Category Archives: In the Hartford Courant

The Emergency of Hunger Food Drive

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Manchester and South Windsor first responders to collect donated food

By JESSE LEAVENWORTH

HARTFORD COURANT |

NOV 10, 2020 AT 5:57 PM

Volunteers with the Emergency of Hunger Food Drive unload donations from an ambulance at MACC Charities in Manchester.

Volunteers with the Emergency of Hunger Food Drive unload donations from an ambulance at MACC Charities in Manchester. (Courtesy of Patrick Gleason/ASM)

MANCHESTER — Police, firefighters and ambulance crews will team up with other organizations for the Emergency of Hunger Food Drive benefiting food pantries in Manchester and South Windsor.

This weekend and next, volunteers will collect donated turkeys, nonperishable food items, gift cards and cash donations at supermarkets in both towns.

Organized by the Ambulance Service of Manchester, this is the 12th annual drive. All donations will go to Manchester Area Conference of Churches Charities, which runs a community kitchen and food pantry, and South Windsor Food and Fuel Bank, drive spokesman Patrick Gleason of ASM said Tuesday.

The collection is “very critical this year,” MACC Charities Executive Director Beth Stafford said.

“Need is up and more and more ‘new’ families are looking for help with food, especially holiday meals,” Stafford said.

The South Windsor Fuel and Food Bank is run through the town’s human services department. The annual food drive stocks the pantry’s shelves for the winter months, department Director Andrea Cofrancesco said.

The need for donations in South Windsor also has increased, in part due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Cofrancesco said.

“We’ve seen people that we’ve never seen before. They’re in a different situation now than they were,” she said.

Partners in the effort include Manchester and South Windsor police and fire departments, Highland Park Market, Stop & Shop supermarkets, Geissler’s Supermarket, Manchester Police Explorers, South Windsor Rotary Club and Harbor Chase at Evergreen Walk.

Collection places and times are: Highland Park Market, 317 Highland St., Manchester, Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Stop & Shop in Manchester, 318 West Middle Turnpike, Saturday and Sunday and Nov. 21 and 22 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Stop & Shop in South Windsor, 1739 Ellington Road, Nov. 21 and 22, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Geissler’s Supermarket, South Windsor, 965 Sullivan Ave., Nov. 21 and 22, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Jesse Leavenworth can be reached at jleavenworth@courant.com

11th Annual Emergency of Hunger Food Drive Results!

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HARTFORD COURANT

by Jesse Leavenworth

Volunteers with the Emergency of Hunger Food Drive unload donations from an ambulance at MACC Charities in Manchester. (Courtesy of Patrick Gleason/ASM)

Organizers of the Emergency of Hunger food drive gathered ample donations of food and cash over the past two weekends at area supermarkets.

Police officers, firefighters, ambulance crews and other volunteers collected 645 turkeys, 21,334 food items and $31,003 in cash, food drive spokesman Patrick Gleason of Ambulance Service of Manchester said.

Collections were made at supermarkets in Manchester, Vernon and South Windsor. All donations are to benefit food pantries in the participating towns.

This was the 11th year of the drive. In 2009, when the effort was focused only on Manchester, a total of $2,405.78 in cash and checks and 155 turkeys were collected, along with an unspecified number of nonperishable food items. The total value of food and monetary donations was $14,265.78, an organizer said.

Participants this year included Manchester, South Windsor and Vernon police officers and firefighters and representatives of Manchester Police Explorers, Ambulance Service of Manchester, South Windsor Rotary Club, Highland Park Market, Stop & Shop supermarkets, Geissler’s supermarket in South Windsor, Manchester Area Conference of Churches Charities, South Windsor Food & Fuel Bank and Hockanum Valley Community Council.

Jesse Leavenworth can be reached at jleavenworth@courant.com

11th Annual Emergency of Hunger Food Drive!

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HARTFORD COURANT

by Jesse Leavenworth

Kyle Caldwell, left, and Dave Tedeschi, emergency medical technicians with Ambulance Service of Manchester, at the 2013 Emergency of Hunger Food Drive.

Kyle Caldwell, left, and Dave Tedeschi, emergency medical technicians with Ambulance Service of Manchester, at the 2013 Emergency of Hunger Food Drive. (Courtesy of Ambulance Service of Manchester)

First responders and other volunteers in Manchester, South Windsor and Vernon will be collecting food and cash donations to stock area food pantries, starting in Manchester on Saturday and Sunday.

Coordinated by the Ambulance Service of Manchester, the Emergency of Hunger Food Drive is in its 11th year. This year, Highland Park Market is joining the effort, hosting collections at the Manchester store, food drive spokesman Patrick Gleason said.

Along with police officers, firefighters and ambulance crews, participants include the Manchester Area Conference of Churches, Hockanum Valley Community Council, South Windsor Food and Fuel Bank, Police Explorers and Rotary Club members.

On Saturday and Sunday, volunteers will be collecting turkeys, chickens, non-perishable food items, cash and gift cards at Highland Park Market, 317 Highland St., and Stop & Shop supermarket, 318 West Middle Turnpike. Collections on both days are scheduled for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Collections are to continue on Nov. 23 and 24 at both Manchester locations and at the South Windsor Stop & Shop, 1739 Ellington Road; Geissler’s supermarket in South Windsor, 965 Sullivan Ave.; Stop & Shop in Vernon, 10 Pitkin Road; and the Stop & Shop in the Rockville section of Vernon, 50 Windsorville Road.

Jesse Leavenworth can be reached at jleavenworth@courant.com

ASM Profiled in Hartford Courant for 60th Anniversary

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Please see below or click here for the full article by Hartford Courant Report Jesse Leavenworth.

Sean Norton, an Ambulance Service of Manchester operations supervisor, talks to visitors during ASM’s 60th anniversary celebration Tuesday. (Jesse Leavenworth/The Hartford Courant)

From a single “hearse-style” wagon and a crew of three in 1959, Ambulance Service of Manchester has grown to 190 employees and 30 ambulances serving the area from East Hartford to Stafford Springs.

On Tuesday, police officers and firefighters who work with the mobile medical crews joined other visitors at ASM’s cavernous headquarters on New State Road to celebrate the company’s 60th anniversary.

Paramedics and emergency medical technicians stood by to describe ambulance and equipment displays. ASM has updated its fleet with new Mercedes vans, replacing box-style ambulances. Four of the new vehicles are longer and sturdier, equipped to lift and transport patients who weigh up to 750 pounds. ASM also recently acquired two “stair chairs,” which allow crews to more easily carry patients up and down stairs. Along with heavier patients, ASM crews also have been dealing with an increase in drug overdoses and mentally ill patients, officials said.

Paramedic Chris Myska demonstrates a medication injection in ASM’s training room. (Jesse Leavenworth/The Hartford Courant)

ASM and Aetna Ambulance Service are sister companies headed by president and CEO Kim Aroh. Asked about the companies’ biggest challenges today, Aroh cited operating costs, such as the recent $300,000 expense to equip all ambulances with digital radios. The companies strive for modest growth each year, she said, but reimbursement rates from Medicare and Medicaid have been flat for a decade.

Besides maintaining equipment and keeping up with changes in life-saving technology, another priority, Aroh said, is to encourage workers’ participation in fun events such as a polar plunge fundraiser _ which benefits the community and the employees. Ambulance crews, she noted, regularly have to handle traumatic scenes.

“They see so many tough things,” Aroh said.

Visitors and ASM employees at the celebration inside the company’s headquarters on New State Road. (Jesse Leavenworth/The Hartford Courant)

ASM started as Manchester Ambulance with three men _ J. Stewart Johnston, Thomas Carpenter and Roger Talbot Sr. _ who were based at a local auto dealership, according to its website _ www.ambulanceservicemanchester.com. The outfit moved to a three-bay garage at 134 Center St. in 1969 and its territory expanded to include East Hartford and Bolton.

Today, company spokesman Patrick Gleason said, ASM and Aetna serve about 1.2 million people.

Jesse Leavenworth can be reached at jleavenworth@courant.com

Manchester “Sheroes” Project

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MANCHESTER- Ambulance Service of Manchester teams up with Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Manchester-Fire-Rescue-EMS, Manchester Police Department and Bully Breed Training for an upcoming women’s empowerment program. For more information, click here read to Hartford Courant Staff Writer Quoron Walker’s article. ASM will be hosting one of the four events at our home office on New State Road!

10th Annual Emergency of Hunger Food Drive Results!

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MANCHESTER – The 10th Annual “Emergency of Hunger” Food Drive, composed of first responders, Rotary members, and others, was a great success! Their combined efforts continue to make a deep and widening impact on hunger in greater Hartford. This year volunteers from Manchester, Vernon, and South Windsor collected   28,000+ food items, 850+ turkeys, and $15,000 in gift card and monitory donations. Please click here to read Contact Reporter Jesse Leavenworth’s article in the Hartford Courant!

10th Annual Emergency of Hunger Food Drive!

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HARTFORD COURANT

by Jesse Leavenworth

First responders and food pantry managers gathered at the MACC Community Kitchen Monday to kick off the Emergency of Hunger Food Drive.

Collections of turkeys, non-perishable food items, cash and gift cards are scheduled for the next two weekends at supermarkets in Manchester, Vernon and South Windsor.

The effort relies on the public’s generosity and volunteers from police, fire and emergency medical agencies, along with Rotary Club members and Stop & Shop and Geissler’s supermarkets. Collections benefit clients of soup kitchens and food pantries, including those run by Manchester Area Conference of Churches Charities and the Hockanum Valley Community Council.

Items needed, in particular, include canned vegetables, condiments, sugar, flour, coffee, tea and cocoa. Cash donations and gift cards also are welcome, food drive spokesman Patrick Gleason of Ambulance Service of Manchester said.

Last year, the drive netted 31,276 food items, 675 turkeys and cash and gift card donations totaling about $16,000. Each year, participating agencies challenge each other to collect the most donations. Losers this year have agreed to work at the winner’s food pantry or soup kitchen, Gleason said.

Collections are set for:

_ Friday and Saturday and Nov. 17 and 18 at Manchester Stop & Shop, 286 Broad St., from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day;

_ Stop & Shop in Vernon, 10 Pitkin Road, Nov. 17 and 18, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day;

_ Stop & Shop in the Rockville section of Vernon, 50 Windsorville Road, Nov. 17 and 18, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day;

_ Stop & Shop in South Windsor, 1739 Ellington Road, Nov. 17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.;

_ And Geissler’s Supermarket, South Windsor, 965 Sullivan Ave., Nov. 17 and 18, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

9th Annual Emergency of Hunger Food Drive Results!

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MANCHESTER – The 9th Annual “Emergency of Hunger” Food Drive, composed of first responders, Rotary members, and others, was a great success! Their combined efforts continue to make a deep and widening impact on hunger in greater Hartford. This year volunteers from Manchester, Vernon, and South Windsor collected a staggering 31,000+ food items, 675+ turkeys, and $16,000 in gift card and monitory donations. Please click here to read Contact Reporter Jesse Leavenworth’s article in the Hartford Courant!

9th Annual Emergency of Hunger Food Drive!

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Emergency response agency and food pantry representatives gathered Tuesday at the Manchester Area Conference of Churches Food Pantry to kick off the Emergency of Hunger Food Drive

HARTFORD COURANT

by Jesse Leavenworth

First responders again are collecting food to stock regional soup kitchens and pantries.

The first collection for the Emergency of Hunger Food Drive is set for Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Manchester Stop & Shop, 286 Broad St. The effort is to continue the following weekend.

Now in its ninth year, the drive relies on volunteers from police, fire and emergency medical agencies, along with Rotary Club members and Stop & Shop and Geissler’s supermarkets. Collections benefit clients of soup kitchens and food pantries run by Manchester Area Conference of Churches Charities and the Hockanum Valley Community Council.

Last year, people donated about 34,000 food items, 650 turkeys and $16,000 in gift cards and cash.

“Every year we are shocked, amazed and proud of the generosity we see,” food drive spokesman Patrick Gleason of Ambulance Service of Manchester said Monday. “To date, our records show a combined total of 1,149,000 meals served.”

Full article here…

The food drive will take place on the following days at the locations provided below:

  • Manchester – Stop & Shop (286 Broad Street) Saturday November 11th and Sunday November 12th from 10am -6pm
  • Manchester – Stop & Shop (286 Broad Street) Saturday November 17th and Sunday November 18th from 10am -6pm
  • Vernon – Stop & Shop (10 Ptikin Road) Saturday November 17th and Sunday November 18th from 10am -6pm
  • Rockville – Stop & Shop (50 Windsorville Road) Saturday November 17th and Sunday November 18th from 10am -6pm
  • South Windsor – Stop & Shop (1739 Ellington Road) Saturday November 17th and Sunday November 18th from 10am -6pm
  • South Windsor – Geissler’s (965 Sullivan Avenue) Saturday November 17th and Sunday November 18th from 10am -6pm

ASM Appears in Local News

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MANCHESTER- On Thursday October 12th, ASM Director of Operations, Stephen Conley, served as a panelist at St. Bridget’s Church to offer insight on the opioid crisis from the EMS provider’s perspective. The event was covered by Annie Gentile of the Hartford Courant and published in the Courant Community section this morning.

For the full story, please Click Here!

Above photo courtesy of The Hartford Courant

Stores, Emergency Personnel ‘Stuff A Truck’ To Help Families

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South Windsor Toy DriveHARTFORD COURANT

by Quron Walker

Local first responders, along with Stop & Shop, 1739 Ellington Road, and Geissler’s Supermarket, 965 Sullivan Ave., held the annual “Stuff A Truck” event on Dec. 12 to gather money, food, and toys for South Windsor families in need.

The South Windsor Police Department partnered with the South Windsor Fire Department, and Ambulance Service of Manchester helped as well. The organizations worked together to collect food and toys at the locations.

Read the whole article here…

Nora Young, an EMT with Ambulance Service of Manchester, said she was happy with the turnout and with how residents support one another, as well.

“People always want to help their community out,” she said. “We just give them a place to do it.”

First Responders In Six Towns Prepare For Food Drive

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Kyle Caldwell, left, and Dave Tedeschi, emergency medical technicians with Ambulance Service of Manchester, at the 2013 Emergency of Hunger Food Drive.

Kyle Caldwell, left, and Dave Tedeschi, emergency medical technicians with Ambulance Service of Manchester, at the 2013 Emergency of Hunger Food Drive.

HARTFORD COURANT

by Jesse Leavenworth

First responders in Manchester and five other towns are gearing up for the Emergency of Hunger Food Drive, an annual effort that organizers say has proven vital to food pantries in the region.

Read the full article here…

“Many of the area food banks have come to rely on this food drive and the generosity of shoppers to get them through the holiday season,” Skoczulek said.

To date, he said, volunteers have collected about 187,000 food and personal care items, 5,500 turkeys and over $120,000 in cash, checks and gift cards.

“All we ask is for each shopper to purchase one extra item to donate,” Skoczulek said. “Many shoppers go well beyond this and donate multiple items — sometimes even whole shopping carts. But every little bit helps, so we appreciate each item.”

All locations are Stop & Shop supermarkets, except for Geissler’s Supermarket on Sullivan Avenue in South Windsor.

• Manchester: 286 Broad St., Saturday and Sunday and Nov. 21 and 22 — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Rockville section of Vernon: 50 Windsorville Road, Saturday and Sunday and Nov. 21 and 22 — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Rocky Hill: 80 Town Line Road, Saturday and Sunday and Nov. 21 — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m..

• Vernon: 10 Pitkin Road, Saturday and Sunday and Nov. 21 and 22 — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Windsor: 1095 Kennedy Road, Saturday and Sunday — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• South Windsor: 1739 Ellington Road, Nov. 21 and 22 — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• South Windsor: Geissler’s Supermarket, 965 Sullivan Ave., Nov. 21 and 22 — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Enfield collection dates, times and locations are to be announced.

“Every year we hope for good weather and holiday cheer to help us through,” Skoczulek said, “but no matter what, we always seem to bring in a big haul for those in need.”

Eleven Children Injured In School Bus Crash In Wethersfield

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IMG_2330Hartford Courant

by Christine Dempsey and David Moran

WETHERSFIELD — About a dozen children have been sent to area hospitals after a school bus crash.

See the original Courant article here...

Police, firefighters and seven ambulances were dispatched to the scene, 52 Prospect Street, shortly before 8:50 a.m., according to an ambulance company spokesman.

The crash has been declared a “mass casualty incident,” with all students on the bus being transported to hospitals, said David Skoczulek of Aetna Ambulance Service, Inc.

As of 9:15 a.m., 11 patients have been transported to area hospitals. Seven were sent to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, he said, two went to Middlesex Hospital, one went to Hartford Hospital and one went to St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center.

The small bus appears to have collided with a Jeep Wrangler, which struck another car. The third vehicle then hit a fourth car.

The school bus reportedly collided with two cars, Skoczulek said. The extent of injuries is unknown.

The term “mass casualty incident” means that more resources are needed because of the number of patients. It doesn’t speak to the extent of injuries, Skoczulek said.

Read the full story here…

Courant Staff Writer David Moran contributed to this story.

Manchester First Responders Finish Shoveling Job After Homeowner Dies

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Hartford Courant

by Jesse Leavenworth

MANCHESTER — First responders who tried to save a man’s life Tuesday when he collapsed while shoveling his roof returned to the home after the man died to finish the job he started.

“In all honesty, it’s not surprising, you know, the compassion of our community and our first responders, but this to me was just amazing,” police Officer Bernie Hallums said Wednesday.

The emergency call from 12 Scott Drive came in at 9:45 a.m. Hallums said he and other police officers climbed a ladder to the roof and rendered life­saving aid, but the man remained unconscious and later died.

Later that morning, Hallums, along with Officers Adam Desso and Tomas Kazcerski, firefighters from the town and Eighth Utilities District and Ambulance Service of Manchester medics returned to the home to finish shoveling the roof. 

Read the whole story here…

Regional Food Drive – Another “Excellent” Year

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hc-manchester-hunger-results-1126-20141125-001HARTFORD COURANT

Delivering donated food to the MACC Charities pantry recently are, left to right, Sean Gregg of Ambulance Service of Manchester, Rotary Club members Ana Ramos and Marty Fins and MACC Executive Director Beth Stafford. (Rick Lawrence).

By Jesse Leavenworth

NOVEMBER 25, 2014, 1:27 PM

Read the full, original article here…

The Emergency of Hunger drive collected nearly 40,000 food items, an outpouring of generosity that an organizer characterized as “excellent” and a good gauge of citizens’ holiday spirit.

The regional collection by police, fire and emergency medical agencies and Rotary Club members benefits food pantries in Manchester, Vernon, South Windsor, Rocky Hill and Windsor.

Conducted over the past two weekends,the drive took in 39,956 food items, $23,839.80 in cash, checks and gift cards and 788 turkeys, organizer Dave Skoczulek of Ambulance Service of Manchester said Tuesday.

“It was an excellent year, once again surpassing our expectations,” Skoczulek said.
Collections in each town go to pantries that serve those towns. The drive provides a big lift to pantry stocks, not just for the holidays, but sometimes extending into February, pantry
representatives said. Organizers said the need has not diminished since the first drive in 2009.

The drive’s six ­year totals, which Skoczulek reported Tuesday, were 186,956 food items, $120,025.80 in cash, checks and gift cards and 5,498 turkeys.