Did you catch NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt on December 5? Wasn’t it heartwarming, hearing from Linda Mason, who has been volunteering at Hands On Hartford’s Gather55? Linda shared about her experience as a volunteer and how much she gets out of it. In her words, “When I come here, I feel purpose; when I leave here, I feel happiness.” At a time when many feel the effects of isolation, Linda says that her time at Hands On Hartford is “building human connections, and filling my heart space.”

Linda Mason knows the joy of giving her time and talent. We often hear this sentiment from those who give - "I am receiving more than I'm giving" is something we hear over and over again. Or in the words of one of our long-time supporters, "Why do we give to Hands On Hartford? So we can experience the joy of giving! There's nothing better than knowing that our gift becomes a gift to support and encourage and help the lives of others."

This joy of giving is evident in an old friend of ours, Clayton, who had received services through Hands On Hartford’s Day Program. Clayton dropped by for a visit recently to share good news about his personal progress and to surprise us with a VERY generous financial donation to Hands On Hartford! When asked what inspired him to give, he said he was so grateful for all of the good things we provided for his life and that he wanted to show his gratitude for all of the assistance he received from HOH and our Day Program Specialist, Donessia, in particular.

At Gather55, diners may participate in our mission by paying something towards their meals or by volunteering half an hour of their time. [Of course, on-the-house meal vouchers are also available.] Candido joined us for lunch for the first time this month and chose to volunteer as his form of participation. He has not only served water and coffee, and bused and cleaned tables, but he has also gone above and beyond, cleaning windows and looking out for other ways he can be helpful. The joy and pride he takes in being a part of a caring team and a larger mission is evident in the smile on his face.

Every year at this time of the season we reach out and ask our community to support our mission with a financial contribution. Naturally, the work we do at Hands On Hartford does take money to accomplish – from the cost of food and supplies, to the wages we pay staff, not to mention electricity to keep our kitchen equipment working, gas for our truck so we can pick up food donations, and so on. We invite you to share in the joy of giving! [CLICK HERE TO MAKE YOUR GIFT]

Gather55 - dinner update

Don't miss out in the month of December when Gather55 guest dinner chef, Chef Billy Grant of Restaurant Bricco (pictured on left with Gather55 Head Chef Jeremy), will have his mouth-watering creations featured on our prix fixe dinner menu, along with some favorites from Chef Tyler Anderson! Check out the new menu HERE and drop in or make your reservations at Open Table!

The Perfect Holiday Gift!

Looking for the perfect holiday gift that keeps on giving?

We now offer Gather55 gift cards in any denomination! They can be purchased at our restaurant Mon.-Thurs. from 9am-2pm and Wed.-Sat. from 5:30-8:30pm or by calling

860-929-2316.

Feel good knowing you're supporting one of your favorite nonprofits, helping to make a difference in our community and gifting your loved one with an unforgettable dining experience they will be sure to talk about for years to come!

Coming up on Sunday, December 25th, Hands On Hartford is hosting our annual free

Christmas Holiday Meal and all are welcome! This is a wonderful way to share in community and celebration with your Hartford neighbors.

Doors will open at 10:00am and a delicious meal will be served from 11:30am-1:00pm!

There will be toys provided to children in attendance as well as blessing bags filled with necessities for adults, thanks to the thoughtfulness of the Gengras Center.

We are in need of an abundance of gifts of warmth (new gloves, hats, scarves) for children. If you're able to provide these items by 12/19/22, please reach out to Kate at kshafer@handsonhartford.org.

We are also still in need of volunteers to help serve, clean, assist with gift distribution and more! If you're interested, please contact us at volunteering@handsonhartford.org.

NBC Connecticut stopped by Hands On Hartford and Gather55 on "Giving Tuesday" to do a feature story on volunteering and giving back that aired the same day!

Check out the news clip here.

And keep an eye out for our longtime and beloved pantry volunteer, Frank Lambert, who was interviewed for part of the piece! Frank has been a dedicated pantry volunteer, helping to weigh, stock and organize our shelves, which is no small feat, for 6 years and always with such a positive attitude! We are so grateful to Frank for his generosity of time and energy!

Travelers Employees participated in Travelers’ 11th Annual Thanksgiving Box Drive to help provide Thanksgiving meals to families in need. The teams collected food and gift cards, packed and decorated the boxes and then delivered them to Hands On Hartford and other local agencies. HOH received 63 total boxes totaling over 1,300 lbs of assorted non-perishable food, plus $2,040 in gift cards! Amazing! We are so grateful for the generosity of Travelers employees, who support the Travelers Promise by taking care of our local communities.

In early November, we received the amazing news that SBM Charitable Foundation will support our weekend Backpack Nutrition Program for kids with a $4,000 grant! This support will go a long way to ensuring that kids in our community have plenty of nutritious food to eat over the weekend, so they can come to school Monday ready to learn. Huge thanks for this generous support!

Zuppardi's Pizza Truck visited in early November to generously giving away 200 slices of their delicious pizza just to thank the staff, volunteers and housing tenants for all that they do to make Hands On Hartford, and Gather55, a special place to work, volunteer and live! Thank you, Zuppardi's! We really feel the love!

Oh so grateful for the caring kids at Renbrook School who created these care kits in specially-decorated bags!

Thank you all for connecting to our community in this very thoughtful way! We just love when bright young minds find ways to brighten other people's days!

With nearly 1/3 of our Hartford families living below the poverty line, we know how important access to healthy and nutritious food is. We are excited to announce that we’ve received a generous grant from the CVS Health Foundation as part of their Hometown Fund to support our food pantry, weekend meals for kids, and meals for all through our new Gather55 restaurant. We couldn’t do it without them! You can learn more about the Hometown Fund here.

Hands On Hartford is Hiring!

Hands On Hartford staff are dedicated, caring, and hardworking people who like to have fun while making a difference in our community. With great benefits, staff recognition and support, we value teamwork, compassion and community. 

Check out these open positions and help us spread the word:

• Housing Case Manager (Full Time)
• Gather55 Cook (Part Time evenings)

Find out more about these positions and how to apply HERE.