The Assistance Care & Share Provides

Care & Share of East Lyme, Inc. is a resource for individuals and families in East Lyme/Niantic and Salem, providing food, financial and emergency support.

If you know someone who is in need of help, you may wish to give them the Care & Share telephone number.  Individuals must call on their own behalf when requesting help. We do not solicit clients or people who appear to be in need of assistance; it is entirely their choice whether they choose to contact us.

Obtaining Emergency Assistance

In order to receive Emergency Assistance from Care & Share, the individual requesting assistance should first contact us via telephone, at 860-739-8502.   The number is connected to an automated answering system that is checked regularly.  Please leave a message stating your name, telephone number and the type of assistance you need, as well as a convenient time for a telephone responder to return your call.  The responder will confidentially call you, explain our procedures and answer your questions.

When a request for assistance is granted, Care & Share will either deliver food, if this is the request, or pay the vendor of the requested item or services, such as utilities, rent, home heating fuel or a medical co-payment.

Other resources are also available to you.  You may reach professional caseworkers 24 hours a day by calling 2-1-1 for the United Way Infoline, or you may obtain information about getting assistance on: www.infoline.org.

Becoming a Client

Anyone that calls Care & Share for assistance, whether food for financial, becomes a client of Care & Share.  The first step is to call 860-739-8502, and we will explain the information we will need to receive in order to consider your request. 

Receiving a Campership or Scholarship

Care & Share provides a limited number of camperships and scholarships to students residing in East Lyme/Niantic and Salem.  Camperships may pay a child’s camp fee in full or in part, and scholarships help to defray the cost of college tuition, books or fees for recent high school graduates, current undergraduates, graduate students, adults returning to college or students in an accredited program of study .

Receiving Holiday Assistance

During the December holidays, Care & Share assists members of the East Lyme/Niantic and Salem communities by providing gifts, warm winter wear, and holiday-themed food baskets. Care & Share holds an annual Holiday “Free Shopping Day”.

Please check back at this section of the site in August 2009 for information about our 2009 Holiday Assistance, as well as information about our Holiday Store.