Groton Human Services brings holiday spirit to more than 500 families

Dec. 18—GROTON — As resident Jaylean Berrios picked up Christmas gifts for her 10-year-old daughter from Groton Human Services on Friday, she said it meant everything to her and she was so happy, she wanted to cry.

"I'm thankful," Berrios said after two volunteers helped her carry the presents to her car Friday. "I'm blessed. I believe in God and I think that this all happens for a reason, and there's truly real good people with great hearts that are willing to do this for families."

She said it's been hard when bills come in and there isn't much money to spend on Christmas gifts, and she's grateful for the agency's assistance during the holidays, or when she needs help with food or directing her to the right place to call.

She said her daughter will love the gifts and will be so grateful, too.

Groton Human Services served about 520 of the town's households in need during its annual holiday distribution, said Megan Freeman, financial assistant for the department.

Households received gift cards to purchase food, and families with children 12 and under also received bags of toys, social worker Lisa Carney said. Teenagers received gift cards, and sometimes extra gifts.

Organizations, groups and businesses donated everything for the distribution.

Last year, the department, which distributes food baskets and toys each year for the holidays, offered gift cards for both food and toys due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the department continued to offer gift cards for food, but brought back toys — with the hope of having food baskets again in the future and involving a larger group of volunteers, Director Marge Fondulas said.

The department also gave out nine fresh-cut Christmas trees, through Groton Parks and Recreation, Carney said.

As holiday music played inside the Groton Human Services building, staff gave out the gift cards to residents who had registered for the distribution and volunteers pitched in to carry out bags of wrapped toys to waiting vehicles. Residents also were offered hats, scarves and gloves.

A group from Groton Public Schools' Transition Academy, which provides vocational and life skills training to students 18 to 22, was among a smaller number of volunteers helping out at this year's distribution.

Jayke Ashcraft, 21, said it feels nice to help out because it's a good way to give back.

"I like it, too, because we get to help others," agreed 19-year-old Alfredo Brown.

His sister, Vanessa, 21, also said she felt happy to volunteer and liked to cheer people up.

Resident Rebecca Bannister was picking up a gift card as well as gifts for her daughter on Friday. "She's definitely going to be happy for sure," Bannister said of her daughter.

Bannister, who first came to the distribution last year, said it's a big help to her family. "It's nice to know that there's support."

Resident Christina Carrieri said she finds the distribution to be a blessing. She said she works when her son, who is autistic, is in school, but with the coronavirus pandemic she has been working fewer hours, so the extra help was one of her saving graces this year.

She was thinking about how she was going to make Christmas happen this year, and if she had enough for her son, so she said she now has one less thing to worry about. She said her son is big on surprises, so the gifts will be something he can enjoy a lot.

The department also runs a Thanksgiving distribution each year.

Fondulas said in general, 30% of the agency's human services case load consists of people who hadn't received assistance in the past but now are seeking help due to the pandemic. The pandemic has affected families' financial situations in a variety of ways, including layoffs or cut work hours or struggles with child care, she said.

She said the good news is that there has been an outpouring of support from the greater Groton community, which has consistently and generously donated, whether it's food or cash donations.

Social worker Lisa Fredsbo said the department initially was worried that it wasn't going to be able to do as much as it had in the past, but actually received an abundance of toys.

Carney said the department is working to offer people more than a helping hand, but also joy and community and a sense of "we're all in it together."

"The amount of people that donated toys and gift cards and financially is so incredible," Freeman added.

k.drelich@theday.com

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