News Archive

October 11, 2023 - Across Connecticut, more and more people are struggling to afford a home, feed their families, and make their voices heard in the decisions that affect their lives. In a growing number of towns in and around the Naugatuck Valley, longstanding community organizations and their leaders are getting together to do something about it. They call themselves “All In” — All In for Milford, All In for Oxford, All In for Seymour, All In for Ansonia/Derby, and so on.  All In began in the darkest days of the COVID-19 lockdown ...
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August 1, 2023 - Over 20 leaders from different All In alliances around New Haven County met last Tuesday with Jameson Foulke, of Senator Chris Murphy’s office for an introductory meeting to share each other’s interests and plans and identify opportunities to collaborate. As a growing movement throughout the region, these All In alliances welcome and encourage all local, state, and federal policy makers regardless of political affiliation to contact them for these types of sharing and planning to identify opportunities in strengthening our communities and building relationships together ... [ more ]

June 27, 2023 - by Donald Eng, Staff Writer - SEYMOUR - A plan to develop more than 200 acres got closer to realty with the recent announcement of $3 million in federal community project funding. But U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said the money to build an access road connecting two Valley towns is about so much more than pavement. It's about access to a better life ... [ more ]

June 17, 2023 - Oxford and Seymour residents gathered today at Quarry Walk to commemorate Juneteenth as an official Federal Holiday. The event was the first of its kind in either town and included performances by the Las Dominicanas Dance Troupe and poet Iyaba Ibo Mandingo, as well as several speakers including Oxford First Selectman George Temple, Seymour First Selectwoman Annemarie Drugonis, State Representative David Labriola, Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas, Valley MLK Committee and NAACP member Maliqa Mosley-Williams, Seymour resident Kevin Atterberry and Oxford Residents Ty and Kristina Walton ... [ more ]

June 7, 2023 - This evening the Immanuel Church Hall was filled for a Community First Dinner and Conversation. TEAM, Inc., All In for Seymour and All In for Oxford sponsored this free event. In addition to dinner, there was a speed round of over 20 nonprofit organizations. The group recognized the need to improve access to basic needs like housing, food, transportation, health care (including mental health services) and childcare. Nonprofit members provided information on volunteer opportunities to make meaningful change happen ... [ more ]

June 6, 2023 - SEYMOUR — On Saturday June 3rd, Team Rubicon arrived at The Little Free Pantry on Skokorat in Seymour to assist with expanding the pantry’s community garden footprint.  Team Rubicon’s seven volunteers provided the manual labor to lay landscape fabric & mulch, cut and assemble seven additional 4x8 garden beds, and fill the beds with almost 14 yards of compost and soil ... [ more ]

May 24, 2023 - SEYMOUR - The Blessing Pantry and Little Free Pantry on Skokorat are expanding their community garden footprints in response to need for more fresh produce. The expansion is a direct result of listening to local residents about their limited access to produce, even among those qualifying for assistance from food banks. Produce doesn’t last until the next pantry visit, which in many cases, may be weeks away ... [ more ]

March 29, 2023 - by David Morgan, Executive Director, TEAM Inc. - How do we create the conditions for stories to be heard?  It is heartening to witness the breadth of meaningful involvement to respond to increasingly complex community conditions, harnessing the strengths and opportunities, the needs and wants, and the inherent capacity for us all to collectively build the work together. And equally if not even more inspiring is ... [ more ]

February 28, 2023 - by Christine Stuart, CT News Junkie - Snow has been a rare sight this winter, but finding affordable housing is even rarer. There are little more than 3,000 homes on the market and rents have gone up on average 20% over the past two years.  With mortgage rates inching back up to over 6% and inflation still high, progressives and conservatives alike agree that affordable housing is a problem in Connecticut. What they don't agree on is a solution ... [ more ]

Nov 18, 2021 - by Jodie Gil, Correspondent - Valley Independent Sentinal - As the notion of food insecurity becomes more talked about, grassroots efforts in the Valley seek to get more food in the hands of people who need it - while removing the stigma of needing help. In many cases, that’s done through 24-hour, no-questions-asked food pantries - part of the national ​“Little Free Pantry” movement with the motto: ​“Take what you need. Give what you can.” Four such pantries in the last three years have been built at churches and front yards in Ansonia and Seymour. [ more ]