SEYMOUR - In response to the recent floods that have devastated Seymour, Oxford, and surrounding towns, a growing local and regional alliance of churches, food pantries, local businesses, service organizations, and residents called All In for Seymour has joined forces with their neighbors and government to support the recovery effort.
Within hours of offering to become an aid distribution site, Trinity Episcopal Church was flooded with clothes, blankets, toys, toiletries, and other items donated by the community. Surveying this outpouring of generosity, Rev. Tricia Pasley commented that “I saw ‘Valleyness’ firsthand. We planned to collect donations over several days, but in the span of four hours the donations were eight feet deep.
The Seymour Oxford Food Bank, faced with a marked increase in need, expanded its operating hours and began distributing fresh produce, bottled water, and pantry staples with no questions asked.
Director Kristina Walton, who also runs the Oxford Neighbor to Neighbor Pantry from her front lawn, hopes the food bank can remain “a place where everyone is welcomed and loved, and can have their needs met.”
Other All In for Seymour alliance members quickly stepped up to collaborate.
The Blessing Pantry, the Little Free Pantry on Skokorat, and Seymour Food 2 Kids helped collect, sort, and distribute donations of food pouring in from all over the state.
M&T Bank worked with Trinity Church to raise over $20,000 for flood relief. Seymour Congregational Church organized a benefit concert - still available for viewing on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/live/PAXB1crzYu0) – and the Love Mom XOXO Foundation started an apparel campaign featuring the logo “Small Town. Big Heart” - apparel can be purchased through the foundation’s website (www.lovemomxoxo.org/floodrelief) or Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/lovemomxoxo?mibextid=LQQJ4d).
Seymour Congregational Church has also been collecting food donations, storing overflow donations for the food bank, and offering people of all faiths space for comfort, meditation, and healing.
In addition to these efforts – and taking part in ongoing clean-ups at sites like Klarides Village – All In for Seymour has been hosting monthly Eat and Greet gatherings, an opportunity for neighbors to share a meal, hear each other’s stories, and work together to come up with solutions to common challenges.
The September event at Trinity Episcopal Church featured home cooked comfort food, including Trinity’s famous meatloaf, as well as breakout rooms for optional mini reiki sessions and spiritual support. As always, events are free and open to everyone.
Corrine Weston, who recently moved to Seymour and attended last month’s Eat and Greet gathering, said, “My family and I have come from a different Connecticut town, where we experienced three floods, had to evacuate twice and lost so much. During those times not once did the rally come from our leaders in the church community or the residents to help their neighbors.
"Instead, people complained that you were taking too long to clean or that your dumpster needed to be emptied. No phone calls or offers of support. But what happened here in Seymour was everyone pitched in to first check on the safety of their community and neighbors, rolled up their sleeves and worked side by side.
"Clothing and food supplies are overflowing and still this community is looking to comfort anyone hurting. Years ago, when we traveled past this area, we often wondered what type of people live in Seymour, now we know.”
All In for Seymour (allinforseymour.org) is an alliance of community members and local organizations working to ensure that everyone in Seymour has a place including a safe and affordable place to live, a place where access to food is secure, and a place in the discussions and decisions that affect residents’ lives.
All In for Seymour is one of several All In alliances in the area (allinalliances.org), supported by the regional antipoverty agency TEAM, Inc. (teaminc.org) and the regional community organizing network the Naugatuck Valley Project (nvpct.org).
This month’s All In for Seymour “Eat and Greet” community gathering will be held Oct. 24 from 6-8:30 p.m. with location TBD.
Event updates and RSVP (which is recommended) are available via the All In for Seymour website, www.allinforseymour.org/gathering.
This is a press release from Jenny Rice, founding member, All In for Seymour, and steward, Little Free Pantry on Skokorat.
