Sophie Sonnenfeld Photo
Volunteers from a service organization called Faith Inspired Servants Helping Everyone Reach Services (FISHERS) teamed up with State Rep. Robyn Porter to hold a community grab-and-go cookout Saturday in Newhallville.
The 12 volunteers set up a tent on the corner of Division Street and Winchester Avenue playing music and giving out food and masks.
Since the pandemic started and hunger spread in the community, FISHERS Founder Darryl Pervis began gathering volunteers for ‘“Thankful Thursdays” to feed essential workers and people most vulnerable to Covid-19.
So far, they have brought meals to three New Haven and three Hamden firehouses and made and delivered meals for elderly residents at Arden House, The Willows, and Whitney Center.
Feeding the community through cookouts like the one on Saturday is part of their “phase two” plans. They handed out full plates with burgers, hot dogs, beans, mac and cheese, and water to over 40 residents.
New Havener Abraham Coleman (pictured) said the pandemic has been hard on him. He decided to come when he got an announcement about the cookout. Coleman who is 60, used to live on Division Street for many years and moved after his mother passed away.
Lorie Horry (left) and Layla Brown (right) with Wynter.
Layla Brown and her 7‑month-old daughter Wynter came to the cookout with Brown’s mother, Lorie Horry. Brown, who now lives in South Carolina, was staying with Horry on Division Street. “I’m glad it’s looking better here, but it’s so scary seeing those Covid numbers rise in South Carolina,” said Horry.
FISHERS volunteer Nahshon Langs (pictured) came from East Haven to help hand out the hot dogs and burgers. He said that now especially with the Covid-19 pandemic and the fight against racism and police brutality, it is important to give back to the community. Langs said his favorite volunteer work with FISHERS is serving food at community cookouts.
Before the cookout started, Democratic Ward 30 Committee Co-Chair Marcey Lynn Jones (pictured) drove around Newhallville encouraging residents to come grab food. “Right now with the world the way it is,” she said, “we gotta give.”
Porter said these community service events are important to spread what she calls “loving out loud.”
“Our way of giving back is to meet folks where they are, to reach back into the community,” Porter said.
Thank you to all the wonderful people giving food and creating and strengthening community bonds. I'm glad to see most people wearing masks. It's important that even though CT's numbers are going down for the virus, other states are struggling and CT people need to continue to wear masks over their nose and mouth and stay 6 feet apart to control the spread.