The Town That Cares Fund
The Town That Cares Fund is administered by the
Town of West Hartford, Department of Human Services
Emergency Financial Assistance:
The Town of West Hartford’s Department of Human Services established the Town that Cares Fund in the early 1980’s. Since that time it has served as a unique resource to residents having emergency needs in paying for utility bills, food, clothing, shelter costs, medical expenses, including medical equipment and a variety of other needs. Each day there are town residents who find themselves needing financial support following a crisis or hardship. The cause might be the loss of a job, a serious illness, an untimely death, a disability or another type of unanticipated financial setback. All eligibility decisions are based on an application process that includes an interview between the resident and a Town social worker. Formal policies and procedures are in place to guide the social workers in making their decisions. During monthly meetings, designed for the purpose of program monitoring and quality control assurance, each case in which a payment has been made is reviewed by a committee of Human Services staff persons.
Holiday Programs:
In addition, each year the Town that Cares Fund provides subsidies to a variety of holiday season activities administered by the Town. These include gift baskets for homebound residents who are elderly or who have a disability, a children’s holiday party and a wish tree gift distribution program (the party and the gift programs are for children from low and moderate-income households, only).
West Hartford Food Pantry:
Back in the late 1970’s, the Town of West Hartford’s Department of Human Services established a food pantry to provide food to families with emergency needs. Each year, hundreds of families are assisted with approximately 1,500 bags of non-perishable groceries and, in some cases, a grocery store gift certificate to purchase perishable food items. To be considered for help from the food pantry, residents simply call the Dept. of Human Services and discuss their needs with a social worker.
Donations of food and money to support the food pantry programs come from a variety of sources throughout West Hartford; school and church groups, workers from offices and retail shops, families, individuals, community organizations and clubs, and the list goes on.
OR
2) Send a check payable to the "Town That Cares" to:
Town
of West Hartford
Department
of Human Services
50 South Main Street
West Hartford, CT 06107
For further information, please call (860) 561-7561.
