Hamden Library Podcast

Thanks To Those Who Give

November 07, 2022 Hamden Public Library Episode 14
Hamden Library Podcast
Thanks To Those Who Give
Show Notes Transcript

This month's episode is all about non-profits that help those in need in their communities. We talked to Y'Isiah Lopes of Hamden's Keefe Community Center, Kate Shafer from Hands on Hartford, and Suzanne Burbage of Hamden's Elderly Services about some of the many programs and services they provide, not just during the winter holidays but throughout the year.



Michael Pierry  
Hello, and welcome to another episode of The Hamden Library Podcast. I'm your host Michael Pierry, and I am flying solo this month as my co host, Alyssa, takes some well deserved time off. This month we wanted to celebrate the spirit of giving by talking to some local Connecticut nonprofits. We talked to Y'Isaiah Lopes of the Keefe Community Center about some of the programs they offer there for folks in need right here in Hamden. We also talked to Kate Shafer from Hands on Hartford about how they are helping the unhoused in Hartford. And finally, we spoke with Suzanne Burbage, Director of Elderly Services located right here in the same building that houses the library. But before we get into that, Mike Wheatley would like to talk to us about some movies.

Mike Wheatley  
It's November, fall and the beginning of the thanks and giving season. Thanksgiving is around the corner with winter holidays - Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa - close behind. In the fall of 2011, a relatively small film called "The Intouchables" came out in France. I say small because it was made for about $10 million, and by 2019, had been seen globally by over 50 million people with a box office of almost $500 million. It has been remade several times, including an Indian Bollywood version. The most recent was called "The Upside" and released in 2019, starring Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart. About a year after the success of the original film in 2012, a biographical book was published titled "You Changed My Life" by Abdel Sellou, renamed "The Upside" after the release of the American movie, and a book by Philippe called "A Second Wind". Abdel -- named Driss in the film and played by Omar Sy -- is a Senegalese French immigrant whose parents left him with an aunt and uncle in Paris who are having difficulty conceiving. He explains in the book The difference between extended family practices and raising children in Senegal, where children are raised by the whole extended family and in Paris, Mary's aunt and uncle had no previous child rearing experience and let Adele learn to survive living off the streets, eventually getting caught for pickpocketing, tourist and petty theft when he was released from prison. A condition of his parole was that he looked for work. It was then at quadriplegic Philippe Pozzo di Borgo's interview process for a new living life companion that the unlikely pair started bonding and a complex, sweet 10 year working relationship evolved. To quote Abdel in his book, "sometimes you need to get into someone else's world to find out what's missing in your own". It's hard to shove 10 years into a two hour movie. So one of my complaints about all the films is the compression of events. It seems as though everything happened within months. It is the chemistry between Omar Sy and François Cluzet that drives the film. Omar Sy won the Cesar Award for Best Actor -- The French Oscars. The film received seven nominations including nominations for Best Film, and Best Actor for François Cluzet. "The Upside" had a slightly different journey. Its budget was over three times as much. And it went through three directors until it was finished by Neil Burger, the director of a 1996 film, "The Illusionist" and the "Divergent" series. Kevin Hart plays Dell, a smart-mouth questionable character street ex-con deadbeat dad, who was trying to avoid breaking parole by semiseriously looking for work and wanders into Philippe LaCasse -- Bryan Cranston's -- interview process for a new live in life assistant looking for a signature. Even though Dell is clearly not qualified for the position Philippe offers him the position over the objections of his longtime assistant Yvonne played by Nicole Kidman, who gives him three strikes before insisting he be fired boilers is not at a beautiful friendship evolved. It's the subtle things that makes the difference between the films. It was a bad year for Kevin Hart. He had been originally slated to host the upcoming 2020 Oscars and previous posts of what were considered homophobic nature or PA plus sized and it didn't help the Dell in the movie had comic issues in the upside inserting a catheter. Truly though, even though he has a few over the top Kevin Hart moments, both Cranston and Hart do respectable jobs in the offbeat buddy movie. I don't know how I would have felt if I had seen "Upside" before "The Intouchables". Unfortunately, a foreign film requires that you read the dialogue unless you are proficient in the language. This can detract and take some people out of the moment, but "The Intouchables" is still, in my opinion, a better film than "The Upside". The score, cinematography, and editing is subtler. The relationship between Driss and Philippe more believable, but still, "The Upside" is definitely worth a watch. If you haven't seen "The Intouchables" or if you are a fan of Kevin Hart. The important lessons to be learned from the story of Abdel Sellou and Philippe Pozzo di Borgo, is that disabilities can come in many shapes and sizes, and that no matter your condition, the will to be treated humanely is universal, as is the search and need for joy of living and friendship. May we be thankful and giving during this holiday season.

Ryan Keeler  
Joining us today is Y'Isaiah Lopes, community services coordinator and manager of the Keefe Center. How are you today, Y'Isiah? 

Y'Isiah Lopes  
Oh, great. How about yourself?

Ryan Keeler  
Doing well, thank you for joining us. And this is kind of a daunting topic. You guys do so much over at the Keefe Center. But I wanted to start with some seasonal programs that you guys have going on there. Cold weathers come in, people are going to be concerned with heating and fuel energy needs. What do you guys have over there for people who need assistance?

Y'Isiah Lopes  
As of right now, October 12, we started our energy assistance, which we are a satellite site for Community Action Agency of New Haven. So all Hamden residents that may qualify or if they think they qualify, income related, they can come to Keefe Community Center after they have -- once they have an appointment. And we'll do all the intake work and submit it off to Community Action Agency that way to see if they can qualify for at least up to $500 of oil. And there's also emergency slot that that can qualify as well, if they need emergency oil during the months of October to May -- October 22 to May 23. So, you know, this is a great opportunity for those that are in need. We all know what the increase in oil and gas prices. So we're definitely looking to have an increase of Hamden residents coming. In the interim, while they're waiting to see if they get approved, what we have, based on you know, our budget, we're allowed to give up to 100 gallons of oil for free. And if there's an extension of them being approved we can, you know, actually give them another 100 gallons that are needed because, you know, we anticipate sometimes it may take up to 30 to 40 days for them to get approved. And sometimes it could take longer if there's a discrepancy with paperwork or there's more information. So we'll allow, we'll sign off and give them extra 100 gallons of oil.

Ryan Keeler  
Excellent. Yeah, it's definitely going to be important for people during the winter. And another thing I wanted to touch on is: Thanksgiving's coming up, obviously. You guys already do a food bank throughout the year and we have a donation bin here at the library. Can you talk a little bit about the food bank and specifically the Thanksgiving bank?

Y'Isiah Lopes  
I'll touch on Thanksgiving first. Starting November 1 through November 11, we'll be taking phone calls, signing individuals' families that are Hamden residents that are interested in receiving a turkey basket, which will consist of a turkey and all of the addresses that come along with it. So, we're gonna be starting at -- as I mentioned November 1 -- and you know, one great thing about the turkey basket giveaway, you know, normally we serve up to probably about 600 residents. So just think of giving aways 600 turkeys, and it's much supported by the community, public safety and, you know, our fire department. They do drives, and other local organizations and agencies and businesses as well, to help us collect those turkeys. So we're looking forward to that the day that we're going to give that turkey basket out, it's going to be November 21. And November 22, we're going to give it out between the times of 9:30 to 3:30pm. And to make it organized, we do it in shifts. We'll have the first giveaway from 9:30 to 10:30, and we'll have another one from 11 to 12. Staff will take a break, and then we'll go all the way to 3:30. This keeps it organized, structured, so people could get in and out. And you know, we -- and if those turkeys are given away, and we need to provide a turkey for an individual, we'll normally give them a gift card. That way they can actually go to the store. You know, $20, $25 gift card, that way they can go and buy a turkey. Right now we do have a food drive going on, which is continuous, you know, for our food bank, because -- or Town of Hamden, we have a food pantry that we offer food to Hamden residents in need. We offer five days a week. we have different time schedules for that: 12 to 2 on Mondays and Thursdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9 to 11. And on Tuesdays it's 2 to 4, appointment based. We never turn anyone away if they're from, you know, a neighboring town. But what we will do is give those individuals emergency food bag. We're always looking for donations, those foods as pastas, rice, different kinds of beans, or soups, we're looking for, you know, fruit juice or apple sauces, those that we could spread out, because we look to give three days of emergency breakfast, lunch and dinner. So -- and this time of year, you know, it's really beneficial, because especially as we mentioned earlier with the cold season, you know, a lot of people are -- they need to eat and they need to hunker down. So we're still -- we're doing ongoing food donation requests. And we want to just say thank you to all, you know, our city -- our town departments and our neighboring organizations and agencies that assist with doing food drives for us.

So we've got another holiday coming up right after Thanksgiving, and you guys are going to do a toy drive. The library will participate this year in taking toy donations. And you also mentioned you've got a Secret Santa program?

Yes, I'll touch on the toy drive. First, we're going to actually be having a toy drive on the first three Saturdays of December: December 3, December 10, and December 17, from 10am to 2pm. It will be held at Hamden Mart parking lot right in front of Aldi's. And you know, the great thing about this is, it gives people an opportunity to buy a toy for a child. You know, last year, we were able to serve 1,200 children. We collected, you know, by the drive for over 5,000 toys, and we're probably looking to increase that collection this year. Last year's giveaway was up 480 more children than we did the year before. So, you know, we're probably going to increase that this year. Definitely touching on the Secret Santa, we want to thank our fire department and our public safety. They normally, you know, will take up to 15 to 20 families that, you know, that are looking, you know, for toys for the children that may can't afford it or may can -- may not be able to give them everything that they want. So what happens, you know, the police will pull up and with their lights on or the fire trucks will come with their lights on. And you know, they'll bring toys to that family and, and you know, and it also for the parents of those children. It's not just the children that get toys, the parents get it as well.

Ryan Keeler  
Excellent. That's great stuff. And one of the most important things that you guys do over there that I wanted to touch on is rent and utility assistance. Can you get into you know what that means and how people can seek out that help?

Y'Isiah Lopes  
Definitely you have to be a Hamden resident and you have to live in Hamden for at least 90 days. And one of the great things about the town of Hamden -- and this is very important -- because we'd like to keep the lights on and we'd like to keep families and individuals in their home. We all know, as the increase of gas prices and inflation, you know, sometimes people are deciding if they're gonna put gas in her car or pay their utility or rent. The increase in rental prices, it's no secret. So what happens, a lot of times people will put off their rent to pay their utilities to keep the lights or keep the heat in the house, and then they get behind on their rent, or vice versa, they pay their rent, and skip their utility payment, and now they're behind. So what we try to do is we try to assist, you know, we try to be finan-- we're financially responsible. But in saying that, we try to give those families or individuals the comfort of, you know, you know, being able to know that they have the help, if it's, if it's their rent, or if it's their utilities, and we also -- and, and just another side of that, we want to make sure that they're educated on, you know, sometimes hard times hit, but sometimes it comes from, you know, managing their money. So, we'll definitely refer them or sign them up for one of our financial wellness classes. If it's, you know, healthy banking, be smarter about your money, money management, money matters. We also have ABCs of credit, understanding your credit, how to repair your credit. And we also touch on also sometimes, you know, with the rent prices being so high, sometimes it's great to encourage them and also have them take classes on how to become a first time homebuyer. What does it take? And when some individuals sit down, and families, and they realize- I could be saving a lot more if I had my own house. Okay, how do I do this? And so, that's where we're at right now.

Ryan Keeler  
And I mean, that's so much stuff already. And, I mean, you guys do so much more. So I wanted to save this last section for just some other services that people should be aware of, that the Keefe Center offers.

Y'Isiah Lopes  
We're also offering, and it's through partnership with the UI and energy solutions for eligible individuals that live in Hamden, they can get free weatherization, which is free to  the whole state of Connecticut. A lot of families or individuals that are homeowners, even renters that may qualify, don't realize that they can have free weatherization that is no cost to them. You know, there may be a cost if, after they have weatherization, if there's a recommendation that, you know, the house can use windows or the house can have some type of other installation. But if you're income eligible, sometimes that may be free or, like I mentioned, may be a cost, but it will be a lot cheaper [than] if you had to pay the regular price. So that's one of the things that the town in partnership --in partnership with the UI that, you know, Hamden residents can seek weatherization to their homes. And I wanted to also touch one of the things that - the great thing, being proud, having a food pantry and a food bank for the town of Hamden, we focus on health and wellness. You know, we try to focus on those topics of diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. So being a food pantry, we try to educate on health and wellness. And one of the programs we follow if you do visit our food pantry, you'll see a green, yellow, red light system. It's called SWAP: Support and Wellness at Pantries. And what that does is if you have green, it tells you "eat all the time", you have yellow, you shouldn't eat so much. If you have red, you should eat rarely. You can still eat it, but you should rarely eat it. And what that does, because we have a client choice - individuals, guests that come in, they get to choose their own food - so now they know, if they have diabetes, or if they have hypertension, they could kind of choose like, "you know what, I really want that soup with the chunks of meat in there, but it's red". And that's not really good because you know, they have high blood pressure. So they'll look more to a green where it's less sodium in that soup and they'll pick that soup. So just touching on that we just try to focus on, you know, serving the community. We see up to 450 residents a month in our food pantry and sometimes -- definitely during the winter months -- we see an increase with that. And we definitely see an increase, definitely, with the rise in gas costs and prices and rent, you know, we see residents utilizing the pantry as a source of trying to save money by using the pantry and not have to buy groceries.

Ryan Keeler  
We appreciate everything you guys are doing over there. And we appreciate you joining us for the podcast today. Thank you so much for joining us as 

Y'Isiah Lopes  
I appreciate. Thank you for having me. 

Ariana Davis  
I have the privilege of interviewing today Miss Kate Shafer. She is the Director of Partnerships and Support at Hands on Hartford. Thank you so much, Miss Kate, for joining me today.

Kate Shafer  
I'm so happy to be with you.

Ariana Davis  
My first question for you is, if you can please share with our audience what Hands on Hartford is as well as its mission?

Kate Shafer  
Sure. Well, Hands on Hartford is -- we are a nonprofit that operates in the city of Hartford, Connecticut. We've been around for about 53 years, and our focus of our services are around food insecurity, and housing assistance, and health support. And we get our work done by working in partnership with lots of volunteers and other community organizations. And of course, with a lot of charitable support from businesses and faith groups and family foundations and individuals.

Ariana Davis  
Wonderful. Thank you for explaining that. My next question is if you could explain to our listeners: what are some of the services and programs that Hands on Hartford offers to the community?

Kate Shafer  
Sure, I usually like to try to break these out by category when I talk about our services. So in the area of food insecurity, we're working with a lot of folks who are struggling to get by. Some people are very, very poor and homeless. Some people are, you know, working but don't quite make enough money to get by. Some people are seniors living on a fixed income. So it's a wide variety of people. And we have the food programs that we offer are a food pantry where folks can come and get groceries. And we have lots of fresh veggies and fruit and milk and eggs and meat and some of the more fresh things as well as pantry staples like boxes of pasta and soup and canned vegetables. And folks can come in once a month, and it helps them sort of supplement the other types of food they're able to get with other assistance or with the income they're earning. We also have a meals program that operates through Gather55, which is a community cafe-style restaurant, folks can come and enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner four days a week. For our breakfast and lunch, we offer people the opportunity to pay the full price of a normal restaurant meal. If they can't pay that full price, if they can pay a minimum of $2, that's okay, as well. If they can't pay $2, we offer them the opportunity to spend a half an hour volunteering, And if they're not in a good shape to volunteer or pay because of their challenges that they're facing, we'll give them a voucher for an on the house meal. So we're really trying to connect communities through this program. Both folks who are -- folks from all walks of life. And we're having a really -- it's brand new to us. And we're having a really great experience with just seeing everybody coming together. Everybody enjoying a great restaurant quality food and folks who can't afford it are still able to enjoy the same food. And then the last part of our food program is we provide weekend meals and snacks to kids through the Hartford schools who would normally be getting breakfast and lunch at school during the week. And we'll send home a backpack full of food for them on the weekend. So those are our food programs, and then -- I'm kind of going on and on, but the on the housing side of things we have a homeless outreach team, which is a group of people who go out onto the streets in the evenings and weekends connecting with people who are actually living outdoors, and establishing relationships and trying to get them connected with services and get them into housing. So they don't have to live outdoors and it's getting, it's getting more important as the weather starts to get cooler. We also have offer homeless prevention services, which is basically assistance and financial assistance for folks who who have homes but they're on the verge of losing them because they're behind on their rent or behind on their utilities or they just can't, you know, they they're -- or they're trying to move to a new place and they can't afford a security deposit. So we work with folks to try to take care of that so people can stay in their homes and not become homeless. And then we finally, we offer what we call supportive housing assistance to folks who have complex health problems. So folks who are are able to live independently, but need assistance to make sure that they stay safely and stably housed. And that's more like one on one case management type work with social workers. So those are that sort of a, a little bit of a long winded way of describing some of the work that we do.

Ariana Davis  
Well, thank you so much for going into depth and explaining the many ways that you are able to assist in, as we're able to see is that it's multifaceted. There's many aspects to helping someone who may be vulnerable economically, so thank you for that.

Kate Shafer  
That's exactly right. Yep.

Ariana Davis  
That's a perfect lead in to my third question, is: why do you believe the services and resources provided by Hands on Hartford is vital? And do you feel that the issue of homelessness is being adequately addressed in our community?

Kate Shafer  
Well, I'll start by saying that most of our services are provided in the city of Hartford, and the city of Hartford, like a couple of other cities in the state of Connecticut has a very high poverty rate. And I think the last time I looked at it, it was something like a 33% poverty rate. And when I say that, what that means is 33% of the people, if they're single, they're trying to get by on 11 or $12,000 a year, or if they're a family of three or four, they're trying to get by on less than $25,000 a year, which is nearly impossible. And with inflation, the end of the eviction moratorium, the end of some of the COVID related -- and help like extra unemployment insurance, a lot of folks at the lowest end of the economic spectrum are really being hit hard. And it's it's being -- it's really challenging. And it's really important that groups like hands on Hartford and other nonprofits who are doing this work are out there, just trying to help people deal with situation that looks almost impossible to them. One of the things that we know about the housing situation, I think, in the state of Connecticut overall, but certainly in Harford is there just isn't enough affordable housing available. There isn't enough safe, affordable housing available. There's housing, but for people who can't -- who you know, it means people are spending more than half their income on housing, which is just unsustainable, it makes it hard to pay for groceries, it makes it hard to pay for transportation or for childcare. So, and I know that working together, the state, the city and nonprofits have worked hard in addressing homelessness, and before COVID, we were making some great strides there. And I think we've taken a little bit of a step back with this -- with this big hit. And more needs to be done. And I think people are working hard to try to make sure that happens.

Ariana Davis  
Thank you so much for explaining that, giving that thorough opinion and explanation as to how we can continue to address not only homelessness, but also food insecurity, as we see as both are, are very interconnected, and as we approach the colder months, the challenges of those experiencing homelessness become more apparent. What can individuals and families do not only around this time of year, but also year round to offer help and assistance?

Kate Shafer  
One of the things that we do -- that's a great question. One of the things that we do and that's very important to our mission is involving our entire community in our work. We're not just out there like saying "Here we are, we're going to fix everything". What we're really trying to do is involve everybody and make the community stronger that way. The the sort of take the lead and trying to connect communities and connect people who are able to help and people who do need help. We often ask folks if they can help by donating in the -- in the winter months donating things like warm hats and gloves and scarves because that helps folks especially who are either living outdoors or who are, you know, they don't have their own transportation so they're walking everywhere. That helps keep them warm hand warmers. In the summertime we asked folks if they can help donate sunblock or bug spray or water bottles. We also have asked people to help do non perishable food drives, so they'll collect cans of soup and boxes of pasta and peanut butter and jelly and pancake mix and, and cereal and donate it just to help keep our pantry shelves stocked. So there's all kinds of ways and then of course we always welcome volunteers to come help in our programs. Lots of ways, lots of ways of giving, and lots of ways to be involved.

Ariana Davis  
That's wonderful to see those different options based on the time and, and the affordability of what people can offer, if they can, if offer their time, their money by means of donations, there's many opportunities to be able to give back. So that's great.

Kate Shafer  
That's right. And we -- and we do know that every little bit helps. I mean, we have people who do big food drives and bring hundreds of pounds of food. And we have people who go to the grocery store and just pick up an extra bag of groceries and bring them in at all help. So it all makes a difference.

Ariana Davis  
That's great. That's great. And my last question for you, Miss Cade, is what recommendations or guidance would you provide to towns and communities like Hamden, who are trying to respond successfully to the needs of people who are affected by homelessness and food insecurity?

Kate Shafer  
One of the things that we've found really helpful over the years, is actually collaborating as much as possible with other organizations who are addressing similar issues. So we don't exist as an island in this community. We try to coordinate efforts with other organizations and with people who are interested in helping work on these issues, and pooling resources to have greater impact. So for example, with our housing work, we're a member of something called the Coordinated Access Network, which is a group of of agencies that are all working on homelessness issues, who get together and meet weekly and biweekly to talk about what they're seeing, to compare notes, to talk about best practices, to coordinate efforts to make sure we're covering everything that needs to be covered. And then in terms of, you know, towns and communities who are seeing folks who are experiencing homelessness, the more work that folks can do to advocate for sufficient affordable housing and financial resources to help people who are struggling with rent and utility costs and even security deposits can make all the difference. And one of the things we've learned from a program that I think the library has sponsored, which is called The Faces of Homelessness Speaker's Bureau, we have folks who come out and speak about what folks with lived experience of homelessness, and they talk about how they became homeless, and what it was like when they were homeless, and how they got out of the situation. And I think one of the most important things, when you're looking at issues of homelessness is to remember that every single person who's homeless from the guy who's standing at the end of the highway with a cardboard sign to somebody sitting on a bench or looking for help, everybody is a person who was born not with the idea of growing up and becoming homeless, but who was born wanting to grow up and be a firefighter, or the President of the United States or anything else in between. And something happened. But these folks are all people with a different story and some compassion. And, you know, a smile, even, you know, "how's your day going", can make a really big difference, because there are folks who are often ignored and forgotten by society avoided, and it's a hard life. So I think the work that's being done by people and agencies to help -- to help address the issue of sufficient housing is great work. But in the meantime, you know, treating people with respect and compassion can make a big difference in someone's life just in that particular moment.

Ariana Davis  
And I can attest to that as well. We at Hamden Public Library, we had one of the speakers  who's part of the Faces of Homelessness through Hands on Hartford speak at our staff development day. And it was hard not to be moved and extremely touched by his story. And the impact that even the small things that others do can have on someone's life, and offering that perspective of the experience that people go through that may surprise others as to why someone may become homeless but also touching as to their story of triumph and recovery.

Kate Shafer  
That's right. And I know you know, Ralph, who came to spoke -- speak -- at the library has a great story. And it is a really good example of how some some compassion on others' part and some persistence on his part can really make a difference.

Ariana Davis  
Yes, absolutely. And so I thank you so much, Miss Kate, not only for your time to do this interview, but also for your work, the work of your colleagues and the volunteers at Hands on Hartford for all that you do to help those who are economically vulnerable in our community.

Kate Shafer  
Thank you so much. We, we couldn't do it without the help of everyone. And I've been really glad to speak with you today.

Ariana Davis  
Thank you for your time.

Mike Wheatley  
I'm talking today with Suzanne Burbage, the director of Hamden's Elderly Services located in the Miller Memorial Central Library Cultural Center at 2901 Dixwell Avenue in Hamden. Good morning, Suzanne. This is Mike.

Suzanne Burbage  
Good morning.

Mike Wheatley  
How are you?

Suzanne Burbage  
I probably sound better.

Mike Wheatley  
I'll ask you the first question and then.

Suzanne Burbage  
Okay.

Mike Wheatley  
Yeah, question one. Can you tell the listeners what Hamden Elderly Services is and whom they serve?

Suzanne Burbage  
Sure. The Miller Senior Center provides sponsored activities, programs, special events, and services to Hamden's elderly, or 60 years and older, through our administration office, our elderly outreach, elderly nutrition, and our minibus, through the senior transportation program through Greater New Haven Transit.

Mike Wheatley  
Do you see any particular challenges this winter, in light of inflation and rising heating costs?

Suzanne Burbage  
Right, in addition to Connecticut being one of the most expensive states to retire in, I believe I read the third expensive, we are seeing the pain because of oil prices going up food prices going up. We do have energy assistance. And we started in October, and again, this is for Hamden elderly [people], and runs through about April. This assistance is something you need to qualify for. We have three outreach count-- counselors that you can call at 203-287-2691. And they'd be more than happy to answer your questions and set up an appointment and also tell you the documents you need to bring to that appointment.

Mike Wheatley  
That leads me right into the third question, which is: how does someone avail themselves of Elderly Service? Obviously, one easy way is to make the phone calls that you just -- can they come in and talk to someone?

Suzanne Burbage  
We prefer appointments when it comes to outreach because they are very busy, and sometimes our staff is not always on site. There always is one staff person but because we do home visits or pick ups for homebound seniors, that is why they may not all be in house. They can come in anytime between 8:30 to 4:30, Monday through Friday. We're closed state holidays, but to gather information or if it's not with energy, to look around the center and gather the newsletter and maybe look around and discuss programs that we have.

Mike Wheatley  
And that leads me pretty much into the third question is: Was there anything that you would like to add that we hadn't discussed and talk about some of the upcoming programs if there are activities that you'd like to highlight?

Suzanne Burbage  
Well, we've been having very successful programs. We just had our fall health fair. And now we are having our October 31 Monday Halloween party, which follows with our annual December party and that will be December 9. Registration is required and it is for Hamden seniors. It includes the meal and Santa. It's our annual holiday party. So there's always something going on at the Center. And some of the events are happening at night. We have quilters and crafters. We have the Chevy club, we have the Hamden Women's Club. Also during the daytime, the fourth Wednesday of the month, we have the Hamden Miller Association of Seniors, and they meet in the Social Hall at one o'clock. However December they're, they're off by Christmas party. So they would need to register and buy a ticket for the Association. And their next meeting is in October.

Mike Wheatley  
I know at one point you provided lunches. That hasn't started yet again. Has it?

Suzanne Burbage  
Yes, it has. We have had lunches on site. Only Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. That is part of the other program that we provide. That is a federal and state program and donation. There is a Form 5 that is required. It is very simply filled out. Staff, or the cafe manager on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday help. She's here till about 12:30, and she's available at 9:30 in the morning, 9:30 to 12:30. The meal is served at 11:30. But you must have reservations, because the meals are brought in.

Mike Wheatley  
Awesome. Thank you so much for all of your services. And I know that you don't have a large staff and there's a lot of need.

Suzanne Burbage  
Well, that's correct. We have five staff members, and 21% of the population in Hamden is senior, or 60 and over, which is over 13,900 some seniors. We do our best, because we are here to serve a population, and oftentimes that involves family to get the extra help. We work with the police and the fire department, Elderly Protective Services, and social workers in the community that may need our additional help.

Mike Wheatley  
And all of your services are greatly appreciated. I'm really happy that we had the chance to talk today.

Suzanne Burbage  
Oh, thank you. And again, I just want to wish everyone the best holiday. But any questions, please give us a call at 203-287-2547 and we'd be more than happy to help you out.

Mike Wheatley  
We'll also put that information in a blog on our webpage so that people can find that.

Suzanne Burbage  
I appreciate that.

Mike Wheatley  
Thank you, Suzanne, you have a great day.

Suzanne Burbage  
You too. Goodbye.

Michael Pierry  
That's all the time we have. Next month we'll be bringing you another fun holiday episode filled with stories, conversations and traditions. See you then. If you liked this podcast, please like and subscribe to us on Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Have a comment or a question. Now you can drop us a line at our email address Hamden library podcast@gmail.com Thanks for listening

Transcribed by https://otter.ai