October 29, 2026To the Community:
Waterbury Roundabout's Oct. 16 report about the Election Day food drive brought two very different activities into one place: Casting a ballot and helping stock the Waterbury Common Market.
On Nov. 3, volunteers plan to collect groceries and donations at Brookside Primary School, where voters will be coming and going. The market has reported scarce supplies as families begin facing winter heating bills and other expenses.
As a Christian, I think about John the Baptist's answer in Luke 3 when people asked how repentance should change their lives. He did not begin with a grand speech. He told anyone with extra clothing to share, and anyone with food to do the same. It is a clear challenge to faith that remains only a set of opinions.
Elections invite disagreement. Neighbors may cast ballots for opposing candidates and leave with strong feelings about the result.
Hunger does not ask which candidate someone supported, and neither should Christian compassion.
That is what I appreciate about a collection at the polls. Everyone who can help has an opportunity, including people who voted early. The most important question is not whether we agree across the voting booth. It is whether the person worried about a grocery bill will find neighbors willing to help.
I write from Colorado, not Waterbury, and do not claim to know the market's clients. I hope this effort is met with generosity and with the dignity every recipient deserves.
When the election signs are put away, the work of loving our neighbors will still be here.
Douglas B. Vandergraph
Fort Collins, Colorado