Special Projects

 

Honor Them With a Flag

The Northford-North Branford Women’s Club, GFWC is sponsoring Honor Them with a Flag, a salute to our country’s military personnel and veterans. The public is invited to participate by purchasing a U.S. flag dedicated to a member of our military or anyone else close to your heart. The flags are on display on the front lawn at the North Branford Town Hall from Flag Day, June 14th to July 4th. Each flag, 12” x 18”, will have a white ribbon attached to it inscribed with the name and rank of the soldier or loved one.

Flags will be available for collection for one week after July 4th from the lawn of the North Branford Town Hall. Proceeds will benefit local veterans’ projects.

Please fill out this form to the Northford-North Branford Women's Club and mail to the Northford Women's Club, O box 2644, Northford, CT 06472. There is no limit on purchases, but all forms must be received by June 8, 2024. For more information, contact Mary Ellen at 203-484-9079.

Charity Golf Tournament

Limited tickets available.

Little Free Library

Members Mary Ellen Collett, Patty Meglio and husband Ed Collett designed and built a Little Free Library. The library holds lots of children's books as well as adult novels. Ed and Mary Ellen Collett designed the structure and installed it in their driveway. Patty Meglio painted a sunflower design on the outside. Sunflowers are the official town flower and has been a theme that supports the pollinator pathway campaign in North Branford.

Lake Gaillard Walk

On Sunday, October 1, the Northford-North Branford Women's Club in conjunction with the Regional Water Authority held it's 23nd Annual Lake Gaillard Walk in North Branford. Normally closed to the public, the hike around the lake is seven miles long. Walkers could choose to do all or part of it.

What a beautiful day for a walk! Thank you to everyone who helped with donating their time, water, apples, or a monetary donation to the walk. There were numerous paid walkers, and there were a lot of walk ins on the day of the event, but everything went very smoothly. The money raised will support the North Branford Scholarship Association, the Watershed Fund, and the clubs many other charity endeavors.

 

IRIS Run for Refugees

One member walked 3.1 miles in the IRIS Run for Refugees on Super Bowl Sunday, February 12. The club donated $35 and the member donated the same toward this important cause.

Quilts of Valor

Two quilts from Quilts of Valor were presented at the April General Assembly meeting to two Northford military veterans, Retired Airforce Captain Janet Schmitt and Master Sargent Carleen Fisher. Chuck Larkins and Jane Daugherty, representatives of Quilts of Valor who helped make the quilts, presented them to each veteran.

A Quilt of Valor® (QOV) is a quality, handmade quilt that is machine or hand quilted. It is awarded to a Service Member or Veteran who has been touched by war.  The Quilt says unequivocally, “Thank you for your service and sacrifice in serving our nation.” More than 300,000 quilts have been made and donated through the nonprofit organization since its inception.

 

 

 

Collecting for IRIS

The Northford-North Branford Women's Club recently collected several pounds of much needed items for IRIS. The collection included dish and clothing soaps, underwear and socks, disinfectant wipes, tooth paste and tooth brushes, feminine products, bath soap, and toilet paper.

Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS) is a non-profit agency whose mission is to help refugees and other displaced people establish new lives, strengthen hope, and contribute to the vitality of Connecticut’s communities.

Welcoming persecuted people from other countries is America’s most noble tradition. IRIS helps newcomers on the road to self-sufficiency by providing lifesaving support during their transition to life in the United States. 

The club has arranged for collection boxes to be placed at the Smith and Atwater Libraries in town, and Stanley T. Williams Community Center during the month of January. Items needed are toilet paper, toothpaste and toothbrushes, shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, hand and body soap, shaving cream, razors, feminine hygiene products (pads only), lotions, combs or brushes, socks (all sizes), undergarments (all sizes), antibacterial spray cleaner, dish soap, sponges, trash bags, and laundry detergent. Items will be delivered to IRIS at the end of the month.  

Law Enforcement Diaper Drive

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Law Enforcement Diaper Drive for Bare Necessities, Inc.  We collected 18 diapers , six large boxes and the rest regular size, and ten wipes, 1 large box the others regular size.

Bare Necessities, Inc. is a diaper bank in Clinton, CT, founded in 2015, that has served over 270 families and distributed over 396,000 diapers and 809000 wipes!

 

Blood Drive

The revenue generated from Trees of Hope directly benefits the families that stay at RMHCT year round. Since opening in 1985, RMHCT has served 10,000 families from 130 Connecticut communities, 43 states, and 36 countries. Each RMHCT guest room and accompanying services costs approximately $125 a night to provide. Given that families seeking specialized treatment are facing the steep financial hardships that often accompany illness, these families are asked to donate only a minimal amount of $15 per night for their stay. Many families seeking residence at RMHCT cannot afford even this modest fee. However, no family is ever turned away by RMHCT due to the inability to pay. This is possible, in part, because of the revenue generated through Trees of Hope.

Community Dining Room

The Northford-North Branford Women's Club, GFWC for the donated $200 in Wal-mart gift cards to assist with the North Branford Homebound Program! We are so grateful to be able to help our neighbors.

Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter

The Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter takes animals from Branford and North Branford now that we no longer have a shelter here in town. They are in need of the following items:

• High efficiency laundry detergent, bleach, and baking soda
• Towels and paper towels
• Garbage bags
• Rabbit bedding (no cedar or pine)
• Cat litter (not scoopable)
• Canned or dry kitten food
• Sensitive stomach and weight management dry cat food
• Pig ears/rawhide chews
• Sensitive stomach (rice and oatmeal) dry dog food
• Soccer balls, basketballs, and footballs
• Large and small dog beds and cat beds