In Brief

HHW collection

The Lower CT River Council of Governments will hold a free household hazardous waste collection Saturday, April 22, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Clinton Public Works Garage, 117 Nod Road. No commercial or business waste allowed. The collection is open to residents of the RiverCOG region, which includes Middlefield and Durham. Visit rivercog.org to learn more.

Sneakers sought

Throughout the month of April, Coginchaug Alliance for Racial Equity (CARE) is collecting used sneakers to benefit scholarships at Strong Middle School and Coginchaug Regional High School.

The sneakers will be recycled or reused. Collection boxes can be found at Levi E. Coe Library, the Middlefield Community Center (upper floor) and at the Durham Community Center. Questions? Email coginchaugalliance@gmail.com.

Road clean-up

Middlefield-Rockfall Community Road Cleanup Day is Saturday, May 6. Volunteers can come to Peckham Park between 9 and 11 a.m. to collect bags, gloves and a trash picker. Then, return unused materials and collected trash to Peckham Park by 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 7 for the town crew to pick up. Rain date is May 7.

CVEF grants

The Coginchaug Valley Education Foundation is accepting grant applications. If you have a great idea, apply now. The application can be downloaded from coginchaugvef.org and are due Monday, May 1. Questions can be emailed to grants@ coginchaugvef.org. FACEBOOK.COM/ RECORDJOURNAL

Bailey tribute

A Celebration of Life honoring the memory of former Middlefield First Selectman Ed Bailey will be held Sunday, April 23, 2 p.m., at Peckham Park. Attendees are invited to share stories about Bailey and what he meant to the Middlefield community.

Those planning to attend the Celebration of Life are asked to RSVP to 860-840-1543 or celebrate@middlefieldct.org.

Breakfast fundraiser

A pancake breakfast fundraiser benefiting the Coginchaug baseball and softball teams will be held Sunday, May 7, 9 a.m. to noon, at the Durham Community Center.

Adult breakfast (2 pancakes, 2 sausages) is $10. Children’s breakfast (1 pancake, 1 sausage) is $5. Juice, water, coffee included.

Vocal Chords

The Middlesex Hospital Vocal Chords will present its 33rd annual spring concert, “It’s a Grand Night for Singing,” Saturday, April 29, 7 p.m., at Portland High School, 95 High St. In addition, the Vocal Chords will present scholarships to graduating students from Middlesex County who will be pursuing a career in nursing or music. Tickets for “It’sa Grand Night for Singing” are $25. Call Diane (860-3472787) or Joyce (860-3423120) to reserve your seats.

Giving Garden

The Middlefield-Durham Giving Garden will officially open for the season Saturday, April 22 at 10 a.m. with an event to honor three local Eagle Scouts whose projects have enriched the garden over the last several years. There will also be a free seed swap and distribution.

Volunteers have been working to prepare the garden, located behind the Middlefield Community Center, Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Saturday work opportunities will begin April 29. Help is welcomed and appreciated. For further information, contact Betsy St. John at 860-807-5242 or Jen Huddleston at 860-716-0464.

Volunteer

The Middlefield Fire Department seeks volunteers age 18-plus. No experience is required; the department provides the necessary training. To learn more, visit middlefieldfirect.org, email info@ middlefieldfirect.org or stop by the firehouse Mondays before 7 p.m. The department also has an Explorer program for youth age 14 to 18.

Cat Tales

Join a wonderful and dedicated group of people a few hours a week to help care for homeless cats at Cat Tales’ main shelter. Must be age 15-plus or be accompanied by a parent/guardian. The volunteer application can be found at cattalesct.org. For more information, email: info@cattalesct.org.

Gift of sight

The Durham Lions Club’s recently-refurbished drop box is ready for your eyeglass donations at the Durham Pharmacy.

Lions have recognized the urgent need for corrective lenses and collect usable glasses in their communities to support the Lions Recycle For Sight Program.

Get your diploma

Ready for a second chance to earn your high school diploma? Middletown Adult Education will help. Register at any time.

Food bank

The Middlefield Food Bank is in need of the following: peanut butter, jelly, jam, sandwich/freezer bags, coffee, tea, crackers, snacks, laundry detergent, dish soap, cleaning supplies, toothpaste, tooth brushes, pasta, pasta sauce, tuna, and grocery store gift cards.

From seeds Great things grow. gG , the acorn, is appearing in Community Spaces across Wallingford to inspire grassroots community engagement with social service and arts nonprofits. Be The Seed.

A 36-hour, online-giving event to support local nonprofits scowinc.org

About The Great Give: Celebrating its 14th year in 2023, The Great Give is returning on May 3-4. This 36-hr, online, community-wide giving event was created by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven to raise visibility and resources for nonprofits serving Greater New Haven.

We are Wallingford nonprofits welcoming you to be the seed. Be our grassroots connections.

#TheGreatGive06492

Since 1972, SCOW has responded to the needs of the Latino Community by assisting in their success as they maintain and share their rich varied cultures with the broader community. SCOW offers several educational opportunities designed to build confidence and enhance skills. SCOW helps newcomers transition to full participation in our community and nation. Your gifts help us help the most vulnerable and underserved clients with social and immigration services, education, advocacy, translation, and interpretation, as well as emergency basic needs.

Follow Us | facebook.com/GreatGive06492 wallingfordymca.org wallingford.lioninc.org

Founded in 1944, the Wallingford Family YMCA has spent over 78 years bringing the community togetherincluding nurturing the potential of children & teens with an incredible summer experience that helps them build character, form lifelong friendships, and create long lasting memories. Your gift will ensure that the youth & teens of our community will have the best summer ever at Camp Ulbrich, regardless of their ability to pay.

Do you want our community to grow stronger, kinder, and more welcoming? If you help WPL reach its $5,000 goal, you will be a critical part of the plan to create shared and connection-building experiences at “The Table” events. Convening people of different ages, races, ethnicities, identities, abilities, and backgrounds in venues throughout Wallingford is the idea we are asking you to help fund. By bringing the community together to share music, food, cultures, stories, and conversation, we can learn as we welcome each other’s experiences and perspectives at “The Table.”

ctfoodshare.org

Connecticut Foodshare, a Feeding America member, mobilizes community partners, volunteers, and supporters to deliver an informed and equitable response to hunger throughout Connecticut. With a network of more than 650 partner agencies and direct service programs, Connecticut Foodshare provides healthy food to the nearly 400,000 food insecure individuals (including one out of eight children). Our vision is a thriving community free of hunger. You can help.

gaylord.org bgcgnh.org mastersmanna.org myrecordjournal.com/latino-news capitalforchange.org

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater New Haven fills the gap when school’s out for Wallingford, North Haven and New Haven youth. Since 1963, the Ulbrich Clubhhouse of Wallingford has been helping young people achieve academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. Your investment during The Great Give will help close the academic learning loss caused by the pandemic and ensure those who need us the most will be able to attend the Club.

Master’s Manna, Inc. helps homeless, and low to moderate-income families and individuals obtain essential life needs. Resources at Master’s Manna provide reduction of food insecurity, mental and physical health intervention, and navigating vocational and educational opportunities. We are blessed with a diverse group of volunteers. At times additional hands lighten the load & brighten the day as we strive to benefit our community. Financial support received from The Great Give helps support the actions of those supporting others.

Specialty Healthcare provides medical management and intensive rehabilitation for individuals who have experienced a catastrophic health crisis such as a spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, stroke, or COVID-19. Donations to the Great Give support the Louis D. Traurig House, Connecticut’s only transitional living center for people with a brain injury. This unique program provides four-to-six-weeks of individualized day treatment for patients to successfully transition from hospital to home.

Gaylord soul-friends.org

Animal-assisted mental health services offer unique positive outcomes. When Soul Friends founder, Kate Nicoll, suffered a spinal cord injury in 2003, she noticed how her dog was responsive to her pain and moods. Soul Friends leverages this special human-animal bond to help children, families, veterans, and first responders living with trauma, loss, and social-emotional challenges. Donations help us care for the therapy animals that help the people.

The Latino Communities Reporting Lab (Reportajes de la Comunidad Latina) is a long-term initiative with a mission to amplify the voices of our local Latino communities. Your donation during the Great Give will support Lau Guzmán, the Lab’s multimedia reporter from Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America will match every dollar we raise during the Great Give up to $25,000.

Capital for Change’s mission is to provide flexible, creative and responsive financial products and services to benefit low and moderate income persons, and minority and otherwise disadvantaged individuals, businesses and communities. The vision for C4C is to be Connecticut’s premier community development financial institution offering capital solutions that will create and sustain lasting, positive change to low-income communities, including broadened social and economic participation, economic growth and environmental sustainability. You can help.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS