Support Newtown Community in Fairfield, Beyond

Since news of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting broke out on Friday, people across Fairfield, throughout the nation, and all over the world have been asking how they can help the families of the 26 children and adults who died at the Newtown school.

Both locally and beyond, organizations and businesses have stepped up to provide and distribute assistance to the people of Newtown.

Please let us know in the comments thread of other ways to support the Newtown community, or email ideas to caitlin.mazzola@patch.com.   

The Salon of Fairfield

The Salon of Fairfield will be collecting donations to benefit the Newtown families affected by Friday's tragedy. Here's a message from the staff, via the Salon's Facebook page:

"The tragedy of Sandy Hook Elementary has deeply affected us all. A lot of us are wondering what we can do to help in the time of such a tragic loss. As many of our customers know, 2 members of our team, here at the salon of Fairfield, grew up in Newtown.

We knew that we all wanted to help, so we decided, as a group, to raise money for the families of the 26 beautiful people that passed away in this horrible tragedy. We are asking that everyone please help! Help by donating, help by spreading the word, help by showing your love and support.

If you would like to donate, please send your donation to the Salon of Fairfield. We have made a special account for all of our donations gathered.

Thanks you to everyone showing your support in this.

Sincerely,
Gary, Jessica, Meghan, Lisa, Caitlin, Chelsea and Judy

--Please make all checks payable to cash, and not the salon.
905 Post Road
Fairfield, CT 06824"

Luigi's Restaurant

Luigi's will be donating half of the day and evening's proceeds made on Tuesday, Dec. 18 to the United Way's fund to support the Newtown community.

Luigi's Tuesday hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The restaurant is located at 170 Post Road.  

For more on how to donate to the United Way's Sandy Hook School Support Fund, click here. Money raised will go toward support services for the families affected and the community.

Support Sandy Hook Families and Friends

A group of college students from across the United States have band together to create the website "Support Sandy Hook Families and Friends." Here's where you come in:

"We are collecting letters of support to be given to the Sandy Hook community.  We ask that you show your support and write a letter and then pass this site along to your own friends and families.  Let's help make this time just a little bit easier for this community by showing them just how many people are sending them thoughts and/ or prayers. 

Send a letter.

Contact us here."

 Dozens of letters of support have already begun to appear on the site -- you can read them all here.

My Sandy Hook Family Fund

Launched by families of children who survived the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the "My Sandy Hook Family Fund" will go toward the immediate needs of the victim's families. Those needs include funeral services and day-to-day expenses, like mortgage bills and groceries.

A message from the founders:

"We are the parents of the children who survived. We are the classmates, friends, and the little league coaches. Sandy Hook is where we live -- it is our proud community. We ask the world to join us not only in our grief but also in our burning need take some of the burdens off these families in their time of incredible pain. To bear their cross in some small way. We intend to use donations to pay for immediate needs, including funeral services, as well as ongoing living expenses such as food, mortgages payments, daycare, insurances and fuel until they are back on solid ground. Please help us help our own neighbors beyond sharing their tears. All net funds received will go directly to the families who lost children and immediate family members."