By Vanessa Inzitari, Special to the Register

NEW HAVEN — From streets of New Haven to such far away places as Rwanda, the Poor Connection is on a mission to help alleviate poverty locally, nationally and globally.

Aimed specifically toward poverty, the Poor Connection operates under the New Haven Help Alliance. In addition to poverty, youth development is another focus of the NHHA.

The New Haven Help Alliance was formed this year by concerned members of the faith-based community, said Stefanie Boles, a member of the Poor Connection Steering Committee.

Alliance members wanted an opportunity to make a difference with poverty and youth-related issues, she said, and since its formation in January, the Poor Connection has “taken on a life of its own.”

“We’re going at it full-steam,” Boles said.

In six months, the Poor Connection has done many projects to help with poverty-related issues here and abroad, she said. With what started as a winter clothing drive, by January, for instance, the Poor Connection collected and donated about 1,000 articles of clothing to homeless shelters in New Haven.

“It tugged at your heart strings,” Boles said. “It was a blessing to do and it was a lot of fun.”

In February, Boles said the Poor Connection started preparing and providing at least three meals a month to the Emergency Shelter Management Service on Grand Avenue.

Emergency Shelter Management Service Executive Director Wesley Thorpe said the Poor Connection has been a “tremendous help” to the facility.

“When they serve a meal, I don’t have to hire a caterer. We save money that way,” Thorpe said. “We need to save what we can.” Continued...

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With the money saved, Thorpe said he is able to pay some of the shelter’s many bills. Last year, its budget was reduced and the money saved because of Poor Connection is also used to “catch the deficit,” he said.

Also in February, Poor Connection gave $5,000 to an organization in New Orleans to help maintain a feeding program called Just the Right Attitude, Boles added.

In April, Poor Connection continued its mission by helping with Connecticut Food Bank’s Tons of Food program. On Easter Sunday, the organization served breakfast to at least 40 homeless people.

“For just getting started, we’ve done quite a bit,” Boles said. “We’re looking forward to doing more.”

On a global level, Boles said Poor Connection donated $5,000 to a devastated area in Peru to help pay for a community center. The organization also sent about $10,500 to Rwanda to help pay for three water purification systems, she said.

In May, Boles said Poor Connection raised a little over $7,000 from a concert fundraiser. Of the money raised, $5,000 was given to the Connecticut Food Bank and $2,500 to Millennium Congregations, she said.

According to its Web site, Millennium Congregations is a “new and growing initiative” aiming to eradicate poverty on a global level.

“Millennium Congregations works with diverse faith communities in facilitating education, advocacy, and outreach for a more sustainable world through advancing the Millennium Development Goals,” the Web site explains. “Our approach builds and integrates these three program areas to achieve results from the active engagement of congregations, and other faith groups, in reducing extreme poverty.”

With the money donated by Poor Connection, Nancy Carrington, executive director of the Connecticut Food Bank, said a $500 credit will be placed on the accounts of 10 local organizations.

“It’s a terrific help to all these organizations,” Carrington said. “We’re very grateful.” Continued...

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As much as Poor Connection has done, Boles said it won’t stop. This month, a few members of the organization will travel to Kigali, Rwanda.

The Rev. Todd Foster, acting president of Help Alliance and one of those volunteering in Rwanda, said he looks forward to “doing whatever is needed” to help.

“We want to be used to do some tangible good while we are there. We want to see how an organization logistically coordinates the efforts of many individuals and groups to have significant impact within a region,” Foster said. “Our hope is to bring such insight home and implement a similar plan in New Haven.”

Everything Poor Connection has done so far was, in part, made possible by the Church on the Rock community, Boles said.

More than $50,000 was raised as part of a year-end “giving campaign” through the church, specifically for the New Haven Help Alliance. Half of the money went to the Poor Connection and the other $25,000 was set aside for a youth center, she said.

As youth development also is a focus of NHHA, Foster, also senior pastor of Church on the Rock, said plans are in motion for a 9,000-square-foot youth center.

“We always had an interest in youth services, in doing our share to uplift youth society,” Foster said. “We’re trying to create a holistic environment to provide positive activities.”

Boles and Foster said they are excited for what’s to come.

“We’re opening our eyes and seeing there is much we can do. We can’t change the world,” Foster said, “but if we can change the lives of one, three, 10 or 300 people, that is our hope: trying to do as much as we can to make a difference.”

Vanessa Inzitari is a New Haven Register intern

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