Ridgefield Family Organizes Donation Drive For Danbury Shelter

RIDGEFIELD, CT —Everybody is hurting going into 2021 —with the notable exceptions of the hedge funds and pharmaceutical companies. Most people's quite natural reaction when faced with pandemic-level adversity is to circle their families' wagons and make sure those closest to home are safe.

Fortunately, there are some in our neighborhoods whose gaze, and charity, extend beyond their garden gate.

The Dorothy Day Hospitality House at 11 Spring Street in Danbury has been serving and sheltering the area's homeless community since 1982. It's primarily a volunteer operation, one that relies upon a wider network of volunteers to keep afloat.

A large percentage of those volunteers are retirees, according to Meg Reilly, who oversees a cadre of them at St. Mary's parish in Ridgefield who cook meals for Dorothy Day's clientele. Retirees are among the population most susceptible to COVID-19, and that's impacted her ability to recruit help.

Reilly, who has been volunteering as part of St. Mary's Dorothy Day outreach for over 15 years, takes pride not only in the food her team cooks, but in the way it was served: "Our people are seated with real silverware and real plates, coffee, water, juice, whatever they want, and we serve them. They are very much our clients, we make sure they keep their dignity."

That level of à la carte dining was a victim of the coronavirus, however, and now the efforts are directed at more of a "grab-and-go" operation. The shelter itself hasn't been home to residents since the start of the pandemic, with almost all the city's homeless population having been relocated to hotels.

But if the virus is closing volunteer doors to one generation of St. Mary's parishioners, others have unexpectedly opened. One volunteer, Rachel Quinn, saw the pandemic restrictions at the shelter as an opportunity to teach her three daughters they "could do a little more."

"I just wanted to give my girls a sense of empowerment. I wanted them to know that they can help, too," Quinn told Patch. "Little hands can help make a difference."

So she had her daughters, all students at Branchville Elementary School in Ridgefield, hit up their social network for contributions of items on Dorothy Day's online "wish list," and was overwhelmed by the response.

"I think we got almost every item on that list!" Quinn said.

The families that participated all had children who were friends with Quinn's daughters. She suspects the parents were taking their own opportunity to teach their children about the importance of charity.

"My foyer was filled, we were tripping over bags, but it was nice!" Quinn said. "I liked that more than my beautiful Christmas tree."

Quinn said that many in her family are on the front lines of the pandemic, nurses and healthcare workers.

"They are doing their part. Me, not being medical, I can't take care of people, but I can still help people in this area."

That was a message she believes her girls took to heart when they delivered their huge haul to Dorothy Day. The families lined up awaiting their evening meal in front of the shelter was a sight her daughters had never seen in any Ridgefield neighborhood. "For my girls to see, 10 miles away: 'Look at all these people who need our help!' It's less than 20 minutes from our house, so it pays for them to see that, too."

Quinn hopes that other moms and their families will take a cue from her teachable moment. Dorothy Day Hospitality House is not the only local shelter so adversely impacted by the pandemic.

Quinn said she lit her fire with just one text message. Even more could be accomplished using social media, she mused.

"I thought I would be teaching my girls the lesson," Quinn said, "but I need to thank my friends for teaching me. They reminded me that together we can do great things and also why I love this Ridgefield community so much.

"Maybe we'll make it a quarterly thing."

The Dorothy Day Hospitality House has a "wish list" of items it needs to serve its homeless clients

• Fresh fruit — preferably bananas
• Bottled water
• Cookies
• Granola Bars and Pop Tarts
• Individually Wrapped Snacks
• Canned vegetables — particularly green beans and corn
• Mustard
• Ketchup
• Grape jelly
• Instant Rice
• Coffee — ground not beans
• Canned gravy — beef, chicken and turkey
• Adult warm winter gloves
• Spaghetti sauce
• Sugar
• Parmesan cheese
• Stop & Shop gift cards
• Individual sized toiletries -- soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, lotion
• Heavy-duty potholders
• Disposable razors and shaving cream
• New men's medium/large/XL undershirts and underpants
• New medium/large women's underwear
• Umbrellas
• Hams — canned or other
• Mayonnaise
• Hot chocolate mix
• Canned chicken and canned tuna
• Canned soup — not condensed
• Dishwashing liquid

Readers interested in making sandwiches for Dorothy Day Hospitality House should send an email to ddhhsandwiches@gmail.com.