Journey Home’s mission is to accelerate progress toward ending homelessness in the Greater Hartford region. The Junior League of Hartford will be supporting the Hand Up Program, which fills a gap of providing furniture to people who have experienced homelessness and are now furnishing their apartments. Our volunteers look forward to helping with organizing the warehouse for clients’ shopping and making furniture deliveries.

The Diaper Bank of Connecticut provides basic health needs including diapers, period supplies, and incontinence products to those in need throughout Connecticut, as these basic human needs are not being met for many families living in poverty. They have distributed more than 33 million free diapers to date, and our volunteers look forward to joining the distribution effort and serving as regional ambassadors in Hartford.

Both of these partnerships will allow us to create meaningful community impact and meet our members where they are with opportunities that align closely to our mission and our members’ interests.  We are also excited that these partnerships will provide us with an opportunity to create our own tailored projects that will provide lasting impact and positive member experiences.

Done in a Day

In addition to the long-term partnerships with our grant recipient organizaitons, the Junior League’s Done In A Day Committee coordinates projects in support of other area non-profit organizations and social service initiatives. The Done In A Day Committee typically organizes 2 events each month of the league year. Done In A Day provides volunteer support for community projects or events that can be accomplished in a one-time day, evening, or weekend effort. When nonprofit agencies are limited in achieving their goals due to lack of womanpower, this program provides a small, dedicated group of JLH volunteers to help. All projects selected meet a community need in the Greater Hartford area and relate to the Junior League’s mission. In this way, the JLH is able to harness our volunteers to provide intense, short-term support for our community and other area not-for-profits.

If you would like to receive additional information or are interested in the possibility of enlisting JLH volunteers on behalf of your project or organization please contact us.

Examples of past Done In A Day projects include:

• Park Road Beautification – Community Clean-up Walk
• Girls on the Run – Running buddy to Girls on the Run participant
• My Sister’s Place – Halloween and Winter Holiday party
• Project Linus – Making blankets for children in hospitals, shelters, and social service agencies
• Love146 – Making cards for child trafficking survivors
• Interval House – Hosting breakfast for residents
• Journey Home – Helping move furniture into client’s new homes
• Chrysalis Center – Fresh Place Market – food pantry

Souper Sustainers

Founded in 1986 by Susan Brown and Barbara Cambria, Souper Sustainers was created to encourage the continued membership and enthusiasm of JLH sustainers and to meet a community need. The Junior League of Hartford, Inc. partnered with Loaves and Fishes Ministries, a non-profit organization that provides human services to the poor in Hartford. Through education, food, counseling, and economic development programs, Loaves and Fishes hopes to create diverse, healthy, and self-motivated communities.

The Souper Sustainer volunteers make a commitment to provide and serve food for a healthy mid-day meal at the Loaves and Fishes center one Friday per month. (At least twenty other community organizations have made a similar commitment.) There are approximately 120 clients who arrive for lunch every day. Designated committee members shop the day before the meal and deliver the food to the kitchen. The serving volunteers arrive on Friday at 10:30am and serve food until 12:45pm. There are 7 volunteers scheduled for each Friday. The committee maintains a substitute list in case a volunteer is unable to fill her shift. Volunteers often bring family members to help during the busy holiday season.