Weekly roundup: annual interfaith service this evening, City holiday closures, flags lowered to half-mast for former First Lady, Lions Club offers free screenings

Posted By: Staff November 22, 2023

Thanksgiving Interfaith Service at St. Joseph Church this evening

The annual Bristol Interfaith Thanksgiving Service will be held at St. Joseph Church, Queen Street, as well as livestreamed on the Bristol Interfaith Coalition Facebook page (click here), this evening, Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m.

A collection will be taken for Prudence Crandall Center, a leader in reducing the devastating impacts of domestic violence in the lives of survivors, their children, and our communities.

For more information, check the coalition’s Facebook page or email BristolInterfaith@gmail.com.

Leading up to the Thanksgiving, the Bristol Interfaith Coalition has been holding a fundraiser to benefit rescue animals.

A Thanksgiving poem, by local holy man, Nighthawk Flying, is being made available with a donation from Good Shepherd Episcopal Church on Stafford Avenue for the benefit of the animals. Copies of the poem, printed and formatted in Bristol, are placed in an acid-free cover with backing board.

For information, email linkhullar@gmail.com.

City closures for Thanksgiving holiday announced

City hall and the Bristol Transfer Station will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 23, in observance of Thanksgiving, it was announced on the Public Works website. There will be no curbside collections (rubbish, recycle, yard waste) that day. Thursday routes will be completed Friday, Nov. 24, and Friday routes will be completed Saturday, Nov. 25.

City Hall will also be closed on Friday, Nov. 24, the day after Thanksgiving. 

The Transfer Station will be open and operating under regular hours Friday, Nov. 24, from 7:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 25, from 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern annual Thanksgiving Day football game at Muzzy

Bristol Eastern at Bristol Central, 10:30 a.m.

Flags lowered to half-staff in honor of Rosalynn Carter

U.S. and state flags in Connecticut will fly at half-staff in honor of the late Rosalynn Carter beginning at sunrise on Saturday, Nov. 25, until sunset on the day of her interment, which has been scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 29, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Tuesday.

The directive follows a proclamation from President Joe Biden directing flags throughout the United States to be lowered as a mark of solemn respect for the memory of the former First Lady.

Accordingly, since no flag should fly higher than the U.S. flag, all other flags, including state, municipal, corporate, or otherwise, should also be lowered during this same duration of time.

In the announcement, Lamont said: “Mrs. Carter leaves a remarkable legacy as a supporter of equal rights, an advocate for issues related to mental health, and a champion of affordable housing. On behalf of the State of Connecticut, I send my prayers and condolences to President Carter and their family.”

Bristol Lions Club offers free eye screening at Imagination Nov. 27 through Dec. 1

The Bristol Lions Club will be holding a KidSight event at the Imagination Center and Bristol Child Development Center between Nov. 27 and Dec. 1. KidSight is a program that provides free eye screening for young children. For information, please contact Lion Roger Pelletier at 870-796-2647(croger@snet.net) for more details.

‘Mantels for the Season’ runs through the end of December

This year’s “Mantels for the Season,” an annual exhibit that this year focuses on Bristol’s new Cultural District, which opened at the American Clock & Watch Museum last Friday will continue through Dec. 30.

Mantels and trees in the museum’s eight galleries will be decorated by businesses and organizations associated with the district, which includes historic Federal Hill and select downtown sections of the city.

The annual event, now in its sixth year, has become very popular, said the museum’s executive director Patti Philippon. She added that the event is fun for the staff since if provides them an opportunity to work with members of the community and allows the museum to display the clocks in unique ways.

The event is sponsored by Bristol Health and Coppermine Advisors, LLC. “Mantels for the Season” is included in the price of admission.

The museum is open Wednesday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve).

Fall leaf bag collection runs through Dec. 1

Fall Leaf Bag Collection will run through Friday, Dec. 1., Public Works announced earlier this week.

The release asks residents to bring leaf bags curbside as soon as they are filled and to leave them curbside until collected. Leaf bag collection is available to all city residences eligible for curbside rubbish and recycling services.

Leaves are only collected in brown, recyclable, paper leaf bags that are available at most home and garden stores. There is no maximum limit to leaf bag collection at a residence.

Leaf bags containing dirt, sand, rocks, sod, or materials other than leaves will not be collected.

Leaf bags must be placed curbside and not within the residence’s property for proper collection. Loose leaf piles will not be collected.

New eligibility levels will allow nearly 10,000 additional people to receive SNAP benefits

Under revised eligibility benefit levels, announced earlier this month by Gov. Ned Lamont’s office, Connecticut residents now qualify for Connecticut’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) if their monthly gross income is at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level (for example, $2,430 for a single person and $5,000 for a four-person household).

Until October 2022, Connecticut’s limit was 185 perecnt of the federal poverty level ($2,248 for a single person and $4,625 for a four-person household). according to the announcement. The federal government allows monthly gross income limits up to 200 percent and Connecticut is now one of approximately 15 states to take full advantage of that allowance.

SNAP enrollees are issued electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards, which work like a debit card and are replenished for every month of eligibility. The cards can be used at thousands of participating food markets and grocery stores, convenience stores, farmers markets, and online at many retailers for food items approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service.

For more information on SNAP, visit www.ct.gov/snap.

Connecticut Energy Assistance Program accepting applications

The Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) is now accepting applications through May 31, 2024. CEAP helps Connecticut residents afford to heat their homes. Applications for CEAP typically take 30-45 minutes. Basic benefits towards heating bills range between $180 and $530. Benefits are usually paid directly to the utility company or fuel supplier. Households that heat with deliverable fuels like oil or propane may be eligible for additional free tank fills.

Connecticut residents that meet the following may be eligible: already receive food stamps (SNAP), SSI, TANF or other benefits from the Department of Social Services and have an annual household income falls at or below 60 percent of the state’s median income.

In Bristol, CEAP applications are available at HRA, 55 South St., (860) 356-2000. Email: energyapp@hranbct.org.

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