharbor.org.