Human Services for November & December 2023

Medicare Open Enrollment and CHOICES counseling available

CHOICES (Connecticut’s program for Health insurance assistance, Outreach, Information and referral, Counseling, Eligibility Screening) open enrollment runs now through December 7^th.  Medicare health plans and prescription drug plans can make changes each year to cost, coverage providers, and pharmacies.  During open enrollment you can review and make changes to your plan.  Don’t get caught with late enrollment penalties.  Take time to review your current coverage and compare your options.  Before making decisions learn as much as you can about the types of coverage available to you.  You can make an appointment with a certified CHOICES counselor at Woodbridge Human Services.  Call 203-389-3429 to make an appointment.

Food Pantry

Residents in need may call for access to non-perishable food each month.  If other families are interested in donating, the food pantry needs dish soap, cleaning products, laundry soap, peanut butter and jams/jellies, coffee (both ground and instant), shelf stable milk, canola and olive oil, condiments-especially ketchup, canned chicken, oatmeal, pasta sauce, snack foods, canned fruit, and personal hygiene products such as deodorant, toothpaste, razors, and shampoo.

Energy Assistance Program

Qualifying residents may schedule an appointment to apply for the 2023 - 2024 CT Energy Assistance Program administered by TEAM, INC.  For more information regarding this program, please call Judi Young at 203-389-3429.

Bloomin’ For Good, a Stop & Shop Program

The Human Services Adopt-A-Family program has been selected by the Store Leadership Team at Stop & Shop to benefit from the Bloomin’ 4 Good Program.  The Resident Assistance Fund will receive $1 from every specially marked $10.99 Bloomin’ 4 Good bouquet sold during the month of November from the Stop $ Shop in Seymour.  It’s a great time to buy flowers and benefit a great cause too!

Adopt-A-Family and Resident Assistance Fund

There’s still time to adopt a local family for the Holiday Basket Program.  This program provides food baskets for the December holidays to Woodbridge families in need.  Distribution of the baskets will take place in early December.  Please contact Human Services to participate in the adopt-a-family program or, if you would like to contribute to the Resident Assistance Fund (RAF), please call Human Services to donate gift cards or monetary contributions.  Year-round donations to the RAF are welcome at any time.

Vaccines

Through five vaccine clinics in partnership with Orange VNA, Griffin Health, and Valley Pharmacy, Woodbridge Human Services delivered close to 500 vaccines this fall.  These included both regular and high dose flu, COVID-19 boosters (both Moderna and Pfizer), RSV, Prevnar-20 (for pneumonia), and Shingrix (for Shingles).  Human Services will hold one more vaccine clinic on January 19 to assist those who received their first shingles vaccine with their necessary secondary vaccine.

Scouting For Food

Recently, Boy Scouts of America Troops 63, 907, and 410 of Woodbridge successfully completed their annual Scouting for Food drive to benefit the Woodbridge Food Pantry.   Thanks for all their efforts to plan and execute a remarkable food drive.  Special thanks go out to Scout Master Bill Nardini and Aron and Ben Smith for their wonderful organizing of this event.  We have VERY generous Woodbridge residents who donated over 3,500 pounds of food to help their neighbors this winter.

Massaro Farm

The Human Services Department would like to extend gratitude to The Massaro Farm for its efforts to provide farm shares to 17 Woodbridge families/seniors who might otherwise not have access to fresh vegetables.