Enfield collects food, clothing for 200th anniversary

The town of Enfield will celebrate its 200th anniversary with a 200th Birthday Project to collect warm clothing and nonperishable food to deliver to those in need across Tompkins County.

This drive, which is run by the Enfield Community Council, is seeking 200 pairs of long underwear, warm hats, mittens, scarves, boxes of macaroni and cheese, and cans of spaghetti and meatballs.

The drive began Oct. 17 and will run through the end of November. The hours for the collection are 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays, 4 to 7 p.m Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays. Donations can be dropped off in the clearly marked banana boxes in the Enfield Community Council’s headquarters on 162 Enfield Rd. in Ithaca.

Sue Thompson, historian for the town of Enfield, and Ann Rider, secretary of the Enfield Community Council, came up with the idea together. Having been busy for most of the summer, they sought programming to fill out the year and chose a way to commemorate Enfield’s 200th anniversary by encouraging residents to give back to the community.

“We think that it’s an important concept to get community members to think about the wider community,” Rider said. “We think we could set an example by helping the Enfield community but also the wider community.”

Rider said that she hopes the effort also brings more residents to Enfield Community Council’s headquarters, giving the organization much-needed foot traffic.

“You have to deliver the things here, so it gets people to come to this building, which we need to encourage,” she said.

Thompson and Rider described gathering 200 of each of the requested food and winter clothing as an ambitious goal, especially the long underwear. Rider noted that unlike most other clothing items on the list, which can be made by hand or donated second-hand, prospective donors will most likely have to buy the long underwear themselves. Thompson said she and Rider considered collecting boots but decided that it would not be feasible to collect 200 pairs.

Thompson had spent two months making 200 washcloths by hand, giving her some idea of the scope of the project. Despite knowing how much she is asking of the residents of Enfield, Rider said she is optimistic about the drive and believes that they will be able to exceed the goal of 200 of each type of item.

“We’re going to get more banana boxes full of food than David [Dietrich] and I can truck away,” Rider said. “I’m looking forward to having to work really hard to get this distributed.”

Once the 200 items have been gathered, Thompson and Rider plan to offer the food and some of the warm clothing to the Enfield Food Pantry and the rest of the clothing to Catholic Charities or another organization that can distribute it throughout Tompkins County.

Rider described food insecurity as a serious problem in Enfield, based on what she says is the “astronomical” number of people who use the food pantry’s services, though the food pantry also serves nonresidents.

“By every scale there is, Enfield comes up as a poor community,” Rider said.

Despite this, Rider said many Enfield residents earn above-average incomes and thus not only can provide for themselves but can also spare money to help those who are in need, even if they may not know how best to direct their energy or resources.

“There are many, many, people in this community that are happy to give back,” Rider said. “They don’t have the time. They don’t have the skills to figure out exactly how to do this. If you give them a project, I have found in the past, they’re happy to give; they just can’t do the mechanics of it or don’t have time.”

Thompson said it is easy for residents to contribute to the project and help the needy in their community.

“Next time you go to the store, pick up an extra can, and … bring it to my house or whatever,” Thompson said. “Be part of the community.”

In Brief:

Enfield Community Council holds Holiday Craft Fair

The Enfield Community Council will hold a Holiday Craft Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Enfield Community Center. It invites artists, crafters and direct sales representatives to participate at a venue that has room for 40 to 50 vendors.

For more information, including how to sign up, visit enfieldcommunitycouncil.org/event/craft-fair-2/?instance_id=5854.

Caroline holds village board meeting

The village of Caroline Board of Trustees will meet Nov. 10 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. It will begin with privilege of the floor, followed by reports from the highway superintendent and town supervisor, updates to committee reports, budget review and paying of bills.

For more information, including the agenda and the Zoom link, go to the town’s website at townofcaroline.org.

Danby holds Town Board meeting

The town of Danby Board of Trustees will meet Nov. 17 from 7 to 9 p.m. For more information, including the agenda and the Zoom link, go to the meeting listing at danby.ny.gov/event/tb-wed-nov2021/.