Something powerful is happening in the Bethlehem community. Our vision set forth in 2017 is uniting the community around caring for our most vulnerable neighbors.
The mission of Caring for Bethlehem – to build community, to develop programs to meet local needs, and to match the talents of volunteers with opportunities to serve – is making a difference in lives throughout the year.
Our dedicated volunteers were featured in the Connecticut Foodshare Webinar: “The Importance of Connection: Creating Access to Non-Food Resources.” The webinar highlighted the ways our small community organization provides a full range of healthy food to our neighbors in need while connecting them with resources to make it possible for them to continue living in Bethlehem.
Caring for Bethlehem constantly receives requests for volunteering and our Board of Directors works to continually find the gaps that need to be filled. Considering the talents and strengths of each individual and matching them to the tasks at hand has created a strong network of volunteers, each with a specific task, each aware of the common goal, and each knitting their important piece into the overall task of making it possible for all neighbors to live healthy lives. The more we do, the more people want to help.
Community support makes the difference. Donations of food and other items by members of the local community, financial contributions from many individuals and businesses, and grants from Thomaston Savings Bank Foundation, Northwest Community Foundation, and other local institutions and family foundations all sustain the umbrella of support created by our dedicated volunteers.
We see evidence of a strong community on a daily basis. When neighbors gather in the parking lot to browse the Outdoor Market with locally grown produce and other items while they wait their turn at the food distribution window, discussions are plentiful. Whether exchanging recipes for the more exotic food donations, sharing information about a variety of opportunities in the area, or exchanging the latest family news, the conversations are rich with life.
Our friendly volunteers know the families well and know what they like. Sharing the rich bounty of donated food and fresh produce, giving our neighbors choices among the available refrigerated and frozen items, and checking in on other possible needs, our volunteers build connections that strengthen the entire community. Our neighbors’ faces that were once filled with stress are now more relaxed. The next meal will always be here, and help with other needs is always available.
This confidence and gratitude spreads throughout the entire community. When local residents and friends stop by to drop off donations and when other Bethlehem organizations hold drives and fund-raisers, the words we hear are: “Thank you for all you do!”
It is a simple message, but it conveys the broader sense of community developing around Making a Difference in Bethlehem.
The Bethlehem Food Bank shares a broad range of food and personal care items with the people of Bethlehem who face food insecurity. Our neighbors place weekly orders online, by phone, on paper, or in person for fresh fruits, vegetables, bakery and dairy products, frozen meats, prepared meals, packaged and canned food, and household and personal care items for pick-up or delivery.
The Bethlehem Fuel Bank and the Bethlehem Assistance Fund provide assistance with home energy needs, heating system repairs, minor home or car repairs, and other household emergencies for residents of Bethlehem. The Caring for Bethlehem Community Fund assists with two or three major household projects annually such as furnace or pump or roof replacements.
When one of our volunteers observes a neighbor with an urgent need, the Helping Hands Fund is a small discretionary fund that meets the need for immediate replacement of basic daily-use items.
The Children’s Fund addresses the needs of children living in very low income situations by providing for school clothes and supplies, opportunities to participate in activities, daycare, and other expenses that make a difference in their lives.
Members of the community donate Holiday Meal food at Thanksgiving and Christmas to bring cheer at the holidays. The Holiday Gift Tree at Bethlehem Hardware is filled with wishlist cards and community members donate toys and clothing to fulfill children’s dreams
The Prince of Peace Clothing Bank offers a full range of clean, gently-used clothing at no cost to anyone in need. The Clothing Bank, located at Church of the Nativity and managed by the Good Shepherds of Prince of Peace Parish, works in tandem with the Bethlehem Food Bank to meet clothing needs in the community. The Caring for Bethlehem Clothing Fund is available for new underwear, socks, and special clothing needs in partnership with the clothing bank.
The Bethlehem Scholarship Fund grants financial assistance to Bethlehem’s graduating high-school seniors and to adults planning to continue their education, whether in college, nursing, technical, or vocational programs. The Ken Meady Memorial Scholarship annually helps an individual pursuing a degree in health care.
The Caring for Bethlehem Resource Center, housed at First Church of Bethlehem, 21 Main Street South, assists residents to apply for state and local assistance and makes connections with other services to address many needs. Through the gracious generosity of First Church, our food bank and resource center occupy most of the lower floor of their centrally-located building.
The Next Step Fund for Women is expected to launch in the summer of 2025. This new fund will support financially-insecure women seeking to improve the economic situation of their families by addressing basic grooming and clothing needs, and fees necessary for professional opportunities such as educational and certification programs, internships, job interviews, and work advancement. This program in combination with our other programs and scholarships, programs of other non-profits such as the Prince of Peace Clothing Bank and the Soroptimist International of Greater Waterbury programs for women, will offer women in Bethlehem who faces financial challenges to improve the lives of their entire families.
Caring for Bethlehem, Inc. is an all-volunteer non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity providing assistance for local individuals and families regardless of race, religion, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, citizenship, veteran or disability status, or any other class protected by federal, state, or local law.
Caring for Bethlehem is an equal opportunity provider.
Bethlehem residents who meet the financial guidelines established by the USDA for The Emergency Food Assistance Program are eligible to receive food at the Bethlehem Food Bank. Others who meet the guidelines are eligible for food subsidized by government funds. Other requests for food assistance are handled on an individual basis.
Bethlehem residents who meet the financial guidelines of the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program are eligible to receive fuel assistance on a graduated scale from the Bethlehem Fuel Bank. Requests for fuel assistance from other Bethlehem residents are evaluated on an individual basis.
Bethlehem Food Bank, Bethlehem Fuel Bank, Bethlehem Assistance Fund, Bethlehem Scholarship Fund, and Ken Meady Memorial Scholarship Fund are registered trade names of Caring for Bethlehem, Inc.