"You are the apple of my eye, Forever you'll stay in my…read moreheart" (Stevie Wonder) Want to spend a few hours of your time doing good for your fellow man? Why not sign up to work a volunteer shift at Foodshare? Eight of us from a charitable organization we all belong to were joined by a mother and daughter team from Glastonbury for apple duty this morning. What did we do? Well in our 3-hour shift we repackaged nearly 2,700 pounds of apples into individual bags of 4-5 apples for donation to social service groups to feed their hungry. Here's how it worked. The many apple orchards around the state donate their surplus harvests to Foodshare. These were not "seconds" or apples starting to go bad - they were perfect. They were forklifted into our room in a humongous cardboard box. One of our team members scooped them into a big plastic bin and dumped them onto a metal work table where we all got to work loading 4 or 5 apples into a mesh bag, tying a knot in the bag, and them placing the bags into another humongous cardboard box. It was a fun shift, filled with great conversation among friends and some cool Spotify music that we played via Bluetooth from someone's phone on Foodshare's speakers. You can go onto the Foodshare website and either set up your own group activity like we did, or join someone else's group like our co-workers from Glastonbury did. We had a very enjoyable time, and we all left feeling good about what we did. I bet you will too. This has the makings of a great Yelp activity (hint....hint).

Today's lunch at Gather 55, the latest Hands on Hartford food experience, offered up a truly…read morewonderful meal. The place was packed but the front of the house rep found us a perfect table against the rear wall with a view of the dining room. The gentleman who fixed/adjusted our table did a super job; hate those wobbly tables I always manage to find. The menus were clear and the ordering was super easy. The end product went way above our expectations. My dining partner ordered the Chicken Salad plate with a pasta side included. The chicken was fresh, tender and delicious [I stole a piece] and the penne pasta was just right while the celery and walnuts added crunch. I had the Salmon Wrap with spinach, avocado and ginger vinaigrette. The wrap was huge and the salmon perfectly cooked while the added ingredients made the dish even better. The crowd was lively and the atmosphere was full of love. We will return! Want to try the breakfast.

The food and service were very good and the service was great. I had a walnut cranberry salad that…read morewas fresh a d tasteful with a light vinegrette dressing. I took what was left from lunch home and had two more meals from it.

Nice atmosphere, friendly. Clothing, shoes, jewelry, toys and some household items. Great prices,…read morewith many name brand items.

What a rewarding experience! You get so much more than you give. It is very hard to write a review…read morebecause this is not something tangible, what you gain is almost selfish, that smile is worth a million bucks!

From the owner: CT Big Brothers Big Sisters Providing children facing adversity with strong and enduring,…read moreprofessionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.

Some cool stuff although the book and movie selection isn't as interesting as some other thrift…read morestores surrounding me. Really busy at times and the store sometimes isn't clean. Restocked less often than other Goodwills with newer arrivals. It's an alright store.

I come here from time to time. Usually find some cool things. Smells a little musty inside but…read morehey.. it's goodwill... not a delicious eatery and so I leave it at 5 stars. Staff is nice and there are usually a fair number of people.. but the store is pretty spacious. Entrance from the street is a little confusion (from the side by the pizza restaurant) ... but parking is plentiful!

IF YOU TRULY NEED HELP - DO NOT, LET ME REPEAT, DO NOT CALL THESE PEOPLE. They say they will help…read moreyou but truthfully they throw you in a hotel that they knowingly has issues with car break-ins, though they will tell you otherwise. I had my catalytic converter cut out of my car overnight and found out from other women in similar situations that it was a regular occurrence that interval house WAS in fact aware of. Because I did not make enough money, and now had no working vehicle, they left me to be homeless because I could not relocate my entire life from Hartford county all the way over to Windham, almost an hour a day. I was referred to 211 and left to either live in a broken car in a hotel parking lot or go back to my abuser's house, because CT is a not a right to shelter state and 211 doesn't give immediate shelter. My worker, Edna, did absolutely NOTHING to help me find some kind of help in the county I lived in and needed to stay in due to the several doctors and daily appointments I could not just move to Windham. I ended up spending all of my savings just to stay in the hotel for as long as I could but without any friends or living family I now am living back in my abuser's home where I am struggling to survive on a daily basis. They will not help you. They will hang up the phone on you. You are better off being homeless or hoping to God you get someone else that maybe will help. This place did nothing to help someone who was abused their entire life. I was left to fend for myself and now I'm back to square one. I was told maybe they weren't the right program for me. Don't expect anything from them.

From the owner: Interval House is the largest agency in the State of Connecticut providing intervention services…read morefor victims of domestic violence and their families, serving the City of Hartford and 23 surrounding towns. We operate a 24-hour hotline (860-838-8467) and provide counseling and safety planning, emergency shelter, court advocacy, support groups, and community education.

I wish that I knew about POA spay years ago. I could've saved a lot of money. I brought my mini…read moredachshund, Gertie, to POA spay in October 2024 to be spayed. Their communication from start to finish was great. Everything was emailed and explained in full. The staff was very friendly and answered all of my questions prior to the spay and afterwards. I couldn't be more pleased. I appreciate everything you did. Much thanks!

Took care of my kitten. I am happy with the quality of service for the value. Hard to get an…read moreappointment

Very clean and new gym. The people are very nice. The camp was awesome for my grandkids this year.read more

Recently went to this YMCA. If you're in the neighborhood this is a relatively new facility. It…read morelooks like it has been built in the last 5 years or so. The staff are super friendly and it seems to have an active basketball scene. The rock climbing is a nice touch too. The only thing they don't have is a pool but the rest of the facility is fantastic. This is what they have: AMENITIES Fitness Center Circuit Training Gymnasium Climbing Wall Child Watch/Amazing Kids Teen Center Pre-Teen Center Computer Zone Steam/Sauna Locker Rooms Café SERVICES: Before and After School Programs Personal Training Early Childhood Development Center

"You wear sandals in the snow And a smile that won't wash…read moreaway 'Cause you're working Building a mystery" (Sarah McLachlan) Ever hear of Rebuilding Together? It's a national organization of volunteers that mobilize to repair, modify, and improve homes for low-income homeowners. Founded in Texas in 1988, over the years, 3.4 million volunteers have worked to rehab over 100,000 homes. With 200+ chapters across the country, on the last Saturday in April, volunteers gather across the country to repair and revitalize homes. We participated in the Hartford's chapter Volunteer Day on Saturday. Our day kicked off with an early 7:30 check-in, orientation, breakfast, and T-shirt distribution at the Sarah J. Rawson Elementary School. At 8:30, we headed off to our assigned house on nearby East Burnham Street. We joined hundreds of volunteers to restore and refurbish thirteen homes across the Blue Hills neighborhood of Hartford. The home we were assigned to included 20 volunteers from Travelers Insurance. It was a long, tiring day that ran from 730 to 4. We painted, dug up and relocated rose bushes, planted bushes, moved mulch, rebuilt a closet, installed a front porch railing, replaced a large back yard clothesline, and were links in a bucket brigade chain to empty basement clutter and move it to a dumpster. There were 41 tasks on our house's punch list, and we got to them all. Shout out to Capital Ice Cream for the welcome delivery of their ice cream for an afternoon break. Shout out to the many leaders who organized the moving parts of today's massive endeavor. House Captain: Denis Walter Volunteer Coordinator: Mary Ann Lefemine Program Manager: Ray da Rosa Area Director: Ted Brown