Helping Hands mission reopening Nov. 7

EAST HAMPTON — Helping Hands, a mission of Cornerstone Bible Church, 30 Hurd Park Road, East Hampton, will reopen Nov. 7.

The same items will be available (clothing, household items and more will still be available, but anyone wishing to shop must register ahead of time via phone or email, and no walk-ins will be allowed. There will be four halfhour time slots each day, with a maximum of 15 individuals for each time slot, starting at 9 a.m. will be allowed two shopping bags each, which they must bring from home. Masks must be worn at all times, no exceptions. No children under 10 will be allowed. To maintain safe social distancing, individuals are asked to remain in their cars until 5 minutes before their time slot begins.

To come to the store to shop, register via email at jholm225@sbcglobal.net or call Judy at 860-918-0784. Confirmation of a time slot will be sent either via email or phone. Each person must register individually. As long as slots remain, people can choose the slot they want. However, due to the popularity of the first time slot, individuals will only be allowed to select that time once a month. Registration for a Saturday time slot will begin the week before Helping Hands is open. Participants must register in advance; no same-day registration. Donations are only accepted on Saturdays, and there are no public restrooms.

Fly Fishing Film Festival goes virtual

The International Fly Fishing Film Festival is being offered online at 7 p.m. Nov. 5, featuring 10 films, each 6- to 16-minutes in length, from all corners of the globe.

Admission to the Fishing Film Festival, viewable throughout the state, is $ 15 and may be accessed at https://watch.eventive.org/ if4us/play/5f4d3bfc2f75db00851f30f3 . Viewers may log on to the site anytime within 48 hours of the showing.

Tickets will be active for seven days. One attendee will be selected to win the 2020 Grand Prize drawing consisting of thousands of dollars of fly fishing gear provided by International Fly Fishing Film Festival sponsors.

The event is hosted by The Fly Fishing Show.

For information, contact https://www.flyfilmfest.com

In addition to the films, there will be fly fishing product giveaways and other promotions at the event.

Among the films to be screened are “Particles and Droplets” by Gilbert Rowley, a look at the world from a different perspective with fly fishing the catalyst. “Aurora Fontinalis” by Intents Media. An adventurous trip after giant brook trout in the far north. “Iqaluk” by Hooké. A far northern fly-fishing adventure to Nunavik in search of Arctic Char. “The Mend” by Broc Isabelle. A father-son relationship complicated by career and responsibilities all set to a fly-fishing background. “Nine Foot Rod” by Dana Lattery. Four fly-fishing guides embark on a trip to Oman in search of giant trevally and Indo-Pacific Permit.

Others include AK 30, seeking a 30-inch trout in Alaska’s Naknek River; The Bull Run, looking for a bull trout north of the 49th parallel in the Rockies; and Poetry in Motion, the story of Maxine McCormack’s journey to become world fly-fishing champion. Trailers for all films can be seen online at flyfilmfest.com. The International

Fly Fishing Film Festival, founded in 2011, screens at more than 120 locations worldwide each year.

First Church providing meals, eatery support

MIDDLETOWN — First Church in Middletown is helping St Vincent DePaul to provide 80100 Sunday lunches to residents of The Men’s Shelter at the YMCA and The Eddy Shelter. the homeless shelter in town. The church has been providing meals each Sunday since April.

This effort is being funded by the church’s Vision Fund and individual donors to address food insecurity. The church also wants to to support local restaurants so our plan has been to purchase grab and go meals from local restaurants for distribution on Sundays. “The response has been fantastic and we are happy to partner with these restaurants. Chu Ngo from Lan Chi Vietnamese Restaurant has taken on the coordination of this program and we are so grateful to her,” Members said.

To help, residents can make a donation to First Church, 190 Court Street, Middletown, CT 06457 and write “Sunday Lunch Program” in the memo line. The cost of one Sunday’s meals is $ 500.

Residents can also help by supporting the local restaurants by either ordering takeout or enjoying outside dining. Participating restaurants include: The Whey Station, China King, Illiano’s on South Main Street and Washington Street, O’Rourke’s Diner, Esca Restaurant and Wine Bar, Nino’s Restaurant and Pizzeria, Typhoon Restaurant, Moonlight Sushi Bar and Grill, Sweet Harmony Cafe, Fiore ll Restaurantm Jerry’s Pizza, Vero Cucina Rustico, La Boca , Forbidden City Bistro, Hachi , Brew Bakers , Thai Garden Restaurant, OSA, Café 56, Mattabesett Canoe Club, Red Fox Restaurant and Lan Chi’s Vietnamese Restaurant.

Online fundraiser has begun

MIDDLETOWN — Due to the Covid-19, St. Vincent de Paul Middletown canceled two major fundraisers: the Soup Supper in October and Open-Your-Heart gala in February. Demand for food and assistance has increased dramatically since the pandemic started, so the four-pronged agency — Soup Kitchen, Amazing Grace Food Pantry, Community Assistance and Supportive housing — has pivoted to raise much-need funds completely online, according to a statement.

8-Days of Impact Giving began Oct. 30 and continues daily through Nov. 6 at www.svdmiddletown.org. The drive includes in-depth, “behindthe-scenes” videos of the mission, and special hosts including Mayor Ben Florsheim, and United Way President Kevin Wilhelm and other surprise guests. The drive will also have two separate auctions with competitive bidding. All donations will be eligible for a dollar-for-dollar matching grant up to $ 25,000. Visit www.svdmiddletown.org daily.

Running concurrently and closing on the last day of 8 Days of Impact Giving is the City’s Best Soup in Middletown Contest 2020. Mayor Ben Florsheim will present the trophy to the restaurant with the most votes at the close of the event. See http://www.svdmiddletown.org/middletownsbest-soup-contest-2020/