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Chester Officials Approve New Community Initiatives

On Aug. 25, the Chester Board of Selectmen (BOS) approved a total of $3,700 from the Chester Community Fund for two new social supports that benefit the community: toiletry totes and the campership program at Camp Hazen YMCA. The request for these new programs was made by the Chester Community Partnership Committee, which has become increasingly active since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

The level of funding in the Chester Community Fund, which is just under $30,000, is sufficient to handle these requests, said Chester First Selectwoman Lauren Gister.

“There is plenty of money for these initiatives right now…As we continue to add programs, as we continue to give assistance in ways that are absolutely necessary, we will also need to sometime in the next few months, figure out how we are going to replace the money that we’re spending, but I don’t see that as being a major issue right now,” said Gister.

A total of $1,200 from the Chester Community Fund will purchase 120 totes from the Hartford-based organization, Dignity Grows. These totes will contain a month’s supply of personal hygiene products for both men and women and will be distributed through the Chester Food Program.

This is important, said Kimberley Megrath, a facilitator for the committee, because toiletry items are not eligible for purchase through the state’s food assistance program Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP.

Data related to the toiletry program in terms of participation and its overall value for the community will need to be collected, said Gister.

“We’re going to have to do a lot of analysis going forward, but particularly right now when there is really, there is really a lot of pain out there and there has been for a couple of years, I think this is just yet another way that we can support our residents,” said Gister.

A total of $2,500 from the Chester Community Fund will also be allocated to the Camp Hazen YMCA campership program to be used for eligible children from Chester.

The $2,500 would be a standing fund of money that would be used by Camp Hazen YMCA, depending on the financial needs of applicants from Chester. The amount allows for a total of 10 children from Chester to attend day camp at Camp Hazen YMCA.

These funds are particularly useful, said Gister, as the COVID-19 pandemic has altered summer camp schedules. In 2020, Chester’s Park & Recreation summer camp programming did not operate. In 2021, it was offered with shortened days.

“I think the need is out there, especially with the kinds of upheavals that there have been in camps lately,” said Gister. “Camp Hazen is very, very generous in their ability to give scholarships, but their pot of money is not bottomless either.

“So, I think particularly for Chester kids, it is appropriate for us to at least start out and try this, to share that cost for our Chester kids,” Gister continued.

Selectman Tom Englert discussed how the $2,500 could be applied to the town’s Park & Recreation summer programming, potentially helping more families.

Gister explained that the campership would be in addition to the scholarships available through the town’s Park & Recreation Department, offering families that cannot afford a more traditional camp experience the option of doing so.

“It’s just more choice for every family, not just the ones who can afford it,” said Gister. “It’s also a lot easier, for a family, particularly if you have more than one child, to afford to send their kids to Park and Rec.

“They might not be able to afford to do the same thing at Camp Hazen, or Bushy Hill, or Camp Claire, or what have you,” she continued.

In addition to these two new initiatives, the Chester Community Partnership Committee plans to launch the 211 Chester Program to help residents access technology and apply online for federal, state, and local social services benefits.

“This effort has brought in volunteers like we really have not seen in a long time,” said Gister, adding later, “I think it’s very valuable on many levels.”