BOS Approves Food Pantry Grant, Teen Mental Health Funding, Public Narcan Cabinet

The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved three separate measures aimed at augmenting different Wilton Social Services Department initiatives on Monday, Aug. 3.

Along with approving a grant application to bring additional funds to the Wilton Food Pantry, the selectmen designated $15,000 toward helping fund mental health support services for the Kids in Crisis TeenTalk program in the Wilton Public Schools. The board also approved installation of a publicly accessible naloxone cabinet in the Youth Services area of Comstock Community Center.

Opioid Overdose Measure to be Installed at Comstock

A publicly accessible naloxone cabinet will be installed in the Youth Services area of the Comstock Community Center, giving residents free access to the opioid overdose reversal medication as part of a statewide harm-reduction initiative.

Provided free by the Bridgeport-based social advocacy organization called Catalyst CT, the cabinet is stocked with antidote kits that can be administered to an individual in the event of an opioid overdose.

“They’re popping up everywhere,” Wilton’s Social Services Director Stephanie Rowe said. “Catalyst has a grant to have Narcan cabinets funded, so that they take care of it, and they’re just accessible for people.”

“I think they already have one at the Wilton Library,” Rowe said.

Narcan is a brand name for naloxone, which is the generic drug used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Rowe explained that the cabinet includes signage on how to administer the drug in the event of overdose.

“I have heard just through the grapevine, not officially, that it is being well-received at the library,” Rowe said. “People are taking them … It is being used and I think that’s something to consider for specifically at Comstock, our little area, because you never know.”

Rowe said that the cabinet will be installed in a discreet location. She said that staffers at the library were given lessons in how to administer the drug — something that may be considered for other town employees in the future.

Food Pantry Grant

The board unanimously approved applying for and accepting an $11,973 Emergency Food Pantry Assistance Grant through the Connecticut Department of Social Services and United Way.

The grant application is open to food pantries that are not members of the Connecticut Foodshare Agency Network.

According to Rowe, based on having spent $47,000 on food items last year, Wilton is eligible for 25% of that amount for an emergency grant or $11,973.

“I have to use that money by May of 2027, which will be very easy because our food pantry [need] has increased dramatically,” Rowe said. “I think last month we had 134 households shop, but we have much more that are eligible.”

She said there are no matching funds required from the town.

“It sounds like a no-brainer,” First Selectman Toni Boucher said, expressing awe at how the numbers of people in need of help in Wilton continues to grow. “This is a huge benefit for the community.”

Teen Mental Health Support

The BOS also sanctioned using $15,000 from the town’s Opioid Fund to help pay the cost of implementing the Kids in Crisis TeenTalk program in the Wilton Public Schools for the 2026-27 school year, which includes 24-hour a day phone support for young people, as well as a teen counselor situated at Wilton High School.

Deputy Police Chief Rob Cipolla, who works closely with Social Services, said the TeenTalk counselor is embedded in the school during the school year, providing support to students during the school day, and is also available after school hours to assist Police Department with response situations and officer training. He said having a counselor who teens already know and trust is especially valuable when officers respond to incidents involving young people.

“It’s a really, really great resource,” Cipolla said.

The total contracted amount with the Greenwich-based organization for the upcoming school year is $99,800, with the Wilton Board of Education shouldering $70,000 of that amount.

Rowe said beyond the additional $15,000 allocated by the town, program administrators work to fundraise for the balance of the cost.

“So they look for donors to meet the needs,” Rowe said.

The Opioid Fund consists of money allotted to municipalities following nationwide legal settlements between states and opioid manufacturers, shippers and retailers. The state requires that any money from the fund be used for items that relate to the opioid crisis in some way.

Rowe said the state distributed an additional payment into Wilton’s Opioid Fund in July, leaving approximately $155,945 after the newly approved $15,000 appropriation for Kids in Crisis is made.