From food insecurity to mental health issues, the needs of North Haven families and individuals spanning multiple demographics are in need of addressing. During the coldest months of the year, this includes keeping homes warm, people engaged, and stomachs full. One of the town officials supporting that goal is Rob Snurkowksi of North Haven Community Services.

Rob began working at North Haven Community Services in February 2019. He had previously been running the cash office for a mortgage servicing company, but began looking for a new role after hearing talk of the department being relocated to Arizona.

“I was thinking to myself, ‘Well, I'm looking for a different job somewhere that I know isn't going to pick up and leave in a couple of years if business changes,’” Rob says.

One of the biggest elements of Rob’s role with Community Services is heading the town’s food bank. This was a specific point of interest for Rob when he got involved in the department six years ago.

“I thought that really spoke to me,” he says. “Then the clerical side of the job, I had already had experience being able to do stuff like that. So I said, ‘Oh, maybe this would round it out for me.’”

Rob says that the department does “a lot of good things for a lot of people in the community.” The support which Rob and his colleagues at Community Services provide for North Haven is available to all demographics for different needs, whether that be food for families and senior citizens, mental health support for North Haven youth, or the Energy Assistance Program which becomes more pronounced during the colder months of the year.

Rob considers what the state of some of the town’s citizens would be like if Community Services was not available for support.

“There are people that have come in at certain times that you know are in a bad situation,” he says. “If we weren’t here for that kind of stuff, what kind of situation would that person further be into because they have no one helping them for anything? We’ve had people come in before where they didn't even really know that the food bank existed here. They’ll say, ‘I really don't even have two crackers in the house right now. I'm very hungry. What do we do?’”

While supplying them with goods from the food bank at Town Hall Annex is an immediate response, Rob says that the support goes even further.

“We've been able to give them a ton of stuff to be able to get them through things that you wouldn't even think about, like laundry detergent,” he says. “This person wasn't able to clean their clothes for more than a week. I think we've done a lot of good things for people and a lot of people that are in emergent states.”

The proximity of North Haven Community Services can be especially important for senior citizens in town since “a lot of them wouldn't be able to do that Energy Assistance Program because they wouldn't physically be able to get themselves down to New Haven,” says Rob.

Rob says that seniors often use the mental health services which are available through the department. This includes residents who are simply looking for support to help with bouts of loneliness and depression. While help from other places in town is important, Rob knows that a location like Community Services can address issues which run deeper.

“If there wasn’t something like this here, they would still be shut into their house with really no outlet for anything,” he says. “It’s not just something where you say to yourself, ‘That person could have occupied themselves at the senior center or things like that.’ Maybe there were deeper-rooted issues.”

Rob’s work varies from day to day, especially during this time of the year. With the holiday season approaching, Community Services is preparing for its holiday gift assistance toy drive for Christmas, as well as its Thanksgiving food distribution program.

The food bank is accepting Thanksgiving-oriented food donations as part of the distribution program and is currently accepting names for food assistance. Registration for assistance is based on income, says Rob, and follows similar guidelines as the Energy Assistance Program. The distribution will take place on Monday, Nov. 25 from 10 to 11 a.m. at the recreation building located next to Town Hall Annex. Those who sign up will receive a bag with holiday foodstuff such as mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and vegetables, along with a turkey and pie.

“I typically take other things and put it into the bag, like your normal essentials that you would get through the month,” added Rob.

For more information on income guidelines, visit www.town.north-haven.ct.us/government/town_departments/departments_(a_-_d)/community_services/support_services/energy_assistance.php