DSS Appreciation Day Approaches

From the Middlesex Coalition for Children

The Middlesex Coalition for Children has announced a "DSS Appreciation Day" on Tuesday, February 9.

The seventy-two staff members at the Middletown office of the Department of Social Services on Main St. Extension will be visited by Coalition members at 1 pm on Tuesday, and presented with "Thank You" cards and candy kisses. The Coalition says that it wants DSS workers to know that they are appreciated.

"Is this surprising?" asked Beverly Lawrence, a community organizer with the Coalition. "DSS workers have to enforce rules that can be hard to understand, and the heavy workload can result in delays. But they work very hard and are genuinely dedicated to helping people. That's what we want to celebrate."

The Middlesex Coalition for Children is an advocacy organization founded in 1992 with over 300 participants, whose mission is "to improve the lives of children in Middletown and Middlesex County".

The programs DSS administers help thousands of people in Middlesex County and hundreds of thousands in Connecticut, according to the Coalition. To name only two, SNAP (food stamps) has been a lifeline for many in the recession. And without the HUSKY insurance program, children in low-to-moderate income families would have little or no access to health care.

"DSS programs help children and stabilize families," said Willard McRae, Chair of the Coalition. "It is an essential part of our society, not a soulless bureaucracy. The Coalition wants to recognize the important work they do."