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06/28/2017 07:00 AMEvery Tuesday night, all summer long, Barbara Barrett and the Community Dining Room (CDR) invite families, friends, and fans of great food and active fun to come out for Free Summer Meals on the Branford Green.
The annual CDR offering kicked off on June 13 and continues every Tuesday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. through Tuesday, Aug. 22 (rain location, CDR). Due to the holiday, there is no summer meal on Tuesday, July 4.
This year’s first summer meal on the green was donated by Donovan’s Reef Restaurant. The remainder of the dinners arrive courtesy of a partnership with Branford Public Schools’ (BPS) Free Summer Meals breakfast and lunch program. Other partners with CDR in the Free Summer Meals program are Branford Parks and Recreation and Soundview YMCA.
Organized through a grant won by BPS and overseen by the CT State Dept. of Education together with End Hunger CT, BPS is supplying the food for the weekly program and also bringing the talents of Chartwells’ Director of Dining Services and BPS Executive Chef Julio Montes to CDR’s Free Summer Meals on the Branford Green.
On Tuesday, July 11, Montes plans a dinner featuring whole grain and white pasta with homemade marinara, Bolognese, or homemade Italian meat sauce; roasted vegetables, zucchini, garlic bread, and fresh cantaloupe. The following Tuesday, July 18, he’s bringing in barbecue roasted chicken or chili cheese dogs, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, savory green beans, green salad, coleslaw, and watermelon. Other menu items planned for CDR’s upcoming free summer meals on the green include Taco Night (taco meat or fajita chicken) and All-American Burger Night (burgers, hot dogs, or sweet and sour chicken).
As if the menu isn’t enough to tempt families, Barbara hopes the idea of a relaxed summer night of dining and socializing on the town green, with the added fun of a free kids’ activity, will seal the deal.
“We’d really like to encourage the kids to come out with their families, because this is really what it’s all about,” says Barbara. “It’s a community gathering that provides a great opportunity for social interaction, really delicious food, and an opportunity for kids to get active.”
On July 11, CDR’s Free Summer Meals on the Branford Green presents a Theater Night activity, followed by July 18’s “Hypnotic Hoola” hula hoop fun. Scavenger hunts, a YMCA night, paint night, and more are set for upcoming dates.
“We’ve tried to make all of the kids’ activities a lot more active,” says Barbara, noting a Zumba night took place on June 13.
“The Zumba people, the Hula Hoop hypnotist, Soundview Y, Greg Nobile [theater night], the Parks and Recreation Department—all of them have been very generous in giving their time to provide these activities,” says Barbara.
In addition to food and fun, a new component—a pop-up Farmer’s Market—is setting up alongside Tuesday’s Free Summer Meals on the Branford Green. The small market is a collaboration between CDR, Medlyn Farm, and Branford Garden Club, says Barbara.
“The farmer’s market will be right there on the green. The idea is to help supply nutritional, fresh produce and eggs for them to buy,” says Barbara.
Based in Branford at the Patricia C. Andriole Volunteer Service Center (30 Harrison Ave.), the non-profit CDR serves daily hot meals to anyone in need along the shoreline. CDR’s reach spans from East Haven to Old Saybrook.
A Branford resident of 35 years, Barbara was well aware of CDR and its mission. Long before she retired in 2014 from her role with AT&T as executive director for Information Technology (IT), Barbara had selected CDR among her payroll deduction charitable giving contributions.
“I couldn’t afford to give a lot of time, but at least I could give back that way,” says Barbara. “I’ve always felt this was a great community resource, and so needed.”
She also supported the Blackstone Library and, in retirement, has joined the staff as part-time circulation assistant.
Soon after Barbara retired, she started volunteering her time with CDR and found her niche assisting with its weekly Tuesday Night Kids Dinner and Children’s Program, which morphs into Free Summer Meals on the Branford Green during the BPS summer break.
It wasn’t too long before Barbara’s husband, Joe Genua, also began volunteering with CDR—and eventually helped CDR connect with Barbara’s IT talents.
“My husband began volunteering here as a substitute home delivery driver Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; and I usually would come with him and help him navigate,” says Barbara. “One week, he went inside [the dining room] and he didn’t come out for about 45 minutes. It turned out they were having trouble finding the addresses of a few newer people on the route. So I came in and I offered to organize their information for them. Everything was more manual; so I tried to start helping with re-doing the system for them, putting it in spread sheet form.”
It wasn’t long before CDR Executive Director Judy Barron recognized an opportunity to bring Barbara’s expertise and enthusiasm together for CDR. She asked Barbara to fill a part-time opening as CDR’s administrative assistant. Barbara began working with CDR in January 2017.
“Basically, I do anything Judy wants me to do,” says Barbara, smiling. “That’s how I got involved in helping organize the Free Summer Meals program this year.”
Barbara also brought another volunteer to CDR, her son Jeffrey Barrett. Upon recently returning home after serving eight years with the U.S. Army, Jeffrey is volunteering to help with CDR meal deliveries.
“He’s been helping out here, too; so it’s become a family thing now,” says Barbara. “He’s very appreciative of what he has, so he likes coming to help whenever he can.”
Volunteers are always welcome at CDR; more information is available through the CDR website, www.communitydiningroom.org. The site also provides plenty of information on all meal programs offered by CDR, including the new Friday night dinner (third Friday of each month), as well as a new summertime offering, Thursday Night Kids Dinner. The 10-week program began Thursday, June 15 and continues weekly through Aug. 17; with all meals served at CDR from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
“We feel that summers are a busy time, and this gives parents the chance to bring their kids in for a good, nutritious meal that’s already been cooked for them,” says Barbara of the new Thursday Kids Dinner program.
Of course, summer’s also the perfect time for Free Summer Meals on the Branford Green. As someone who has seen the effort succeed in past years, Judy is a believer in this wonderful community program hosted by CDR.
“At one of the dinners last year, we had about 100 people on the green,” says Babara, adding, “Everyone’s welcome to it; no one is turned away. It’s just a great opportunity for people to get out into the community and see each other and socialize, have the kids be active, and have a good meal.”