During the week of July 15 – July 19, a youth group from the First Congregational Church of Vernon (17 volunteers in
all) put their “hands on Hartford” to make a difference in our community. From Monday morning to Friday afternoon, volunteers worked at the MANNA Community Pantry, Community Meals and Peter’s Retreat, in addition to Keney Park in Hartford and the Salvation Army’s Marshall House shelter.
Activities included painting, planting and yard work and hosting BINGO and an ice cream party for Peter’s Retreat residents. Volunteers also ran a food drive (collecting 288 pounds of food!), stocked shelves at the food pantry, served lunch to 107 guests at the soup kitchen and attended a Faces of Homelessness presentation.
The Hands On Hartford Community Engagement Team organized this week-long customized service project – it was a lot of work during the hottest week of the summer, but everyone had a great time and ended the week feeling inspired by the huge difference they made in Hartford.
What a wonderful idea