2015 is a big year for Community Action of Southold Town, an organization devoted to helping the needy.
To start, CAST welcomed new director Linda Ruland, whose first day was January 5. Having served on CAST’s board of directors for almost two years, Ruland also has over 20 years of experience in education.
The new position, Ruland said Friday, will afford her the chance to help in a hands-on way. “Our motto is ‘Neighbors helping neighbors,'” she said. “I feel like this will give me an opportunity to help my neighbors in a more direct way, rather than indirectly, on the board.”
During the cold winter months, Ruland said those struggling to survive see their needs escalate. And CAST aims to help, with a food pantry, a “sharing room,” where clothes and small items are free to those that need them. In addition, she said, CAST helps residents navigate the process to secure home heating oil or electricity.
“We direct people to agencies that can help them in ways that we can’t,” she said. “We’re just here, a neighbor, to help in whatever way we can.”
Former CAST director Sarah Benjamin, who served in the position for two years, will stay on at CAST as coordinator of the new North Fork Parent Child Home Program.
The initiative involves CAST members visiting the homes of preschoolers, ages 18 months to four years, and helping kids to get a head start on the first day of school. In addition, Ruland said, visiting the homes helps to identify the needs of families, many of whom are living below the poverty level. “This is a way for us to help children and branch out to the family, as well,” she said.
Ruland said this year is particularly meaningful as CAST celebrates its 50th anniversary.
The year ahead will feature a full agenda of anniversary events, including a kick-off “Have a Heart” dinner to be held at Peconic Landing on February 6.
The hope, Ruland said, is to involve local schoolchildren, perhaps via contests, to help them collect food and instill the values of helping others at a young age.
Of the year ahead, she said, “It’s very exciting.’
