Thank You, Paige!

I have many strengths. But, when it comes to following directions ... let's just say I have room for growth. 

And so it was, when I showed up Sunday afternoon at Hubley Hall at the First Congregational Church to help pack Easter/Spring Holiday baskets for our neighbors in need, I was relieved when volunteer Margaret Diglio, who organized the event, suggested I have someone run me through my first packing job, which involved loading more than a dozen specific items in a certain order in two different bags. Family bags had one set of items, bags for single people had another.

She called upon Paige Dean, 8, to help me out. 

The right girl for the job

Paige not only helped me pack up the vegetables, the potatoes, the eggs, the Easter Egg dye, the fruit, the butter and the other goodies, she explained how to pack it in the bag so that nothing would get crushed. She adeptly maneuvered her way through the other volunteers, telling me and then showing me the best way to get everything done. 

Thank you, Paige! 

And thank you to Margaret Diglio and her husband, Vincent Diglio, who spend countless hours helping to run the food pantry and making sure that people will not only not go hungry on the holidays, but that they will have plenty to eat and maybe have some fun besides. In addition to the eggs, and Easter Egg dye, these food baskets were supplemented by Easter baskets stuffed with all sorts of goodies. There were books, too, neatly tied with strings and doled out according to age and interest. There were tiny little Bundt cakes, carefully frosted and packaged with a doily underneath, and tied up with a bow, donated by a local Girl Scout troop. 

Baskets to be delivered Monday

All of this goodness will be delivered Monday to people who are getting by one way or the other, but who might be struggling to pay the bills and who certainly don't have the resources to pay for the extras that can help make a family holiday.

The baskets will be delivered in two shifts Monday by additional volunteers, all organized by Margaret and Vinnie. So, yes, thank you to them. And thanks to the other voluteers who showed up on a sunny Sunday to spend time inside getting this work done. The other volunteers Sunday included Paige's mom, Jessica. Brooks Sperry, 17, and his mom, Abigail Sperry helped out. Lisa Brennan was there, and John Mathieu was too. 

People in sixty Madison homes, no doubt, will be thanking you too when they get their baskets Monday. 

Want to help?

Want to help? Margaret and Vinnie tell me that they're all set for Monday's deliveries, but that they do need a few items at the pantry. Pasta and pasta sauce are needed. Cereal is always needed. Peanut butter and jelly are needed, as is juice. Any kind of juice. Particularly as the days get warmer, juice is always in demand. 

And, if you don't want to go shopping, a donation of money is always welcome, too. 

If you need help and would like to find out how to get on the list for the food pantry, contact Madison Youth and Family Services Social Services Coordinator Wendy Larson at(203) 245-5655 or email her at larsonw@madisonct.org

Here's how ... 

To find out more about how you can help the food pantry, you can contact the Diglios at (203) 318-5095.

Donations can be dropped off Tuesday at the pantry on Orchard Park Road, Building 50, Units 3 and 4.

• From I-95 north, Exit 59. At end of ramp, take a right and then a quick left onto Route 1 north. Follow Route 1 into Madison. Approx. 1 mile into Madison, take a left onto Mungertown Road (immediately after car dealerships on left). Orchard Park Road is approx. 1/8 mile on the right.
• From Follow I-95 south, Exit 60. At end of ramp, take a left onto Mungertown Road. Orchard Park Road is approx. 1/4 mile on the left (immediately after the railroad underpass).