BTC –Day 3 Journal – Newington, St. Mary’s to Willimantic, St. Joseph’s

BTC –Day 3 Journal – Newington, St. Mary’s to Willimantic, St. Joseph’s

After sleeping at our host families homes, we met at St. Mary’s at 8:30 to collect our bikes and get ready to start our ride to Willimantic and St. Joseph’s. We left around 9:00 and headed north toward Hartford.

On Stoddard Ave. we observed the destruction from yesterday’s storm. Downed trees and power lines were everywhere. We had to detour off our Cue Sheet but made it to the Foodshare Market by 9:50. At the Market we met with Don Scott who gave us a tour of the facility and explained the history and working of the market.
One of the most memorable things he mentioned was that they compete with other Foodshare operations through the Feeding America initiative to get desired goods. They actually have to bid using shares they are pre-awarded. It is sometimes very difficult to outbid areas like Chicago or New York because they have many more shares to bid with. However, Don mentioned there are ways to get around it. He also advised the the merchants at the Farmers market donate left over produce which is one of the ways they keep their facility stocked. They go through every produce shipment and discard any damaged goods. The damaged goods are saved and used for feeding pigs so nothing is wasted.

We left Foodshare around 10:30 and made our way to the MACC Soup Kitchen in Manchester. We had a very good lunch of chicken, pizza, egg noodles, and dessert. Lou and Joan had to leave for a family engagement but would join us later in Willimantic. They would be bringing the food (lasagna) for the Potluck dinner.

After lunch, Jackie Campion gave us a tour of the shelter and Self-Help Pantry. Jackie explained that the Shelter houses 40 residents, 30 men, 10 women. She further explained the merits of the self service pantry was to maintain the dignity of the clients. She proudly stated that MACC is able to provide service with only a staff of 14 and she is grateful for all the volunteers she has.

After the tour, we got back on our bikes and headed for Willimantic along route 6 through Bolton. As we got close to Bolton it started to rain and we again got wet on our ride. Still remembering that we will be dry and warm at the end of the day unlike those in poverty.

While biking on Route 6, we witnessed a tragic accident that had a grateful ending. As we rode past a house, a black dog ran across the street toward the lead bikers. The dog was hit a killed by oncoming traffic. One of the bikers drifted into the middle of the road wanting to be of aid to the dog, totally absorbed in the incident and unaware of the traffic. In the midst of this a tracker trailer truck was forced to jam on its breaks hard, smoke billowing from the brakes and fortunately stopped within a couple of feet of the biker. The skill of the driver of the truck prevented a multi-car, truck, bicycle accident.
We were all very much saddened by this experience. John Ryan and Jeanette crossed the road immediately to comfort the dog’s owner. When they returned we prayed together, some expressing their feelings, most were silent. We all believed God had a hand in driving the truck. We have mentally returned to the events and thanked God, prayed for the dog’s owner, the family, the people involved in the accident, the truck driver and ourselves.

When we arrived in Willimantic some of us visited the habitat for Humanity site that we had worked at.

When we entered St. Joseph’s, our first comments were what a beautiful church. After mass we offered a lasagna supper to those who were able to stay after mass. After supper we began our presentation basically to a family, the only ones who stayed. Our message was punctuated by loud claps of thunder and spectacular flashes of lightening.

We actually changed our presentation because of the wonderful interaction and dialogue of those participants. The father in attendance asked “what more can I do with my skills as a mechanic?” “How else can I help my neighbor who needs a ride to the grocery store?”
As we presented our PEDAL acronym we added some suggestions in the advocacy area. It is important to advocate for yourselves also. By contacting government representatives by phone, letter, or email, people can tell their stories. These stories provide real examples of people in need.

Although we only spoke with an extended family of 7 people, we learned much about their lives, their faith, and their hopes. It turned out to be another nice connection.

It was still raining and thunder storming out there when we finished our presentation. We had to load the bikes in the rain. There was a nice overhang at the door so we just cozied up the vehicles under the over hang and loaded the bikes. We also did the same for the family who stayed for the presentation.

Once everybody was loaded we headed back to Manchester to sleep and get ready for the next day.

Mike & Johnnie F