Covenant to Care - Litchfield, Tolland,

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120 Mountain Avenue, Suite 212, Bloomfield, CT 06002 ▪ Phone: 860.243.1806 ▪ FAX: 860.243.0100

Litchfield, Tolland,
Eastern Hartford & Windham Counties

Judith Chewning
AASW Program Coordinator
Bloomfield Office

Warm Coats or Groceries?
by Judith Chewning

It was the beginning of October and the leaves were just starting to change. This particular day I was out delivering winter coats as the requests had already been coming in; no doubt families hoping to get ahead of the rush. The wind was cold that day and stopping to get gas I could really feel the fierce cold hitting my ears. The gas station I had chosen was in a grocery store parking lot. I looked longingly across the parking lot to one of my favorite lunch spots thinking of the hot soup just inside. I noticed a woman and two middle school age children.

“Cold day to be out with the kids,” I thought.

After I filled my car’s tank I decided to drive over and treat myself to that soup. Being the mother of two small children I do not often get a quiet meal. I found a seat by the window, immediately noticing the children again. What I had not seen from the other side of the parking lot was that the mother, sitting on a bench, was surrounded by bags of groceries. They were waiting for the city bus. The kids were dressed in tee shirts and obviously cold. They ran across the road and into the restaurant right in front of me. Immediately sighing, feeling the warmth as they ran in the door the younger girl mouthed to her mother, still outside, “Can we sit?” The mother nodded, shivering, and the kids went and sat down, all the time talking about how cold they were and how good the heat felt. This was a school day, a Wednesday, “Why aren’t these kids in school?” I thought. I looked over at the mother and the bags of groceries lined up on the bench beside her. By now the bus was coming and the kids were running across the parking lot. Each child picked up several bags of groceries and along with their mother they boarded the bus and were on their way.

As I sat there that morning being satiated by my hot cup of soup, my kids safe and warm at school and my car in the parking lot I felt equal parts of joy and shame. Joy because I have so many blessings and shame because I was not acutely aware of it. Despite my own personal worries, when I turned on my shower that morning, out came water. When it was time to go grocery shopping I did not have to keep my kids home from school to help me carry them and I had never had to choose between buying a winter coat and putting food on the table.

These are the choices caregivers are making every day and the problem is getting worse. I see it in the increased number of requests every day. “Single mother lost her job and needs money for food.” “Father lost his job and the kids clothes are falling apart.”

Covenant to Care for Children is trying to fill these requests but we need your help. We cannot solve this problem alone, but together we can make a difference.

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