2019-2020 Biennial Report
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2019-2020 Biennial Report Dear Friends, We are pleased to share this Biennial Report to the Community covering the years 2019 and 2020—two years that were each exceptional in their own way, and that were both marked by an unprecedented outpouring of love and support from our community. Hands On Hartford is a diverse community of thousands of Barbara Shaw and Donna Manocchio individuals and families, faith groups, schools, civic and nonprofit organizations, corporations, public sector agencies, and donors from throughout Greater Hartford and beyond who have joined together out of an abiding devotion to caring for each other with compassion, justice, and generosity. At our heart, we are about serving neighbors, engaging volunteers, and connecting communities, and finding opportunities to ever deepen this work and address emerging needs. We are a community where each of us shares what we have so that we might all have what we need. In 2019, which now seems ever so long ago, we were thrilled to celebrate our 50th Anniversary. It was a year filled with walks down Memory Lane, celebrating and re-establishing connections, and raising up the amazing partners who have, since our beginnings as Center City Churches, made our work possible. Little could we have imagined what we would be called to do in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and when every bit of our experience, capabilities, resources, and resolve were put to the test to continue to care for our neighbors. The thousands of people we serve annually are those who suffered the pandemic’s devastating impacts most deeply and immediately: people of color, people who have little to no income, senior citizens, people with disabilities, and people with complex physical and mental health needs. Folks who were already experiencing food and housing insecurity, unemployment, and health crises…all of which were exacerbated by the pandemic. In true Hands On Hartford spirit, you and all of our community rose to the challenge, redoubling your commitment, efforts, and generosity. We provided for each other in ways that, as our mission states, “change lives and renew human possibility.” In looking back over these last two years, we realize that this agency means many things to many people, and our reach is broad thanks to you. This biennial report is admittedly long—but it’s been a long two years! Please take your time with this and read about how you have made a difference. You will see the ways in which Hands On Hartford is a community where people are nourished & refreshed, live, work, learn, collaborate, celebrate & remember, envision & plan, are prudent stewards of resources, and give thanks. We are excited to share the richness of the ways we all serve, engage and connect – and we hope you are too! With appreciation for all you do to keep the Hartford community strong and healthy, Barbara A. Shaw, LCSW Rev. Donna K. Manocchio Executive Director Board Chairperson, 2018-2020 Hands On Hartford 2019-2020 Biennial Report Table of Contents Board, Friends of Hands On Hartford page 2 Hands On Hartford is a community where people… Are nourished and refreshed page 3 Live page 5 Work page 6 Learn and Grow page 7 Collaborate page 9 Celebrate and remember page 10 Envision and plan page 12 Are prudent stewards of resources (with Financial Report) page 13 Give thanks page 14 2019 Financial and In Kind Support page 14 2020 Financial and In Kind Support page 22 Hands On Hartford Staff page 37 Our Mission: Hands On Hartford, in partnership with others, strengthens community in Hartford by responding faithfully to people in need through programs that change lives and renew human possibility. We are committed to Serving Neighbors (with food & nutrition, housing assistance, and health support), Engaging Volunteers (in service at Hands On Hartford and across the city), and Connecting Communities (bringing together folks from all walks of life). 1 Board of Directors The Hands On Hartford Board of Directors is a group of individuals, many of whom volunteer for Hands On Hartford every single day, often times late in the evenings or early in the mornings, sacrificing their precious time and talent selflessly for this community. They govern the agency carefully and are enthusiastic ambassadors, raising money to fund our programs and help our neighbors. They provide unbelievable professionalism and a variety of high level skills to our team. Service above self – that is the Hands On Hartford Board! Board of Directors Listing (2019 and/or 2020): Donna K. Manocchio, Katonya Hughey Chairperson Thomas Kainamura Daniel A. Arsenault Chris Mendoza Cynthia Bates Brian Neary Autumn Bosworth Nitza Rivera Christopher Brechlin Bobbi Schmidt Tracie Brown Michael Tetreault Leroy Butler Dianna Wallquist Lisa Cameron Sharon M. Ware Nate Fox Bill Wilcox Bryan Hooper Friends of Hands On Hartford The Friends of Hands On Hartford are ambassadors in the community, helping to highlight the many ways the agency collaborates to transform lives. The Friends of HOH work alongside the Board of Directors to bring new friends and funds for greater impact to support our mission. Friends of Hands On Hartford Listing: Stephen and Maria Ward (Chairs) Beth Ferrari Rev. Dick Allen Ruth Fitzgerald Rev. Karen Bailey-Francois Helen Frye Diane Bellfy Rev. Bryan Hooper Peter and Cathie Benner Jane Lennox Rev. Paul and Tina Bobbitt Rev. Donna Manocchio Tracie Brown Aida Mansoor Leroy Butler Jim Palma Paul Christie Nitza Rivera Alice Ferguson Howard Shafer 2 Hands On Hartford is a community where people are ……. NOURISHED and REFRESHED There’s only one question asked at our Center for Community: “How can we help?” Our 50th Anniversary Year was a milestone for the Community Meals Day Program. With the help of special funding from Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, we expanded hours and meals so we could operate as a true day program. With breakfast and lunch Mondays through Thursdays and dinner on Mondays, our doors stayed open for folks not only to enjoy a hot meal, but also to get a respite from the weather and, importantly, work one- on-one with our staff to access needed resources. The MANNA Community Pantry and Neighborhood Services team also thrived during our 50th year – forming referral-based partnerships with Asylum Hill Congregational Church and Emanuel Lutheran Church to better serve neighbors across the city and partnering with Wholesome Wave to put more fresh produce on the tables of our pantry families. Generous friends from Temple Beth Hillel in South Windsor showed up in the kitchen every Monday to clean, cut, and package fresh fruit and veggies for our Kitchen-to-Pantry project. On our Wall of Testimonies, we collected over 50 heartfelt messages of thanks from staff, clients, and volunteers, nourishing us all with the warmth and power of this amazing community. Hartford schoolchildren were nourished and refreshed by the nutritious and kid-friendly food – including fresh fruit – sent home through the Backpack Nutrition Program. More than 50 Backpack Angels came together in 2019 to support the program financially, with food drives, and with special gifts for the 240+ kids in the program. Backpack Angels! And speaking of nourishment, the Café at Fifty-Five and Caterers Who Care had a great year in 2019, with increased sales and more customers supporting these mission-based businesses. Shared Kitchen members made delicious fare for their customers, and our Housing Program tenants enjoyed cooking classes in the Hands On Hartford kitchen. “Things changed in 2020….” Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our neighbors were forced to choose between paying for food, rent, or medicine. People with physical and mental health needs already had little access to critical healthcare and social services. Unemployment and homelessness were already rising. The pandemic dramatically increased the number of people experiencing these life challenges. In response, and with much community support, we rapidly adapted our programs so we could continue to serve the folks who needed us most without missing a beat. 3 (continued…) Hands On Hartford is a community where people are ……. NOURISHED and REFRESHED When the pandemic forced the closing of the Christ Church Cathedral space that houses our Community Meals Day Program, we moved the whole program to our Center for Community in the Parkville neighborhood and began to serve meals to go, while giving some folks a place to come in and sit down. We were blessed by an amazing gift from Travelers who kept their food service team employed by providing lunch for all our guests Mondays through Thursdays. We continued to foster trusting relationships with our guests, helping them navigate the services and support they most need. MANNA Community Pantry saw a sharp rise in demand for groceries, with many folks turning to us for the first time in their lives. We experienced challenging supply- chain problems mid-year, but we kept our doors open for everyone who came to us. We couldn’t have done so without the support of the amazing Hartford community who never stopped sending financial and food donations to keep our neighbors healthy and strong. At the height of the pandemic, we collaborated with United Way and Door Dash to have groceries delivered weekly to home-bound neighbors. We were continually amazed and humbled by the resiliency of the folks we served in the face of all of these challenges. The Backpack Nutrition Program went on hiatus in the spring as schools stopped meeting in person, but by fall was going strong in 8 Hartford schools, delivering backpacks twice a week to accommodate new hybrid attendance schedules. The Café at Fifty-Five experimented throughout the year with changed schedules, revised menus, curbside pickup, dinner kits to go, and special promotions, but by the end of the year, with drastically reduced foot traffic and little to no events occurring to support our catering operations, both the Café and Caterers Who Care went on hiatus.