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Community Corner

Vista Member Gives Back to Shoreline Community

As we draw closer to the holiday season, many of us are reminded of the importance of helping and caring for others.  Clothing drives, toy drives and food drives encourage people to share what they have with those in need. However, as Vista Vocational and Life Skills member Eric Stuebner points out, there are people in need of help all year around. Eric has recently gone above and beyond by contributing to his community in Westbrook, most notably at the Shoreline Soup Kitchens and Pantries.

When Eric goes grocery shopping, he fills a cart for his local food pantry, with some of their most requested items such as soup, peanut butter, tuna, oatmeal and pasta. Last month Eric donated 100 pounds of food, which was enough to provide 100 meals. Incredibly, Eric plans on making these kinds of donations every month.

Eric has been living in the Westbrook community for 23 years. After a period of instability in his past, Eric knows what it is like to be “down on his luck,” and decided that giving back to his community was a very important thing to do. He is also mindful of current economic and employment trends, and sees a need for this kind of generosity now more than ever. Despite all of the obstacles and challenges that Eric has faced and continues to face in his daily life, he has set himself a personal goal of helping others, which speaks to how remarkable his efforts truly are.

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Eric has been supported in these efforts by his Life Skills Instructor, Aimee Vincente, who brings the donations to the pantry on Eric’s behalf. She explains, “Eric is not with me today because he is a private person who chooses to help his community from 'behind the scenes.' He understands that many people struggle to make ends meet, and wants to help.”

Shoreline Soup Kitchens and Pantries has meal sites and grocery distribution throughout the Shoreline community. For locations and hours, you can visit http://www.shorelinesoupkitchens.org or call them at (860)388-1988.

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Based in Madison and Westbrook, CT, Vista Vocational & Life Skills Center is a 501©3 nonprofit organization.  Vista’s mission is to provide services and resources on an individualized basis to assist adults with disabilities to live independent and successful lives. 

For more information regarding Vista, please visitwww.vistavocational.org
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