On one energetic day, May 7, volunteers from five parishes responded to the call, assisting in HomeFront’s intensive day of home repairs delivered at no cost to five local low-income families.
They, and other faith-based and civic groups, responded to the needs of seniors living on fixed incomes, single-parent households, people with disabilities, veterans and families dealing with illness or unemployment. St. Edward the Confessor Parish in New Fairfield fielded a team of more than 100 volunteers. Their skill is impressive, owing to St. Edward’s 18 years of volunteering with HomeFront. This year they replaced a roof for a low-income family in New Fairfield.
Two other parishes can point to an even longer association with HomeFront: Our Lady of Fatima in Wilton with 23 years of experience, working on a home in Norwalk, and St. Francis of Assisi in Weston, with 22 years.
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- L-R: Kay Byrnes, St. Francis team leader and the homeowner beneficiary, Beverley Donald, a single, low-income Bridgeport grandmother who has taken in her grandchildren.
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- Our Lady Star of the Sea group
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- Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Wilton worked on a project for a low-income Norwalk family.
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- The HomeFront team from St. Francis of Assisi in Weston.
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- St. Cecilia group
The volunteers at St. Francis were also the second biggest group. “They mobilized 75 or so volunteers and they are always willing to work in Bridgeport where the needs are the greatest. We were very pleased that News 12 covered their project,” says Sean O’Brien, executive director of HomeFront.
Two relative newcomers are Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Stamford, volunteering for their third year, and St. Cecilia Parish, also in Stamford, which just participated for the second year. “They are all extraordinary people,” says O’Brien.
(More information on HomeFront can be found online at: www.homefront
program.org.)
