Today Magazine • December 2023 by Bruce Deckert

TODAY Covering the Heart of the Farmington Valley

FOOD BANK REDUX

Canton Food Bank Celebrates 40th Birthday DECEMBER 2023 — WWW.TODAYPUBLISHING.NET

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A male white-tailed deer (aka buck) appears to pose for a photo in a Canton yard ———————————–––—————————————— The United States has a population of about 30 million white -tails, per WelcomeWildlife.com ———–––—————————————— Photographer Wendy Rosenberg has a Natural World Photo Exhibit at the Canton Library throughout December

DECEMBER 2023 – www.TodayPublishing.net – TODAY MAGAZINE

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LEADING OFF

Food Bank Menu Change

CONTENTS

YOU MAY RECALL that our October cover story featured Farmington COVER STORY Valley food banks and pantries, sparked by two milestone anniversaries — 4 — Banking on Compassion the 60th for the Avon Food Pantry and the 40th for the Canton Food Bank. For four decades, the Canton Food Bank has been Our lead October article focused on food security issues and stats in a beacon of compassion in action for neighbors in the Valley and across Connecticut, while the second article highlighted need of a helping hand and food on the table Avon’s six-decade milestone. The plan was to feature the Canton mileVALLEY INTEL stone in an interior story in November or December. However, further research and interviews led to the Canton story becoming more devel9 — Gigantic Grants Support for the Canton Food Bank is a team effort — oped, so the menu this month has changed — rather than being an interior and generous CCHF grants have played a major role article, the Canton anniversary has become a full-fledged cover story. Food bank officials say that donations increase around the ThanksSPOTLIGHT ON THE ARTS giving and Christmas holidays — yet of course the need is real year-round. 12 — Songs of Conscience A complementary article on the Canton Community Health Fund explains Three classic songs about social justice were birthed how CCHF grants to the food bank help meet that need … BWD in the same decade the Canton Food Bank began NOTEWORTHY NONPROFITS

16 — Home Sweet Home Hartford’s Habitat for Humanity affiliate has been making dreams of home a reality for 35 years QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“ The biggest misconception is that our homeowners are given a house ... Our motto: Habitat is a hand-UP, not a handout ” — Karraine Moody BY THE NUMBERS

10 million — Habitat home clients

LETTERS

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COVER STORY KUDOS Our November cover story celebrates Favarh’s 65th birthday and the nonprofit’s goal of honoring the stories of people diagnosed with IDD — CLICK HERE for our coverage THANK YOU for the lovely presentation of Favarh in Today Magazine. We love that it will be read by families throughout the Farmington Valley. Even though we have been around for 65 years, we’re still one of the Valley’s hidden gems. — Penny Phillips • Canton • Favarh Director of Marketing & Communications THANKS for the great articles, photos and history in the November magazine — so much appreciated! — Wendy Rosenberg • Canton Wendy is a contributing photographer for Today Magazine, focusing on wildlife and nature Our October cover story spotlights Farmington Valley food banks and pantries and the 60th birthday of Avon’s — CLICK HERE for our coverage YOUR COVER STORY on local food banks came out great — thanks! I received quite a few comments on it. I’m sure the food banks will benefit as a result. Thanks as always for providing local coverage and helping our region stay informed. — Dan Polhamus • Chairman • Avon Town Council

Today Magazine • Covering the Heart of the Farmington Valley Bruce William Deckert — Publisher + Editor-in-Chief 860-988-1910 • Bruce.Deckert@TodayPublishing.net www.TodayPublishing.net > Digital Editions • Award-Winning Today Online • 24/7 news — www.TodayPublishing.net/blog Follow Today Magazine CT on social media > Advertising — Contact the Publisher Editorial Associate — Kayla Tyson Contributing Photographer — Wendy Rosenberg Five Towns • One Aim — Exceptional Community Journalism Farmington • Avon • Canton • Simsbury • Granby – CT • USA

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Volunteers Heather Neumann (left) and Lee Carvalho (right) — both Canton residents — with Canton Food Bank director Jennifer Herb

Canton Food Bank Celebrates 40th Anniversary By Bruce Deckert Today Magazine • Editor-in-Chief

THREE ICONIC SONGS from the 1980s speak to the timeless theme of helping neighbors in need — Another Day In Paradise, Man In The Mirror and Under Pressure. That melodious decade also witnessed the birth of a local food bank. Established in 1983, the Canton Food Bank is celebrating its 40th anniversary — and 2023 also marks the one-year milestone of a new leader at the nonprofit. Longtime food bank director Pat Lazauski handed the director’s baton to Jennifer Herbek in 2022. A Simsbury resident, Herbek attends First Congregational Church in Canton Center. For a few weeks 4

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Heather Neumann and food bank director Jennifer Herbek

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the food bank’s board. “I worked closely with Pat, shadowing her and learning how the process works.” In midsummer 2022 — on Monday, August 1 — Herbek took the reins solo. The food bank is located at Trinity Episcopal Church in the Collinsville section of Canton, on River Road aka Route 179, and is part of the Connecticut Foodshare network. Foodshare is affiliated with Feeding America, a national network of food banks, food pantries and meal programs. Distribution hours for Canton Food Bank clients are as follows:

in the spring of 2022, she noticed an advertisement in the church bulletin regarding the need for a new Canton Food Bank director and contacted Lazauski about the volunteer opportunity. A Canton resident for 35 years, Lazauski was looking to relinquish her leadership role after moving to Torrington last year. “We were able to work together for six weeks,” says Herbek, who was appointed director after meeting with

DECEMBER 2023 – www.TodayPublishing.net – TODAY MAGAZINE

FOOD BANK REDUX “ I saw the possibility of what can happen when you say yes in your community ” — Jennifer Herbek • Canton Food Bank director

bek

Photo by Tom Kutz

Locally grown zucchini at the food bank Courtesy Photo

• Mondays — 6:00-7:00 p.m. • Tuesdays — 7:30-11:30 a.m. “Reading that church bulletin was one of the best things that ever happened to me,” says Herbek. “Tuesdays tend to be a long morning — you need to be a people person. It’s a good fit for me.” The food bank receives ongoing donations to supply the nutrition needs of qualified Canton residents, who apply to the Canton Senior & Social Services department for approval. Donations of nonperishable food arrive from an assortment of sources besides Foodshare: businesses, churches and organizations — via food drives and other collection mechanisms — as well as local individuals and families. Monetary donations provide funds for buying perishable items such as cheese, eggs, fresh produce, meat and yogurt. “The fresh food options help to bridge the gap between hunger and health and wellness,” says Herbek. This year the food bank has served 40-50 families each week, an average of about 120 Canton citizens, distributing about 940 pounds of food weekly — the equivalent of approximately 780 meals. About 15 volunteers lend a hand each week, per Herbek. Her director’s role is fully volunteer, and the available volunteer team numbers about 60. In 2021 and 2022, the food bank served about 100 people each week, according to the Trinity website. “We strive to make families feel welcomed,” says Herbek, “and to be a community resource helping to relieve the stress of making financial trade-offs when dealing with food security.” The terms food security and food insecurity are common in the social-service realm. Let’s consider the following definitions from the

Merriam-Webster dictionary: • food insecurity — being unable to consistently access or afford adequate food • • food security — being able to consistently access or afford adequate food • In Greater Hartford, the Farmington Valley has a reputation for excellent public school systems, ruralsuburban beauty and overall affluence — yet some local residents endure food insecurity and live precariously on meager paychecks, hand-to-mouth, from month-to-month. This is why food banks and pantries in every Valley town step in the breach to strengthen families, in hopes of offering community support until a family is able to get back on its financial feet. About 10% of Canton citizens avail themselves of the opportunity to shop for free at the food bank, according to town officials and Connecticut Foodshare statistics.

MORAL MANDATE

“There’s a moral obligation to feed the hungry,” says Canton First Selectman Bob Bessel. “But there are social and economic reasons too. Children who are hungry can’t learn. Adults who are hungry can’t work, raise families and fully participate in our society. We don’t have to look very far to see how food insecurity undermines basic social structures.” The Canton Food Bank has been based at Trinity Episcopal Church since its inception four decades ago. Charlotte Goodwin Craig was the founder and first director, per Herbek. Pat Lazauski began volunteering at the food bank in 2007. She became co-director in 2011 and undertook

TODAY MAGAZINE – www.TodayPublishing.net – DECEMBER 2023

the director’s duties in 2012. Ten years later, she handed the baton to Herbek. Prior to Lazauski’s tenure, Canton resident Peggy Pinton was the director. “I was honored to help people,” Lazauski says. “Being able to help people out and keep them on their feet, especially those who lost their job and needed food to keep going — I was honored to do that and felt that was what I had to do.” Lazauski has attended First United Methodist Church in Torrington for about 40 years. She worked as an attendant at the Canton transfer station from 1999-2006. After serving at the food bank for 15 years, she continues to be in contact with some food bank clients. “I hear from them today — I get notes and calls,” Lazauski says. “Working with them for so many years, they become your friends, or at least acquaintances. Each week, they were always so thankful. I enjoyed the giving and they enjoyed the receiving.” Herbek has likewise relished her management role at the Canton Food Bank. She is “really motivated” to move this enterprise forward. In June she attended a Connecticut Foodshare symposium. “The conference was phenomenal — I saw the possibility of what can happen when you say yes in your community,” she says. “It was a very moving day. There was discussion about removing the stigma of asking for assistance, and we were made aware of programs that so many people don’t know about.” Herbek and her family initially moved to Simsbury in

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December 2002. They relocated to California in 2017 but returned to Simsbury in 2020. Her husband Eric Herbek is the chief managed care officer at Mass General Brigham. They have two daughters in college and a son who is a senior at Simsbury High School. Jennifer Herbek is no stranger to the volunteer arena. Prior to taking the reins in Canton, she assisted at the Foodshare facility in Bloomfield. She has volunteered for the Parent Teacher Organization at Latimer Lane School, serving as the chair for a PTO fundraiser. And she currently

“ Reading that church bulletin was one of the best things that ever happened to me ” — Jennifer Herbek • Food Bank director is a co-chair for the Simsbury Second Chance Shop, a nonprofit thrift store that supports the Village for Families & Children, a Hartford-based social service agency. Fellow Simsbury resident Julie Zehren is the other co-chair. As Bessel has noted, the reasons for helping hungry people are evident. Karanne Farling, the senior warden at Trinity Episcopal, offers her take on the church’s motivation for hosting the Canton Food Bank. “Even in an affluent community like Canton, people struggle financially and experience food insecurity,” says Farling, a West Simsbury resident. “By providing a space to store and distribute donated food, we are helping respond to a community need. … We are in an accessible location and have the amenities to make it possible for people to access the food bank easily.” Someone might object: What about people who are able but unwilling to work — should they receive free food? Bessel observes that the ability to work can be connected to the inner heart-and-mind challenges that arise as a result of embedded human issues and the ongoing pressures of life in a too-often dysfunctional world — in other words, the mental health realm. “Many of us find it difficult to imagine why someone could be unwilling to work,” Bessel says. “Work gives life

purpose, a sense of accomplishment and self-worth. To forsake those benefits could be a sign of mental health issues.” Further, he asks three compelling questions: “Should we punish people with mental health issues by withholding food? Will withholding food goad them into work? For me, the answer to both of these questions is no. What other reasons would there be to withhold food?” Meanwhile, Farling addresses the nuts-and-bolts aspect of this key question about the ability to work and food-bank eligibility. “We offer the venue for food distribution, and the town of Canton does vetting of eligibility for receiving benefits,” she says. “It is not our place or our role to judge the reasons why families or individuals qualify for assistance, as local public welfare policies determine this.”

FUNDRAISING FUN

The Canton Food Bank benefits from a veritable symphony of creative fundraising initiatives and partners. One especially significant partner has been the Canton Community Health Fund, to the tune of $58,000 in grants since CCHF was planted in 1997 as the offshoot of the Canton Visiting Nurse Association and the Visiting Nurse Association — for further details, see the accompanying sidebar article. In November, Canton High School sports teams donated an impressive quantity of nonperishable items. Befitting the athletic theme, the teams competed via a food-drive contest to see who could collect the most food. Earlier this year, the food bank was selected to be the beneficiary of the Stop & Shop Bloomin’ 4 Good Program at the grocery chain’s Unionville location. The food bank received a $1 donation for every Bloomin’ 4 Good bouquet purchased in January and February — a total of $180 was donated. “Flowers can make someone’s day, brighten a room or spread a smile,” Herbek says. “They can fight hunger too — the money generated allows us

Canton Food Bank director Jennifer Herbek — outside Trinity Episcopal Church, where the food bank is based Photo by Tom Kutz

“ I was honored to help people … I enjoyed the giving and they enjoyed the receiving ” — Pat Lazauski • former Food Bank director TODAY MAGAZINE – www.TodayPublishing.net – DECEMBER 2023

Canton Food Bank Key Info

to provide healthy, nutritious meals for our clients.” In December 2022, the food bank received $2750 from the Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford through an annual fundraising program. Meanwhile, the Avon-Canton Chamber of Commerce has conducted an ongoing initiative for local food banks and pantries — creatively entitled the One Can Make A Difference Food Drive — whereby participants bring nonperishable staples to COC events. The Canton Food Bank is for Canton residents who complete an application with the Senior & Social Services department. + 860-693-5811 www.townofcantonct.org —————————————––——————————— CLICK below — more food bank news

————––——— • Distribution hours for clients Mondays – 6:00-7:00 p.m. Tuesdays — 7:30-11:30 a.m. • Donations of nonperishable food can be delivered anytime — when the church is locked, a plastic container outside the main entrance is available • Donations of perishable food that require fridge or freezer storage can be delivered Mondays and Tuesdays during food bank hours • During holiday weeks or due to inclement weather — client distribution hours may be rescheduled or cancelled • Mail monetary donations to — Canton Food Bank – P.O. Box 374 Collinsville CT 06022 • Contacts — Food Bank director Jennifer Herbek – 860-324-0697 Senior & Social Services director Tonoa Jackson – 860-693-5811 tjackson@townofcantonct.org • www.townofcantonct.org

• Thanks For Banks: Food banks mark anniversaries • Home Sweet Home: Avon’s unusual food pantry origins • Banking On Kindness: Food banks combat COVID impact

Photo by Tom Kutz

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Community Support Key For Food Bank

$58K in CCHF grants have boosted food supply “ This strategic combination of practical, compassionate and empowering intention continues to make significant impacts ”

— Sylvia Cancela • CCHF chair work was then transferred to a new organization, the Canton Community Health Fund Inc. CCHF began offering grants a year later, in 1998. In the quarter-century since, CCHF has bequeathed $58,000 in grant funding to the Canton Food Bank. This long-term relationship has benefited countless Canton residents who rely on the food bank to be a stopgap when difficult financial circumstances result in food insecurity.

Specifically, in the 25 years that CCHF has provided grants to numerous agencies and nonprofits and organizations, the food bank has received grants in 15 of those years — from 2005-2009, in 2011, and from 2015-2023. “Canton Community Health Fund has invested in … the Canton Food Bank not only because of their capacity and commitment to outreach throughout our diverse community, but also their creative thinking on solutions to difficult issues,” says CCHF chair Sylvia Cancela. “This strategic combination of practical, compassionate and empowering intention continues to make significant impacts not just today, but importantly for the future as well.” A Canton resident, Cancela notes that CCHF’s longtime investment of nearly $60,000 in grants includes $20,000 in funding that the food

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LIKE SCAFFOLDING for a construction team, support for the Canton Food Bank is a joint effort undertaken by a multitude of community partners — and a key player is the Canton Community Health Fund aka CCHF. Established in 1997, CCHF is a community-centered nonprofit with a laser-focused mission of contributing to the health, safety and well-being of the Canton community. The CCHF slogan reflects this essential and elegant goal: By, for and about Canton’s community. CCHF is the descendant of the Canton Visiting Nurse Association and the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA), founded in 1918. So this year is officially the CCHF’s 105th anniversary — coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the Canton Food Bank. The VNA became the Canton Visiting Nurse Association (CVNA) in 1941. In ’97, CVNA merged with McLean Community and Home Care Services, a division of the McLean Fund, and CVNA’s community

CCHF board member Janot Bente, Bristol’s Farm co-owner Josh Bristol and Canton Food Bank director Jennifer Herbek pick vegetables at Bristol’s Farm in Canton

bank did not request. This year’s grant is helping the food bank expand partnerships with local farms to increase the availability of fresh fruit and produce as well as eggs. “The Canton Food Bank has been fabulous to me,” says a food bank client, per the CCHF website. “The volunteers and donations are overwhelming being that I love to cook. The fresh produce is opening new doors to me. Thank you!” Jennifer Herbek is the director of the Canton Food Bank. “What I find admirable,” says Herbek, “is that our client is dealing with the stress of food insecurity and somehow she’s turning this into a positive in her life. We talk regularly [at the food bank] about recipes and creative ways to use the donated food items in meal prep and planning. In just this one case, having the fresh fruit 10

and produce options brings out our client’s creativity as a home chef, fuels her body with healthy, nutritious meals and lightens her spirit as she feels more inclined to host friends and share with others.” This year, the Canton Community Health Fund distributed almost $45,000 overall via 12 grants to local nonprofits — named as CCHF’s 2023 community partners — and three $1,000 college scholarships. “CCHF’s mission — contributing to the health, safety and well-being of the Canton community — complements that of the Canton Food Bank,” says Cancela, who was elected CCHF chair in July 2022 and is scheduled to serve a three-year term. “We’re both volunteer organizations, with CCHF’s role as the investor in our community, and Canton Food Bank’s role as the boots on the

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Courtesy Photo — CCHF

ground reaching the individual client who finds themselves or their family challenged with this most basic of needs.” Cancela is the founder and owner of Red Barn Communication, and she has served as the volunteer public relations officer for the Canton Volunteer Fire & EMS department. The Canton Food Bank is based at Trinity Episcopal Church in Collinsville, on River Road aka Route 179, and is connected to the Connecticut Foodshare network — and CT Foodshare is affiliated with Feeding America, a nationwide group of food banks, food pantries and meal programs. + — Bruce Deckert • Today editor-in-chief ———————————————––———————————

CLICK — for prior Today cover story: • Century Celebration: CCHF Marks 105 Years

Dear Friends, Neighbors and Supporters, Habitat for Humanity of North Central Connecticut measures its success by the achievements of our homeowners - and this year was monumental! In July, during our annual golf tournament, we were able to celebrate Madeline Hernandez and Emily Rivera as they both paid off their mortgages in 2022. While sharing their Habitat story, they both shared how having an affordable mortgage and home has impacted their personal lives and their children and extended families. It resonated with me because it illustrated the true impact of a Habitat home. We’ve seen homeowners go back to school, open businesses, and serve in the community as volunteers but most importantly it is the generational impact.

Several of those attending cheered and congratulated Emily and Madeline as they burned their mortgage deeds in the fire pit that night - but as we continue to build homes throughout the Hartford area, we are seeking your support to BUILD even more. Your support and donations are critical to our ability to change the lives of hard-working families. We know that by working together, we aren’t just building structures, we are building self-reliance, strength and stability for families. In early 2024, we will begin Burnside Hope, a 10 single-family planned community that will feature zero-energy technology. Please consider what your gift will mean for the families that we serve through our work -- a world where everyone has a decent place to live for generations! Sincerely, Karraine Moody, CEO, HFHNCC

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Classic Songs Address Social Justice 1980s birthed hot anthems and Canton Food Bank

By Bruce Deckert Today Magazine • Editor-in-Chief

THE CANTON Food Bank is celebrating four decades of being there for local residents hit by difficult life circumstances. Founded in 1983, the food bank originated in a melodic 1980s decade distinguished by three iconic songs that address the time-honored human desire and responsibility to help neighbors in need: Another Day In Paradise, Man In The Mirror and Under Pressure. As we honor the food bank’s 40th birthday, let’s look more closely at the origins of these three timeless charttopping tunes — here are some relevant song facts: • In chronological order, the three songs were released as follows — Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie: 1981 and 1982 — Man In The Mirror by Michael Jackson: 1987 and 1988

— Another Day In Paradise by Phil Collins: 1989 • • All three songs soared to #1 on a high-powered popular music chart • • Befitting the publication timing of this story — that is, just after Thanksgiving and shortly before Christmas — the dates when these songs reached #1 were near holidays: • Under Pressure — five days before Thanksgiving in 1981 • Man In The Mirror — nine days after Saint Patrick’s Day in 1988 • Another Day In Paradise — two days before Christmas in 1989 • The serendipitous twists, turns and backstories connected to these compelling anthems comprise some fascinating intel — enjoy the following musical roller-coaster ride.

ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE

Album — But Seriously • Phil Collins Songwriter — Phil Collins

SPOTLIGHT ON THE ARTS Year Released — But Seriously album: November 1989 Chart-Topping Date — #1: Billboard Hot 100 • December 1989 Tune Tidbits — Regarding how he wrote the lyrics, Phil Collins told the British publication Radio Times part of the story: “Sometimes I write because things like this are bothering me, but at other times the songs just creep up behind me and write themselves. Another Day In Paradise wrote itself — I didn’t have to sit down and say: Let’s write a song about the homeless. I sat down at the piano, started singing and those words came out.” He told The New York Times another part of the songwriting story: “It was begun at the piano. I started playing and put it down on a tape so I wouldn’t forget it. Then I decided to

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Volunteers Heather Neumann, Lee Carvalho and Canton Food Bank director Jennifer Herbek

see what would happen when I started singing. When I began, the words just came out: ‘She calls out to the man on the street’ — I didn’t set out to write a song about the homeless. Those were just the words I happened to sing. It was only then that I decided that was what the song would be about.” Collins was nominated for a whopping 10 Grammy Awards connected to But Seriously — he won one Grammy: Record Of The Year for Another Day In Paradise.

MAN IN THE MIRROR

Album — Bad • Michael Jackson Songwriters — Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett Year Released — Bad album: August 1987 • single: January 1988 Chart-Topping Date — #1: Billboard Hot 100 • March 1988 14

Tune Tidbits — Legendary producer Quincy Jones invited Siedah Garrett and other songwriters to compose an extraordinary song for Michael Jackson, according to the Independent — and the songwriting team of Garrett and Glen Ballard delivered. The concept of a man looking in a mirror had percolated in Garrett’s heart and mind for about a year. She penned the lyrics and Ballard composed the melody of this powerful and poignant ballad. Man In The Mirror is one of two songs on the Bad album not written by Jackson. Jones produced three of Jackson’s best-selling solo albums — Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982) and Bad (1987) — and he recruited some eclectic talent for Man In The Mirror. Garrett, also an accomplished singer, provided cogent background

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vocals along with The Winans gospel quartet and the renowned Andraé Crouch Choir, Grammy Award-winners all: one for Garrett, five for The Winans and seven for Crouch. It’s safe to say that Quincy’s reflections for this quintessential classic came to fruition. Oh, BeBe and CeCe Winans — also members of the melodious 10-sibling Winans family — have garnered 21 Grammys: six for BeBe and 15 for CeCe. Perhaps ironically — some would say shockingly — Man In The Mirror fell short of a Grammy. The moving MJ anthem was a nominee for Record Of The Year, but this honor went to Bobby McFerrin for Don’t Worry Be Happy. The McFerrin ditty also received Song Of The Year, while MJ’s Mirror wasn’t even nominated. This begs a question: Does anyone who has heard

“ Sometimes I write because things like this are bothering me, but at other times the songs just creep up behind me and write themselves — Another Day In Paradise wrote itself ” — Phil Collins • Grammy-winning songwriter

Photo by Tom Kutz

both tunes, whether a musical novice or professional, have even the slightest uncertainty regarding which song is more inspiring and noteworthy — lyrically, melodically, philosophically, practically and otherwise?

UNDER PRESSURE

Album — Hot Space • Queen Recording Artists — Queen and David Bowie Songwriters — David Bowie and all Queen members: John Deacon, Brian May, Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor Year Released — single: October 1981 • Hot Space album: May 1982 Chart-Topping Date — #1: UK Singles Chart • November 1981 Tune Tidbits — Under Pressure offers a mountaintop view of the stress and duress that can wreak havoc on denizens of this topsy-turvy world —

an apropos vantage point given where the song was recorded: Switzerland. An impromptu jam-session collaboration between David Bowie and the four members of Queen gave birth to this soul-searching and searing classic with lyrics that refer to pressure that “splits a family in two, puts people on streets … pressure on people, people on streets.” The title People On Streets was considered but — you guessed it — Under Pressure prevailed. Queen was already working on a tune entitled Feel Like when Bowie stopped by their Swiss studio unannounced, per GoldRadioUK.com, and the fivesome decided to use Feel Like as the launch pad for a cooperative venture that retained some signature individuality: Queen frontman Freddie Mercury and Bowie actually went into a studio vocal booth separately and recorded unscripted lyrics that no one had heard yet. Then they stitched together the final lyrics like an old-fashioned quilting bee — for the uninitiated, this is a social gathering where the participants synergistically make a communal quilt. The resulting tapestry is surely a pop masterpiece, featuring Mercury’s tenor scat singing and Bowie’s driving baritone, and what is arguably one of the most recognizable bass-guitar riffs in pop music history. An autumn holiday theme resounded with the advent of Under Pressure: Released on October 26, 1981 — five days before Halloween — the song hit #1 on the UK chart less than one month later, on November 21, five days before Thanksgiving. Another lesser-known fact is that the song was mixed during an intense session on September 11, per the Warner Music website ThisIsDig.com — exactly 20 years before the numerals 9/11 were seared into the U.S. psyche. Indeed, Bowie’s improvised lyrics proved to be prophetic, unknowingly

foreseeing the terrorist attack on New York City: “It’s the terror of knowing what this world is about / Watching some good friends screaming: Let me out.” Beyond the portentous lyrics, Queen’s official video for Under Pressure shows three images in succession of city high-rises being imploded just as Bowie first sings the refrain “It’s the terror of knowing” — comparable to the way the Twin Towers imploded and collapsed in twisted concrete-and-metal rubble and a cloud of thick dust that obscured blue sky on what had begun as a sunny NYC day. Predictively chilling, to say the least. In this light, the closing lyrics of Under Pressure offer a cautious solution that resonates — in the context of 9/11 and our food bank story — more than four decades later. Bowie sings plaintively, “Keep coming up with love, but it’s so slashed and torn” — and Mercury replies with multiple plaintive questions: “Why, why, why?… Can’t we give ourselves one more chance? … Why can’t we give love?” Bowie answers with these vintage lines: “ ’Cause love’s such an oldfashioned word / And love dares you to care for the people on the edge of the night / And love dares you to change our way of caring about ourselves / This is our last dance … This is ourselves — under pressure.” + ———————————————————————— This concludes Today Magazine’s musical journey connected to the Canton Food Bank’s 40th birthday —————————————————————————— Is a Trivia Night event on your upcoming calendar? ——————————————————— If so — and if the topic is 1980s music about homelessness and food insecurity — you’ll be ready to come to the rescue of your trivia team like the Coast Guard, for the Guard’s service motto is Semper Paratus: aka Always Ready

TODAY MAGAZINE – www.TodayPublishing.net – DECEMBER 2023

NOTEWORTHY NONPROFITS

Habitat Affiliate Commemorates 35th Birthday By Bruce Deckert Today Magazine • Editor-in-Chief

THERE’S NO PLACE like home. Home sweet home. Home is where the heart is. ————————————————————— These three heartfelt sayings speak to our human yearning for home on this proverbial journey of life — in a paradoxically homesick world. Perhaps a journey isn’t a sufficient description — another metaphor is found at an amusement park, yet an amusing diversion for some is akin to utterly unnecessary terror for others. Yes, we can liken our life and home pilgrimage to a topsy-turvy up-and-down roller coaster ride. Whether your experience of home has been marked by serene highs or tempestuous lows — or a hot-mess blend — let’s agree that a desire for a secure and vital and true home is universal for people of all nations vis-à-vis the shared hopes of the human heart.

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much good — I truly love what we do together ” — Karraine Moody

The Habitat for Humanity model is simple yet profound: The primary vision enlists volunteer labor to help first-time homeowners build their own houses, supervised by a seasoned construction professional who is typically the only paid Habitat employee at a Habitat worksite. These inaugural homeowners must qualify for a mortgage and actively engage via plain hard work — whether utilizing a carpenter’s plane or a cordless drill or a concrete mixer — to realize their dream of occupying a new home. A secondary focus is to perform repairs and renovations for current homeowners whose age or physical disability or finances prevent such key maintenance, via the nonprofit’s A Brush With Kindness home-repair ministry.

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Hartford’s Habitat affiliate has been celebrating its 35th anniversary throughout 2023. From 1988, the year of its inception, into 2021 the Hartford-based Habitat was known — no surprise here — as the Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity. When its coverage area grew to include Tolland County as well as Greater Hartford, a rebrand made sense, so the nonprofit’s name since August 2021 has been: Habitat for Humanity of North Central Connecticut. Conceived in Hartford, the affiliate continues to be headquartered in Connecticut’s capital city. The aim of Habitat for Humanity is to leverage the communal human longing for a true home by inspiring volunteers and a new homeowner to invest sweat equity into new-home TODAY MAGAZINE – www.TodayPublishing.net – DECEMBER 2023

construction — so that non-homeowners have a fair chance at having and holding a place to call home. Perhaps the most common misunderstanding about Habitat is that people are presented a totally free-and-clear home on a silver platter. “The biggest misconception is that our homeowners are given a house,” says Karraine Moody, CEO of Habitat North Central Connecticut. “The reality is that they have a 0% interest mortgage held by Habitat for Humanity, and they have to work to keep their home. The homeowners go through the same checks that a regular mortgage would require. Our motto: Habitat is a hand-UP, not a handout.” Specifically, Habitat homeowners are required to spend 150 hours sideby-side with volunteers during the construction of their residence — the sweat-equity investment referenced above. Moreover, homeowners attend over 50 hours of financial literacy training. Habitat’s goal is to stimulate constructive action and make the dream of homeownership a reality for

A volunteer is all smiles at a local worksite families who not only yearn for such permanence but also are determined to achieve this dream. The official Habitat mission statement reflects this ethos: “Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.” The Habitat slogan rests on that missional foundation: “Building sustainable communities with hope.” While Habitat operates on Christian principles, the organization has an

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open-door policy: “All who desire to be a part of this work are welcome, regardless of religious preference or background,” according to the Habitat website. “We have a policy of building with people in need regardless of race or religion. We welcome volunteers and supporters from all backgrounds.” Moody’s work history includes key roles at Hamilton Sundstrand, United Technologies and the Hartford Public Schools. “Coming from a corporate environment and moving into the nonprofit world, I love the mission of Habitat,” she says. “To see a piece of dirt become a backyard or a blighted property become the prize of a neighborhood is rewarding — it is being a part of something great from the beginning to the end. We have a small team, but together we do so much good. I truly love what we do together!” By the way, in a February 2022 cover story Today Magazine mistakenly reported that the Hartford-based Habitat was established in 1989. However, a representative for North Central Connecticut Habitat has

Habitat homeowners comprise a mosaic in Greater Hartford

confirmed that 1988 is the accurate founding date. “We make a difference in families and communities — we help improve family’s lives, homes, stability,” says Moody, noting that Habitat offers “a chance for a better education, better health, and tax dollars for the city they reside in.” The tax component might be an overlooked aspect of the Habitat for Humanity equation. Habitat volunteers have long understood the win-win formula of neighbors pitching in to help a neighbor build a house — the urban equivalent of a rural barn-raising. Yet how exactly does win-win describe this enterprise? The answer is simple and multifaceted at the same time, with a list of win-win reasons seemingly as long as Interstate 84, but the response can boil down to the following essence:

“ Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope ” — Habitat mission statement One win for the new homeowner is (naturally) a brand-new dwelling, and one win for the home-owning volunteer is on-the-job training in useful trade skills that enhance the ability to maintain one’s own home. The taxation factor makes the Habitat calculation a win-win-win. Yes, a triple-win since the municipality —

indeed, the greater community — also benefits from another house on the tax roll and an additional taxpaying realestate holder. In the 35 years that the Hartfordbased affiliate has existed, over $40 million dollars have been added to the tax base in the Greater Hartford municipalities where Habitat has built residences, according to Moody. In the past 35 years, the organization has renovated and constructed about 370 homes in over 40 Connecticut towns and cities — providing about 1800 people with affordable and reliable housing with the help of over 140,000 volunteers … yes, more than 4,000 annually. Habitat has built three homes in the Farmington Valley — one in Granby and two in Farmington — and hopes to make it four in the near future. Those two towns plus Avon and Canton and

TODAY MAGAZINE – www.TodayPublishing.net – DECEMBER 2023

Simsbury define Today Magazine’s coverage area. Over 100 Valley-based businesses, churches and organizations have partnered with the local nonprofit, and about 600 Valley volunteers have stepped up annually in recent years. Further numbers illuminate the influence of this noteworthy nonprofit — and the numeral 10 figures prominently in the Habitat account in Connecticut and Greater Hartford. More specifically, a series of seven 10s, as follows: #1 — 10 million — yes, Habitat for Humanity has served and resolved the housing needs of over 10 million people around the world, according to a Habitat website • #2 — 10 new clean-energy homes featuring solar panels in the Burnside Hope development in East Hartford — that’s the goal as this year winds down, with construction likely to carry over into 2024 • Plus: Habitat is recruiting volunteers for its Winter Warriors program to support the construction of five new homes in Hartford’s northeast neighborhood • #3 — 10 houses built in 2022 — all Energy Star-certified buildings that meet strict energy performance standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • Plus: The local nonprofit received the 2022 Housing Innovation Award Competition in the Affordable Homes category from the U.S. Department of Energy • #4 — 10 houses have been built on average previously in the several years preceding 2022 — overall, the Hartford affiliate has served 25-30 families annually via a multilayered program of new home construction, house renovations and repairs • #5 — 10 straight Four-Star Charity ratings from the Charity Navigator — based on a ratings system that ranges from zero stars to four stars • Habitat scored the highest possible Four-Star rating: a perfect 100% • Founded in 2001, Charity Navigator has been called the Consumer Reports of the nonprofit world — the assessment organization is the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities, per various sources • 20

Companies such as Bloomfield-based Kaman Corporation can form employee volunteer teams #6 — 10+ families were served with critical house repairs through A Brush With Kindness in the most recent fiscal year — and about 30 more families were served via the homeownership program, financial literacy coaching and otherwise • #7 — 10th anniversary of Habitat’s Bloomfield-based ReStore to be celebrated in 2024 — the Hartford affiliate opened a second ReStore in Vernon in January 2022 • To understand the ReStore concept, think Lowe’s and Home Depot and HomeGoods combined with a quality thrift store — at a fraction of regular retail prices thanks to donations of an extensive inventory of appliances, assorted equipment, building supplies, gently-used furniture, household items and much more. Budget-friendly home improvement merchandise awaits savvy bargain shoppers in thousands of square feet of retail space. Naturally, all sales support Habitat’s home-front mission. And there’s more — a near 10: For nine straight years, the Hartford Business Journal has named Hartford’s

DECEMBER 2023 – www.TodayPublishing.net – TODAY MAGAZINE

Habitat affiliate one of the Best Places to Work in Connecticut, and the Hartford Courant has given the nonprofit a Best Place to Work award for the past seven years. “The most fulfilling aspect is seeing the impact of homeownership — the initial sense of completion at the home dedication, and seeing the parents smiling and children pointing out which room is going to be theirs,” says Moody, who graduated from Trinity College in 2001. “I’ve had the pleasure of attending graduations, weddings and new business grand openings by our Habitat homeowners. It is the greatest sense of coming full circle and how the mission impacts the surrounding community at the macro level.” Moody first joined Hartford’s Habitat team as the family services director in November 2005. In January 2009, she started her own consulting business, Moody Consulting Firm. She returned to Habitat as the local CEO in January 2014. Habitat for Humanity International was founded by Millard and Linda Fuller in 1976, but the organization’s

Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter, the one-time first lady and president, have helped build countless Habitat homes most visible supporters and volunteers have undoubtedly been Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, the former president and first lady. Habitat for Humanity International was founded by Millard and Linda Fuller in 1976, but the organization’s most visible supporters and volunteers have undoubtedly been Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, the former President and First Lady. Habitat’s dual global headquarters are located in Atlanta and Americus, Georgia — the state Jimmy Carter served as governor. After Rosalynn’s death in November at the age of 96, four days before Thanksgiving, Moody issued a statement that reads in part: “Habitat for Humanity of North Central CT is deeply saddened by the passing of former U.S. first lady Rosalynn Carter, who was a champion and strong voice for affordable, decent housing for all. For more than three decades, she and President Jimmy Carter donated their time and leadership to Habitat each year to build and improve homes around the world… “As a lifelong advocate and humanitarian, Mrs. Carter truly exemplified kindness, compassion and devotion while supporting

those in need — touching the lives of women, families and volunteers around the world. Her impact will continue to build strength, equality and empowerment for generations to come… “While Habitat for Humanity has lost a dear friend, passionate supporter and tireless advocate, we celebrate her life and distinguished accomplishments.” The international Habitat for Humanity operation has affiliates across all 50 U.S. states and in about 70 countries, per the Habitat website. Each local affiliate is an independent nonprofit organization that coordinates building in its area. “Habitat gives us an opportunity which is very difficult to find,” Jimmy

Carter has said. “To reach out and work side by side with those who never have had a decent home — but work with them on a completely equal basis. It’s not a big-shot, little-shot relationship. It’s a sense of equality.” It’s safe to say that Habitat for Humanity of North Central Connecticut hopes to promote equality and equitable home ownership for at least another 35 years. + www.hfhncc.org — 860-541-2208 ———————————————————————————— CLICK here — for Today Magazine’s prior cover story about Habitat for Humanity

TODAY MAGAZINE – www.TodayPublishing.net – DECEMBER 2023

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ADVERTISER Hall of Fame – TODAY Magazine • These advertising sponsors have seen the value of investing in Today Magazine’s award-winning journalism as we cover the heart of the Farmington Valley and aim to record the Valley’s underreported upside • • If you have paid for a recurring advertisement with Today Magazine but don’t see your business or organization listed, send an email so you can be added to our Advertiser Hall of Fame — advertise@todaypublishing.net • Anthology Senior Living — 860-546-8037 — Simsbury www.anthologyseniorliving.com > Location ——————————————————————————————— Avon Health Center — 860-673-2521 — Avon www.avonhealthcenter.com ——————————————————————————————— Avon Historical Society — 860-678-7621 — Avon www.avonhistoricalsociety.org ——————————————————————————————— A Teen Edge — 860-593-2822 www.ateenedge.com ——————————————————————————————— Board and Brush — 860-392-8567 — Simsbury www.boardandbrush.com/simsbury ——————————————————————————————— Canton Barn LLC — 860-693-0601 — Canton www.cantonbarn.com ——————————————————————————————— Canton Food Bank — 860-693-5811 — Canton www.townofcantonct.org ——————————————————————————————— Carmon Funeral Homes — 860-673-8610 www.carmonfuneralhome.com ——————————————————————————————— Carol Cole Real Estate — 860-212-0687 — Canton www.carolcolerealestate.com ——————————————————————————————— Cherry Brook Health Care Center — 860-693-7777 — Canton www.cherrybrookhcc.com ——————————————————————————————— Christensen Insurance — 860-651-8236 — Simsbury www.insuranceagentswhocare.com ——————————————————————————————— Christopher Bryant Co. — 860-243-3500 — Bloomfield www.thechristopherbryantcompany.com ——————————————————————————————— Collinsville Bank — 860-693-6935 — Canton www.collinsvillebank.com ——————————————————————————————— Connecticut Dance Academy — 860-707-4198 — Canton www.ctdanceacademy.com ——————————————————————————————— Connecticut Headshots — 860-263-9277 — Avon www.connecticutheadshots.com ——————————————————————————————— Dynamic Auto Works — 860-693-6359 — Canton www.facebook.com/DynamicAutoCanton ——————————————————————————————— Erica Maglieri: Realtor — 860-324-6842 bhhsneproperties.com/real-estate-agent/757/erica-maglieri ——————————————————————————————— Fresh Start Pallet Products — 860-266-5726 — Hartford www.freshstartpalletproducts.org

——————————————————————————————— Granby-Simsbury Chamber of Commerce — 860-651-7307 www.simsburycoc.org ——————————————————————————————— Green Door Restaurant — 860-693-9762 — Canton www.41bridgestreet.com ——————————————————————————————— Habitat for Humanity — 860-541-2208 — Hartford www.hfhncc.org ——————————————————————————————— Harris Home Improvement — 860-817-7191 — Granby www.harrishomeimprovement.net ——————————————————————————————— Hartford Symphony Orchestra — 860-246-8742 — Hartford www.hartfordsymphony.org ——————————————————————————————— HealthMarkets Insurance — 860-307-1128 — Torrington www.healthmarkets.com — Mel Brickman ——————————————————————————————— Hulme & Sweeney Pianos — 860-408-4895 — Simsbury www.hulmesweeneypianoservice.com ——————————————————————————————— Karedigs.com — 860-379-4340 — Barkhamsted www.karedigs.com ——————————————————————————————— Kerian Home Health Care — 860-851-6267 — Simsbury www.keriancares.com ——————————————————————————————— Kevin Witkos: State Senator ——————————————————————————————— Landscape Solutions — 860-329-2014 — New Hartford www.landscapesolutionsct.com ——————————————————————————————— Leslee Hill for State Representative ——————————————————————————————— Lifetime Family Dentistry — 860-605-2075 — Collinsville www.lifetimefamilydentistryct.com ——————————————————————————————— Linda Kessler: Realtor — 860-836-6172 — Avon www.coldwellbankerhomes.com > Agents ——————————————————————————————— Liza Sivek Marketing — 203-278-5492 www.lizasivekmarketing.com ——————————————————————————————— Maglieri Construction — 860-242-0298 — Bloomfield www.maglieri-construction.com ——————————————————————————————— Magna Physical Therapy — 860-679-0430 — Avon www.magnapt.com ——————————————————————————————— Maher’s Paint & Wallpaper — 860-678-1200 — Avon + Simsbury www.maherspaintandwallpaper.com ——————————————————————————————— TODAY MAGAZINE – www.TodayPublishing.net – DECEMBER 2023

Make It GF — 860-693-1300 — Canton www.makeitgf.com ——————————————————————————————— Mandel Vilar Press — 806-790-4731 — Simsbury www.mvpublishers.org ——————————————————————————————— Massage Envy — 860-693-8000 — Canton www.massageenvy.com > Locations ——————————————————————————————— The Master’s School — 860-651-9361 — West Simsbury www.masterschool.org ——————————————————————————————— McLean — 860-658-3786 — Simsbury www.mcleancare.org ——————————————————————————————— Nails of Envy — formerly Canton + Avon ——————————————————————————————— Northwest Community Bank — 860-379-7561 www.nwcommunitybank.com ——————————————————————————————— Odalys Bekanich: Realtor — 860-965-3652 — Avon www.coldwellbankerhomes.com > Agents ——————————————————————————————— Peggy’s Personalized Promos — 860-379-7775 — New Hartford www.peggys.biz ——————————————————————————————— Planning Partners LLC — 860-693-9916 — Canton www.planningpartner.com ——————————————————————————————— Raimie Weber Jewelry — 860-409-3400 — Avon www.rweberjewelry.com ——————————————————————————————— Randy Brolo: Book Author www.lulu.com > Spirit of Delilah ——————————————————————————————— Ravenswood Natural Health — 860-264-1587 — Simsbury www.ravenswoodnaturalhealth.com ——————————————————————————————— Red Bison General Contractor — 860-810-8581 — Hartford www.nextdoor.com/pages/red-bison-general-contractor-llc-hartford-ct

——————————————————————————————— Richman Business Brokerage — 860-408-9177 — Simsbury www.richmanbusiness.com — formerly The Deal Team ——————————————————————————————— Stone Man Masonry — 860-693-4637 — Canton www.facebook.com/StoneManMasonryCT ——————————————————————————————— Suburban Sanitation Service — 860-673-3078 — Canton www.subsanserv.com ——————————————————————————————— Tom Kutz Photography — 860-693-6254 — Canton www.tomkutzphoto.com ——————————————————————————————— Trading Post — 860-693-4679 — Canton www.tradingpostmusic.com ——————————————————————————————— Transition Fitness Center — 860-398-1449 — Canton www.transition-fitness-center.business.site ——————————————————————————————— UConn Health — 860-658-8750 www.health.uconn.edu 28

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——————————————————————————————— Up Top Barbershop — 860-658-4499 — Simsbury www.booksy.com > Up Top Barbershop ——————————————————————————————— Vincent Funeral Homes — 860-693-0251 www.vincentfuneralhome.com ——————————————————————————————— Vincent Tully: Realtor — 860-214-3030 www.coldwellbankerhomes.com > Agent ——————————————————————————————— Welden Hardware — 860-658-4078 — Simsbury www.weldenhardware.com ——————————————————————————————— William Raveis — 860-693-2987 — Avon www.raveis.com/agentfind.asp?smart=1 ——————————————————————————————— The Village for Families & Children — 860-236-4511 — Hartford www.thevillage.org/second-chance-shops ——————————————————————————————— virtualens Designs — 860-348-6902 — Simsbury www.virtualens.art ———————————————————————————————