Jason Rojas

Dear Neighbor,

I hope this email finds you well. Below, you'll find updates on district resources and news. Please feel free to reach out to my office if you have any questions or concerns.

The topics covered in this e-newsletter are as follows:

• State Update
• Community Resources
• This Week In Connecticut History
• Manchester Community Events and Information
• East Hartford Community Events and Information

I am proud to stand with the Governor, Senate Majority Leader Duff, our fellow elected officials, and advocates who made this housing bill possible. With the signing of this bill, we took a major step forward in implementing policies that support new, diverse housing options across Connecticut.

With some of the highest housing costs in the region, too many people and families are being priced out of the communities where they work, grew up, or hope to retire. The legislation we passed is an important step in ensuring Connecticut has ample homes that young people can afford when they start out, that allow working families to live and grow with stability, and that allow older residents to remain in the towns they love.

The Generation Power CT (GPCT) Emergency Energy Assistance Program provides a one-time grant of up to $500 to help eligible Connecticut households with electric, gas, or fuel expenses.

Increasing energy costs are a challenge for many in the state. Through this program, GPCT has helped to provide families across Connecticut with secure access to heat, power, and water.

All GPCT energy programs are available to income-eligible households making up to 75% SMI gross household income. Each income-eligible household that receives a GPCT Energy Assistance Award will receive up to $500 toward a future fuel delivery or toward a past-due utility bill. For the best chance of approval, and to make full use of this once-per-12-months grant, GPCT strongly encourages households to apply for assistance when you are most in need. GPCT has upcoming Energy Assistance Application Cycles: 

• January 2-10
• March 2-10  

To learn more about eligibility requirements and application materials, go to: https://gpct.org/gethelp/

Today in 1951, aerospace engineer Charles H. Kaman’s modified K-225 helicopter took its first test flight in Bloomfield, Connecticut, changing the future of helicopter aviation forever. As the first helicopter to use a jet engine to power its drive shaft, the K-225 demonstrated a way to make helicopters fly faster and higher, with less weight, than ever before.

Born in 1919, Kaman went to work in the propeller division of Hamilton Standard in Windsor Locks in 1940 after graduating with an engineering degree from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. There, Kaman worked alongside vertical aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky, who was then on the cusp of producing the world’s first mass-manufactured helicopter, and developed his own lifelong interest in rotary-powered flight. A few years later, in 1945, the 26-year-old engineer founded Kaman Aircraft in the garage of his family’s West Hartford home with only a few thousand dollars on hand. Kaman soon moved his modest enterprise to nearby Bloomfield and began building experimental aircraft.

The K-225’s test flight was successful enough to capture the attention of the U.S. Navy, which had sent representatives to observe the December 11 flight at Kaman’s invitation. The K-225 became the forerunner for the closed-cockpit Kaman HH-43 Huskie helicopter, which was used widely by the U.S. Navy and Marines as a utility helicopter through the 1970s. Three years after the groundbreaking 1951 flight, another one of Kaman’s helicopters became the first helicopter to fly powered by two gas turbine engines. Since then, Kaman Aircraft — now known as the Kaman Corporation — has continued to be a major innovator in the worldwide aerospace industry, pioneering notable advances in helicopter design and aerospace parts manufacturing from its Bloomfield headquarters. The future of innovative helicopter engineering was certainly looking up on this day in Connecticut history.

Further Reading

“History of Innovation Timeline,” Kaman Corporation website

Original Kaman K-225 displays at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the New England Air Museum

https://www.easthartfordct.gov/residents
 
Town Newsletters
Pulse of East Hartford     
East Hartford Public Schools
East Hartford Works

We live in a time when it is easy to be impressed by the polished lives we see online—beautiful people, perfect posts, endless followers. But real confidence and joy don’t come from likes or views; they come from feeling strong, connected, and grounded. As we move into the winter months, I encourage you to focus on building a healthy mind and body. Take a look through the Manchester Now catalog to discover activities that fit your interests and inspire you to stay active and engaged. Whether it’s joining a fitness class, exploring a new hobby, or connecting with others through community programs, these small choices can make a bid difference. Stay the course this winter, and by spring, you’ll be ready to step into the new season feeling refreshed, energized, and ready for all that’s ahead.
 

Manchester Now Winter/Spring 2026 Publication

The African American and Black Affairs Council is an organization that empowers, supports and advocates for the Black community in Manchester, CT.

When

• Wednesday, December 17, 2025 | 06:00 PM - 07:30 PM
• Monday, January 05, 2026 | 06:00 PM - 07:30 PM
• Wednesday, January 21, 2026 | 06:00 PM - 07:30 PM
• Monday, February 02, 2026 | 06:00 PM - 07:30 PM

How to Check SNAP Balances:

• Call 1-888-328-2666
• Use MyDSS online
• Access the DSS SNAP work rules pre-screener. Starting December 1, 2025, all towns in Connecticut will now follow special SNAP work rules for adults. Please use this SNAP Work Rules Pre-screener to understand if these new rules apply to you.
• Access SNAP updates in multiple languages
• CT DSS SNAP presentation
• For other resources or eligibility questions, call 2-1-1 or visit 211ct.org for continuous updates

East Hartford Resources: 

• East Hartford Food Resource Calendar - English and Spanish
• Free Food for Seniors, Age 60+ (English)
• Free Food for Seniors, Age 60+ (Spanish)
• Find a Connecticut Foodshare Mobile Food Pantry in East Hartford or text the word foodshare to 85511 (standard text messaging rates may apply).
• Friendship Soup Kitchen Hot "Grab & Go" (New Covenant United Methodist Church located at 6 Church Street, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 3:30pm to 5:30pm)
• East Hartford food pantries:
  • St. Isaac's Church - 1 Community Street
    Every other Wednesday
    4:30 PM- 5:30 PM
  • Town of East Hartford Food Pantry - 50 Chapman Place (Lower Level) 
    2nd and 4th Thursday 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM and 3rd Mopnday 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
  • St. Mary's Church – 30 Maplewood Avenue
    Tuesdays 11:30 AM - 12:30PM
    Fridays 11:30AM - 1:30PM
  • First United Food Pantry - 404 Prospect Street
    1st and 3rd Wednesdays 
    11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
  • South Congregational Church - 1301 Forbes Street
    Every other Tuesday
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Crossroads Community Cathedral - 1492 Silver Lane
    Every other Wednesday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Charity Seventh Day Adventist Church - 1535 Forbes Street
    Every other Thursday
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
• East Hartford Youth and Social Services: (860) 291-7248

Additional Food Resources:

• Connecticut Foodshare

Other Support:

• Find financial support for utilities and rent, as you might need to spend more in food costs. For utilities assistance, please apply now here: Energy Assistance - Community Renewal Team and Generation Power CT

How You Can Help: 

• Donate Financially to the East Hartford Food Pantry
• Donate Food to the East Hartford Food Pantry

Leaves will be vacuumed Monday through Saturday through December 13th, 2025. 

The program consists of the vacuuming of leaves placed in piles on a tree belt. Leaves will be vacuumed along each street, weather permitting. The leaf collection program will commence on roads in the northwest corner of town in the area of Pitkin Street and then proceed north and east through the Burnham and Goodwin Street areas. Collection will proceed in a clockwise direction around town.

The schedule for leaf pickup can be found on the Department of Public Works Weekly Advisory Map and on the Town Facebook page.

CLICK HERE FOR WEEKLY LEAF MAP

The map will show completed areas as well as the areas where leaf collection is anticipated the following week. Residents should note that the map is tentative and dependent on the weather and the speed of collection and should not be considered a set collection schedule. Progress of the collection is weather-dependent and will be affected by rain or snow. Snowfall before mid-December may cause a suspension or cancellation of leaf collection. The map will be updated with address-specific collection information, such as whether collection has been completed or is anticipated by close of business on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Residents, please look for leaf program lawn signs! Leaf collection lawn signs will be posted in neighborhoods to notify residents that curbside leaf pickup is coming, and to encourage raking to the tree belt and paper leaf bag collection.

Please do not block storm drains and catch basins with leaves to prevent flooding issues. 

Instructions for using the Weekly Advisory Map:

1. Enter your address in the search bar.
2. The Map will show your property- click on it to pull up the anticipated collection week.
3. To find out if leaf piles collection has already been completed in your area, please click on the road centerline, which will indicate if the street has been completed. Once leaf vacuuming in your neighborhood has been completed, if you still have additional leaf piles, we encourage to bag your leaves. We will make every attempt to come back around, weather permitting. In order to best accommodate for weather disruptions, bagged leaves will increase likelihood of pickup. 

Residents also have two (2) additional options for leaf disposal:
OPTION 1:  Curbside Brown Bag Collection for six (6) weeks

• Town crews will pick up leaves placed in biodegradable brown paper bags beginning November 3, 2025 through December 13, 2025 on your regular waste collection day, weather permitting.
• Please place your bagged leaves at the curb two (2) days before your regular trash and recycling pickup day.
• Leaves must be placed in biodegradable brown paper bags only. No grass clippings, branches or other waste items can be placed in the paper bags nor will the Town collect leaves in plastic bags. We will aim for leaf bags to be collected within two weeks of you placing them on the curb. If you bring them back inside, you may be at risk of missing the collection.
• *NEW* for 2025: Once your leaves are bagged and ready, you can submit a ticket through My East Hartford app or website. We will aim for leaf bags to be collected within the week, after the request is received.

OPTION 2:  Resident Transport to the Transfer Station for FREE Disposal

• Residents may bring their leaves to the Transfer Station on Ecology Drive:
  • Regularly scheduled transfer station hours:
    • Monday, Tuesday and Friday 7:15 a.m. to 2:35 p.m. (closed for lunch between 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.)
    • First and third Saturday of the month from 8:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.
  • Additionally, the transfer station will be open for LEAF DROP-OFF ONLY on the following Saturdays: November 8, 22, 29, and December 13

Leaves in plastic bags will not be accepted.
For any additional information, please call Public Works Administration (860) 291-7374.