FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kevin Coughlin | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov | 203-710-0193
WHO: Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney (D–New Haven) and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D–Norwalk)
WHAT: Media availability in advance of today’s Senate session
WHEN: TODAY, Thursday, November 13, at 10:30 a.m.
WHERE: Senator Looney’s Capitol Office, Room 311 in the State Capitol
HARTFORD, CT – Today, State Senator Matt Lesser, Chair of the Human Services Committee, welcomed news that as of Saturday afternoon, Connecticut residents have had their November SNAP benefits fully restored on their EBT cards.
The federal government has restored 65% of the funding, and Governor Lamont has guaranteed the remaining funds to ensure recipients are made whole.
“For a week, low income families in my district and around Connecticut have not known when their next meal might arrive. I have already heard from many families who are breathing a huge sigh of relief – but the wealthiest country in the world allowing its constituents to go hungry for over a week is unjustifiable. SNAP benefits should be off the table as Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson and republicans in Congress continue to keep the government closed for business. It is indefensible for the President or anyone else to use hunger as a bargaining chip in negotiations. Thank you to Governor Lamont and D.S.S. Commissioner Barton-Reeves for being the adults in the room and delivering for Connecticut, as well as the D.S.S. team who worked around the clock to get these funds to the people who need them.”
Those impacted can check their card balances by visiting MyDSS.ct.gov or calling 1-888-328-2666.
Today, State Senators Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor), Doug McCrory (D-Hartford) and Herron Keyon Gaston (D-Bridgeport) and State Representatives Joshua Hall (D-Hartford) and Henry Genga (D-East Hartford) led a call among dozens of advocates and community organizers for the public to contribute what they can to Jamaica and the Caribbean following the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa in late October.
Making landfall as a Category 5 hurricane and considered the strongest hurricane to ever hit the Caribbean, Hurricane Melissa killed dozens, displaced thousands and caused extensive damage to the nations it impacted. More than a week after its initial impact, survivors are struggling with injury, illness, loss of property and belongings and extensive damage to infrastructure.
Connecticut organizations including the West Indian Foundation and West Indian Social Club of Hartford are coordinating extensive relief efforts, seeking to raise monetary and physical donations to send to the islands in need. The Nutmeg State has the third-largest West Indian population in the United States.
The West Indian Foundation and West Indian Social Club are taking online financial donations and are seeking in-person donations that are accepted at a number of regional businesses, churches and organizations, said Marva Douglas, president of Taste the Caribbean Arts and Culture, Inc. and former president of the West Indian Social Club. A list of sought donations and drop-off locations will be available at the end of this release.
“We are seeking donations from organizations and in the process of partnering with organizations, schools and hospitals for a coordinated effort,” said Dr. Jackie Evans Phillips, President of the West Indian Foundation. “Our theme is reflect, rebuild and rise, and while this is going to be a year-long process, we also want to discuss the mental wellness and spiritual healing of our family members. We must work collaboratively, including shipping items together, and we must work collectively through this process. The need is grand and there’s much more we can do collectively.”
“The beautiful lands of Jamaica and the Caribbean islands face complete devastation in the face of a Category 5 hurricane. 30% of the GDP of Jamaica is lost and its infrastructure is gone,” said Sen. Anwar. “Our brothers and sisters who are Jamaican, Haitian, Cuban and Dominican are working hard to help their loved ones, but their hearts and minds are with their loved ones in their countries of origin. When you are not affected by a disaster, your responsibility is to act. Today, our hope is to raise awareness and tell everyone we have a collective responsibility to help those in need. We are uniting with one voice: we must help those who are in the most need.”
“We are united here out of concern and worry for loved ones on the islands of the Caribbean,” said Sen. McCrory. “We are committed to making sure we get the resources necessary to our brethren in the Caribbean. This storm completely devastated the islands, and it’s our responsibility – with all of these united organizations – to do whatever we can to make sure our brothers and sisters are safe. We’re going to do everything possible and use every tool in our toolbox to help.”
“There are Jamaicans everywhere in the United States of America and they contribute a lot all across our nation. We have a fiduciary and moral obligation to look out as global citizens,” said Sen. Gaston. “Jamaica needs us, and we need to turn to them. Despite the winds and rain, the people of Jamaica will rise back up. The storm may have devastated the streets, but it has not taken away the faith that Jamaica will overcome this storm.”
Rep. Hall noted his wife and her family are from Jamaica, and as an assistant principal at Weaver High School in Hartford, many students are from Jamaica and the West Indies.
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Requested items: non-perishable food, bedding foam, batteries, cots, flashlights/lanterns, mattresses, pillows/pillowcases, robes, tarps, tents, mobile storage units; buckets with lids, water storage containers, garbage bags, hygiene kits, water purification kits; health supplies; fruit and vegetable seeds; animal feed; tools and equipment; radios, message boards; work gloves, food containers, food storage bins, disposable utensils and plates, MREs
Drop-Off Locations For Physical Items
Rehoboth Church of God, 1170 Blue Hills Ave., Bloomfield – M-F, 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
HomeCare Services, LLC, 112 Cottage Grove Road, Bloomfield, M-F 12-4 p.m.
West Indian Social Club of Hartford, 3340 Main Street, Hartford, daily, 6-9 p.m.
North United Methodist Church, 1205 Albany Avenue, Hartford; Mon-Wed, Fri 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Hartford Fire Dept. Engine Co. 10/District 1, 510 Franklin Ave, Hartford – daily, 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Sport and Medical Sciences Academy, 280 Huyshope Avenue, Hartford, Mondays and Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Semilla Café, 1283 Main Street, Hartford; Monday, 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Tue-Thu, 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Fri-Sun, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
A Step Above Childcare, 30 Quarry Road, Glastonbury; M-F, 1-3 p.m.
Grace Episcopal Church, 311 Broad Street, Windsor, M-F, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Fish N Tings, 384 Middle Turnpike West, Manchester, regular business hours
Online donations: www.westindianfoundation.org, www.westindiansocialclub.org
HARTFORD, CT – Today, State Senator Matt Lesser, Chair of the Human Services Committee, reacted to news that the federal government has said it will reverse course and will fund SNAP for the month of November.
After a full week of Americans going without benefits, the federal government has informed the state Department of Social Services (DSS) that funds will be released today and will be loaded on SNAP cards by tomorrow, Saturday.
“I’m relieved that President Trump’s administration has backed down and has decided to follow the courts, the law – and basic human decency in funding food for low income Americans covered by the SNAP program. In my neighborhood, the impact has been devastating – many families have gone without food for a week. In the event that the President wriggles out of his commitment, I am glad that Governor Lamont has committed to use state funds to make up any shortfall as we have been asking. We still need to go further to assure 40,000 additional residents – whom President Trump and Republicans in Washington cut off from SNAP as part of their HR1 budget disaster – that they won’t go hungry either. It is absolutely unacceptable that in the wealthiest country in the world, we have money for many silly things, but not for low income seniors, veterans and single mothers.”
GUILFORD, CT – Today, State Senator Christine Cohen, State Representative Moira Rader and First Selectman Matt Hoey celebrated news that Guilford will be awarded $297,700 through the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Grant Program.
The grant will support Guilford’s development of a preferred waste hauler program and a curbside food scraps collection system. In April the SMM program invited municipalities, councils of government and regional waste authorities to apply for state funding for sustainable waste management projects in order to help reduce municipal solid waste costs.
According to DEEP, the SMM program awarded $7.5 million in grants to 18 municipalities and regional organizations.
“Municipalities struggle to deal with the high cost of waste management and this state and local partnership not only helps reduce costs for local taxpayers, but also helps implement sustainable options,” said Sen. Cohen. “A curbside composting program is better for the environment and significantly decreases the weight of what needs to be hauled out of town, saving the town money. I am grateful to First Selectman Matt Hoey for his vision and leadership, and to Governor Lamont for his continued partnership with our local community.”
“The Sustainable Materials Management Grant reflects what’s possible when state and local leaders work together toward shared goals. We’re grateful to Governor Lamont, DEEP, and First Selectman Matt Hoey for their partnership and commitment to sustainability,” said Rep. Rader. “With this support, Guilford can continue leading by example—reducing waste, diverting food scraps, and lowering costs through a cleaner, more efficient system. It’s a community-wide effort that strengthens our local economy and continues Guilford’s proud legacy of environmental stewardship.”
“Guilford has already seen major improvements in reducing trash and diverting food waste since we implemented our Pay As You Throw system a year ago,” First Selectman Matt Hoey said. “We appreciate Sen. Cohen’s leadership to advance sustainable waste solutions, and we’re grateful the state recognizes the value in Guilford’s curbside food scrap collection proposal. This will make it even easier for us to separate food from the waste stream and can serve as a model for other communities as we work together to address the waste crisis.”
Tonight, State Senator Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and legal and civil rights experts will discuss The Constitution and Democracy Today, exploring America’s founding father’s vision of government, the role of the Constitution and where its power stands in today’s political climate.
The conversation will be hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Bridgeport Area and is the latest installment in a series of events Sen. Gadkar-Wilcox has held across the state.
Tomorrow, State Senator Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and legal and civil rights experts will discuss The Constitution and Democracy Today, exploring America’s founding father’s vision of government, the role of the Constitution and where its power stands in today’s political climate.
The conversation will be hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Bridgeport Area and is the latest installment in a series of events Sen. Gadkar-Wilcox has held across the state.
Who:
What: The Constitution and Democracy Today
When: Thursday, November 6 at 7:00 | Doors open at 6:30
Where: The Klein – 910 Fairfield Ave, Bridgeport
“President Trump’s statement today that SNAP benefits ‘will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government’ is in direct violation of federal law regarding congressionally mandated programs as well as Friday’s court orders demanding that he release SNAP funding immediately,” said Sen. Lesser, who is Senate Chair of the Human Services Committee. “We are dealing with an out-of-touch individual who is spending his time re-making White House bathrooms in the image of Saddam Husein’s palace and throwing a “Great Gatsby”-themed party while tens of millions of Americans go hungry. Constituents in my own district did not get their SNAP benefits on Saturday, and they are sick of being pawns in the president’s demented political games. Trump needs to release this funding immediately or face yet another sure-fire loss in court and in the court of public opinion. Given the complete lack of leadership we are seeing at the federal level, the State of Connecticut needs to do more to support our residents, including making state funds available on EBT cards.”