TEAM slates Community Cook-Off April 25 at Warsaw Park in Ansonia

ANSONIA - TEAM’s beloved Men Who Cook event is back with a new name – Community Cookoff! Expect the same great food, drinks, raffles, music, and fun! 

TEAM’s 18th Annual Community Cookoff (formerly known as Men Who Cook) fundraiser will be held on April 25 at Warsaw Park, 119 Pulaski Highway. 

We hope you will be able to join us for an evening of culinary creations from dozens of volunteer chefs in our community, along with drinks, dancing and raffles.

This event is essential to keep TEAM programs such as Meals on Wheels and medical transportation, community diaper bank, support services including housing, food, and home heating help, income tax assistance and so much more… fully operative and accessible, and able to meet the needs of all who turn to us in the most difficult of circumstances. 

We hope you will stand alongside us as we aim to ensure all our neighbors have the support and resources they need. 

And by attending the Community Cookoff, you will be a part of making a meaningful difference in the lives of over 19,000 individuals and families who turn to TEAM each year. This is a record number of people served – the needs in our community continue to grow, and we must make sure TEAM is able to respond!

Space is limited! Please purchase your tickets as soon as possible. Tickets include everything – all you can eat food, drinks, music, and dancing and fun – and can be purchased via check or cash to TEAM, Inc. 30 Elizabeth St, Derby, CT Attn: Cookoff. 

Or, purchase your tickets online at givebutter.com/teamcookoff. Sponsorship opportunities are also available! Any questions can be directed to Lillian McKenzie at lmckenzie@teaminc.org.

EVENT INCLUDES:

All you can eat food
Open bar – beer, wine, mixed drinks, soft drinks, and water
Raffles – top prize is a 7-day cruise!
Music & entertainment including Chaz of Chaz and AJ as our guest emcee!
Fun photobooth
And more! 

Shared from a Facebook event page.

TEAM's 17th annual Men Who Cook slated at Warsaw Park in Ansonia

Friends, TEAM's annual fundraiser, Men Who Cook, is coming soon!

Join us for a fun night of all-you-can-eat food, drinks including local craft beer & wine, raffles, music and entertainment. Our friend Chaz from Chaz and AJ will be our guest emcee!

This fundraiser supports TEAM's vital work in our community from our diaper bank & childcare, to home heating assistance, housing & food support programs, job & employment training, services for older adults including Meals on Wheels, and so much more!

Your fun night out can make a BIG difference for thousands across our region.

The event will be held from 6-10 p.m. May 3 at Warsaw Park, 119 Pulaski Highway, Ansonia.

Tickets here: https://givebutter.com/mwc25

TEAM, Inc. in Derby marks Diaper Need Awareness Week, seeks donations

Want to help? Bring diaper donations to our office at 30 Elizabeth St., Derby. Sizes 4, 5, 6 and 4t/5t pull ups (and wipes) are needed most. 

Or, donate monetarily at the link below selecting "Diaper Bank" from the dropdown. https://givebutter.com/TEAMDonate

This is shared from TEAM's Facebook page.

Save the date: TEAM to present 16th annual Men Who Cook in Ansonia

It's here! TEAM's 16th Annual Men Who Cook fundraiser will be held April 20.

We hope you will be able to join us for an evening of culinary creations from over 30 teams of volunteer chefs in our community, along with drinks, dancing and raffles.

TEAM’s Men Who Cook fundraiser is essential to keep our programs such as Meals on Wheels and medical transportation, community diaper bank, support services including housing, food, and home heating help, income tax assistance and so much more… fully operative and accessible, and able to meet the needs of all who turn to us in the most difficult of circumstances. We hope you will stand alongside us as we aim to ensure all our neighbors have the support and resources they need.

And by attending Men Who Cook, you will be a part of making a meaningful difference in the lives of over 17,000 individuals and families who turn to TEAM each year.

Space is limited! Please purchase your tickets as soon as possible. Tickets include everything – all you can eat food, drinks, music and dancing and fun.
***Early Bird Tickets are on sale NOW thru Feb. 29 at $50 each!***

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE!

Visit https://teaminc.org/men-who-cook/ for more information. All questions can be directed to Lillian McKenzie: lmckenzie@teaminc.org.

LOOK WHO'S COOKING!
Harry Burlakoff, Ken Dugan and David Morgan, Michael Smith, Todd Liu, Hector Velez, Kevin Atterberry and Jorge Pezo-Candelario, Nick and Nicholas Tarasovic

Stay tuned for more!

This is shared from a Facebook event page.

Save the date: TEAM slates Men Who Cook at Warsaw Park in Ansonia

Friends - we are excited to announce that Men Who Cook will be back for the first time since 2019! 

This long-standing event brings our community together over good food, drinks, dancing, raffles, and more. 

We look forward to highlighting our wonderful volunteer chefs, as well as the numerous programs TEAM runs to better the lives of individuals and families in our region, including Meals on Wheels, housing and food support programs, childcare, our Diaper Bank, medical transportation, income tax assistance, and so much more.
Tickets are on sale, and sponsorship opportunities are available. 

See further details at https://teaminc.org/men-who-cook/

More information to come! 

This is shared from TEAM's Facebook page.

Vendor fair in Seymour supports worthy cause

My daughter, Allegra, and I enjoyed attending a Girls Night Out vendor fair Friday night in Seymour United Methodist Church hall. 
Seymour resident Laurie Casey, a member of the church missions team, organized the fair to raise funds for the Valley Diaper Bank. 
The diaper bank is sponsored by the Seymour-based nonprofit, Connecticut Partnership for Children, Inc.


Stay tuned for more in the next Valley Voice newsletter.

Girls Night Out at Seymour church to benefit diaper bank

SEYMOUR - A Girls Night Out fundraiser to benefit the Valley Diaper Bank will be held from 7-9 p.m. Friday at Seymour United Methodist Church, 92 Pearl St.

The missions fundraiser will feature a variety of vendors, including Magnolia and Vine jewelry, Avon, LulaRoe, Younique, Jamberry Nails, Thirty-One Gifts, Ash N Bee'z, and Bemer health products.

Assumption Church in Ansonia to collect donations for area diaper banks

Derby mayor recognizes National Diaper Need Awareness Week

David Morgan, TEAM President/CEO and Derby Mayor Anita Dugatto at City Hall./ Contributed photo

DERBY - Mayor Anita Dugatto Monday presented David Morgan, TEAM President/CEO a proclamation recognizing the week of Sept. 28 – Oct. 2 as National Diaper Need Awareness Week.  

A signature initiative of the National Diaper Bank Network Diaper Need Awareness Week features a range of activities focused on diaper need and its prevalence in communities across the country. 

“Derby is proud to be home to the TEAM Diaper Bank that recognizes the importance of diapers in helping to  produce economic stability for families and distribute diapers to poor families through various channels," Dugatto said. 

“I encourage the citizens of Derby to donate generously to the TEAM Diaper Bank and those organizations that distribute diapers to families in need to help alleviate diaper bank need in Derby and the surrounding communities.” 

Though diapers are a basic need for every child in their first years and are essential to the health and well-being of the child, safety net programs that provide assistance to low-income families such as SNAP (food stamps) and WIC do not cover the purchase of diapers. 

To address the needs of families in the Valley, TEAM Diaper Bank provides monthly diapers and wipes to more than 200 eligible families residing in Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton.  Since opening in 2013, TEAM has distributed over 300,000 diapers to Valley families. 

As part of Diaper Need Awareness Week, TEAM Diaper Bank will be hosting a workshop providing diapering and potty training support for all families with young children in the community. 

The public is invited to register for the workshop being held on Thursday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at TEAM Early Education Center, 80 Howard Ave., Ansonia.

Individuals and organizations can get involved in Diaper Need Awareness Week by donating to the Diaper Bank or hosting a diaper drive. 

For further information about TEAM Diaper Bank or to donate, contact Ayanna Williams at awilliams@teaminc.org or 203-736-5420 ext. 204.

This is a press release from TEAM Inc., a private, 501c (3) non-profit corporation whose mission is to connect individuals and families with solutions that lead to well-being, self-sufficiency and full participation in the community. It aims to achieve its mission by conducting activities that address the needs of economically disadvantaged individuals and families including resource mobilization, education, advocacy and service delivery. 

TEAM programs serve the communities of Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Derby, Milford, Orange, Oxford, Shelton, Seymour and Woodbridge. 

TEAM to hold workshops during Diaper Need Awareness Week

DERBY - This Monday marks the start of Diaper Need Awareness Week, organized by the National Diaper Network.

Though diapers are a basic need for every child in their first years and are essential to the health and well-being of the child, safety net programs that provide assistance to low-income families such as SNAP (food stamps) and WIC do not cover the purchase of diapers.

Infants and toddlers use between eight and 12 diapers per day, at a cost of $70-$80 per month. 

Unable to afford a constant supply of fresh diapers, parents may frequently leave their baby in a soiled diaper for long periods of time, leading to rashes, infections, and other health problems. 

Desperate parents may occasionally resort to drying out soiled diapers for reuse. 

A Yale University study found that about 30 percent of low-income parents can’t afford to change their children’s diapers as often as they should be changed.

“Diaper need is a major problem for so many families in our state, affecting not just the health of children, but the economic prospects for parents forced to miss work because they can’t send children to daycare without a proper supply of diapers,” says TEAM President/CEO David Morgan.

Without a sufficient supply of disposable diapers, children are not able to enter child care and parents may not be able to return to work or school, leading to economic instability and continuing the cycle of poverty.

To address the needs of families in the Valley, TEAM Diaper Bank provides monthly diapers and wipes to more than 200 eligible families residing in Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour, and Shelton. 

As part of Diaper Need Awareness Week, TEAM Diaper Bank will be hosting two workshops providing diapering and potty training support for all families with young children in the community. 

The public is invited to register for the workshops, scheduled from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday at Irving School, 9 Garden Place, or from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday at TEAM Early Education Center, 80 Howard Ave., Ansonia.

For further information about TEAM Diaper Bank or to donate, contact Ayanna Williams at awilliams@teaminc.org or 203-736-5420 ext. 204.

This is a press release from TEAM Inc., a private, 501c (3) non-profit corporation whose mission is to connect individuals and families with solutions that lead to well-being, self-sufficiency and full participation in the community. 

It aims to achieve its mission by conducting activities that address the needs of economically disadvantaged individuals and families including resource mobilization, education, advocacy and service delivery. TEAM programs serve the communities of Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Derby, Milford, Orange, Oxford, Shelton, Seymour and Woodbridge. 

Griffin Hospital in Derby donates $5K to TEAM diaper bank

Pictured from left, TEAM President/CEO David Morgan, Griffin Childbirth Center Director Luanne Miller TEAM Family Resource Center Manager Ayanna Williams, Griffin Hospital CEO/President Pat Charmel, TEAM CFO Wendy Rodorigo,TEAM Board Member David Rabinove, TEAM Executive VP Diane Stroman / Photo contributed by Fred Ortoli Photography

DERBY - TEAM Inc. announced today that Griffin Hospital presented the agency with a $5,000 donation in support of TEAM Diaper Bank.

The diaper bank serves more than 354 families residing in Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour, and Shelton, of which 96 percent were at or below 200 percent of Federal Poverty Level. 

The TEAM Diaper Bank provides diapers and wipes to income eligible families with children under 4 years of age. 

In 2012, Griffin Hospital received an official designation as “Baby-Friendly®” from Baby-Friendly USA for its commitment to providing newborns a best start to a healthy life. 

This year, under the leadership of CEO/President Pat Charmel, Griffin Hospital continued its baby-friendly ways with the $5,000 donation to the TEAM Diaper Bank.

Griffin Hospital also gave TEAM access to purchase diapers and wipes through Griffin’s national distributors at wholesale rates. This partnership significantly cuts costs, enabling TEAM to purchase more diapers and wipes with the same amount of money.

“When Griffin Hospital heard that TEAM’s Diaper Bank didn’t have an adequate supply of diapers to meet the needs of the growing number of low income families who couldn’t afford to buy diapers for their infant or toddler, we felt compelled to act,” said Patrick Charmel, Griffin President and CEO. 

“We knew that in addition to making a monetary donation to address the immediate need, we had to find a way to help TEAM make the limited financial resources available to support the Diaper Bank go further. By taking advantage of the hospital’s considerable buying power we were able to do just that. 

"Griffin Hospital is extremely grateful to TEAM for establishing and operating the Diaper Bank, which is a very important resource that has a positive impact on the health and well-being of children and families in our community.”

Despite being a necessity for babies, diapers are not covered by WIC, SNAP (food stamps), Medicare, or other programs. With a typical infant using 10-12 diapers per day, and toddlers using up to 8, a baby in a low-income family may spend the entire day in a single soiled diaper, leading to rashes, infections, and other health problems.

According to statistics cited by experts, in Connecticut mothers spend at least $20 to $30 a week for diapers, a cost that causes too many moms to make trade-offs that can endanger children's health. 

Parents who can’t afford diapers also can’t leave their child in daycare to go to work, leading to economic instability and continuing the cycle of poverty.

“I often say in our work at TEAM that it requires a strong community alliance to turn the corner in addressing the complex needs of those struggling for a level quality of life, and Griffin Hospital’s support is an exemplar of such efforts to help others,” said David Morgan, TEAM President and CEO. “Diaper-need is not only a significant household budgeting constraint but recent research also clearly links the potential impacts of diaper-need to health and well being and maternal depression,” Morgan adds, “and we are ever grateful to Pat Charmel and Griffin Hospital for this exceptional support and collaboration.”

For further information about TEAM Diaper Bank, call 203-736-5420 ext. 208 or e-mail diapers@teaminc.org.


This is a press release from TEAM Inc., a private, non-profit corporation whose mission is to connect individuals and families with solutions that lead to well-being, self-sufficiency and full participation in the community. 

It aims to achieve its mission by conducting activities that address the needs of economically disadvantaged individuals and families including resource mobilization, education, advocacy and service delivery. 

TEAM programs serve the communities of Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Derby, Milford, Orange, Oxford, Shelton, Seymour and Woodbridge.