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Community Initiatives Seek to Show Guilford Has Heart During Pandemic

In Guilford, as residents continue to soldier through the current crisis, two initiatives put together by a few caring residents are seeking to turn the figurative quality of “having heart” into a literal one.

Over the last month or so Manish and Jen Shanbhag have raised more than $10,000 for the Guilford Foundation and the Guilford Food Bank through their Guilford has Heart campaign, and local artist Jean Gresham has donated almost 500 hand-made glass hearts to first responders, health care workers, and other people on the front lines of the crisis, working to both lift spirits and show compassion.

Neither Gresham nor the Shanbhag family said they were normally the type of people to go out and put together efforts or initiatives in the community, but said they were inspired by the pandemic to do what they could.

“We love Guilford and we love our community,” said Manish Shanbhag. “We wanted to do something that encouraged other people in the town to make donations to these particular organizations…One night we were just sitting around, and it kind of came together.”

Anyone who donates to these organizations can get a lawn sign, personally delivered by the Shanbhag family, Manish, Jen, and often their two daughters, Serena and Sofie.

This ensures the project will not put anyone at risk of exposure to the virus, Jen Shanbhag said, and it makes it something positive the whole family can do during the quarantine.

Shanbhag, who works for Guilford Public Schools, said she became aware early in the pandemic how acutely it was affecting people’s lives. She is familiar with the Guilford Foundation and the Food Bank, and wanted to bring them support and attention as they do their important work.

“You just hear that there are people in town who are maybe just not as fortunate as others,” Shanbhag said. “We assumed that there would be people in Guilford affected financially the longer this goes on.

“We thought maybe there’s something we could do to help these people out,” she added.

At the end of April, the Shanbhags had erected more than 50 lawn signs, and the Guilford Foundation was planning on ordering more due to the high demand.

Gresham, who runs a studio at the Chroma Gallery off of Church Street, said she had been practicing making hearts for Valentine’s Day back in February.

She first sent a few of the bright, colorful jewelry pieces to the doctors who had guided her niece through heart surgery, but when the pandemic shut down the town and the state, she began gifting them out to people on the front lines.

After initially sending just a couple hearts here and there to friends or acquaintances, Gresham said she very quickly she became aware of how many people “had heart” as they braved the risks of the pandemic in various ways, and pretty soon she was shipping out dozens of ornaments at a time.

“The whole thing has kind of snowballed,” Gresham said, laughing.

Shipments of hearts have gone to local hospitals, to the Guilford Fire and Police departments, to volunteers shopping for elderly residents through Guilford CARES, and a host of other places, she said,often with little messages of thanks or appreciation.

“I think everybody in town has been just phenomenal pulling together, and trying to help support [each other] in different ways,” she said.

The hearts can be worn on necklaces or just kept in a pocket, as a reminder of gratitude and appreciation. She said some people have sent her photos at their front-line workplaces wearing them, which she described as wonderful and uplifting.

To learn more or to request a Guilford Has Heart lawn sign, email guilfordhasheart@yahoo.com.

Donations to the Guilford Foundation can be made at www.guilfordfoundation.org, and to the food bank by mail at Guilford Social Services, 263 Church St., Guilford, CT 06437.

For more information about Jean Greshman’s work, visit her www.jgreshamdesign.com.