Like many of us, Sandra Flagg has seen her share of struggles and knows only too well the value of a helping hand.
Born in Florida, Flagg earned a degree in early childhood education from the University of Florida. From there, she traveled to an Army base outside Frankfort, Germany, where she taught pre-school children and met her husband, a post-Vietnam tank commander from Maine.
The Flaggs eventually moved stateside and settled in Stonington where her husband was a member of the Army National Guard. There, the couple were raising their two sons, Brett and Lance, when, in 1983, the marriage broke up.
“I never had any regrets about moving to Granby after my divorce. Lance was going into kindergarten and Brett was going into third grade,” Flagg says. “I have always felt very comfortable and safe here. Bill Pease, the attorney who helped me when I was closing on my Silkey Road home, said if I leave my car door unlocked in summer, I will return to find it filled with zucchini! Granby was that kind of town.”
In need of a way to support her young family, with the financial backing of a good friend, Flagg purchased property on Route 10 in Simsbury, just over the Granby line, and opened The Trumpet Vine, which she operated for 20 years.
What began as a gift shop and garden center grew. “I had a Christmas barn out back, and people came from all over to shop,” Flagg says. When more than one customer mentioned that it would be nice if she served coffee and pie, Flagg listened…and complied.
“I wanted people to taste my daddy’s barbeque, so I started serving that [and coffee and pie] in the afternoon,” Flagg says. “Opening and running that business, doing something on my own, was therapeutic for me. It also supported my family and allowed me to put my two sons through college.”
In 2008, when the economy collapsed and with TJ Maxx newly open in Granby, business at the Trumpet Vine slowed to the point where Flagg was forced to close.
“That was when I started volunteering with Waste Not Want Not (WNWN), which was in its first year,” Flagg says. The non-profit, which serves a free, family-style dinner every Wednesday using volunteer labor and donated goods and funds, was launched 14 years ago by Lori Love, owner of Granby Village Health. Today, Flagg is president of the non-profit’s board of directors.
“Once I became involved with WNWN, I never stopped,” Flagg says. “During the Pandemic we were feeding 350 people a week, with drive-thru meals and take-out meals available inside Fellowship Hall.”
Last April, WNWN returned to its original format. “That was a relief for everyone,” Flagg says. “Far more is given out than food.” WNWN is committed to creating an opportunity for community, a sense of welcome, belonging and comfort for all.
“Every person who comes is needy,” Flagg continues. “I am needy myself. I need a purpose to get up in the morning, and doing this work gives me a sense of belonging and comfort, too.”
Some of the volunteers have asked Flagg how she deals with some people who treat her rudely or are greedy. “It’s hard, but I have to remember that something is going on with them that’s making them that way,” she says. “You have to be able to relate to people and understand that they are coping with personal problems and challenges.”
Several weeks ago, Flagg addressed the group at dinner. “I reminded them to be kind to each other and to us volunteers who have other things to do and don’t deserve ill treatment,” Flagg says. “It’s not that hard to be nice. You have to leave nasty—and your problems—outside the door.”
Among the roughly 50 volunteers involved with the weekly meal, some work in the kitchen while others pick up food donated by grocery stores, including Stop & Shop and Big Y, and by local farms, including Lost Acres Orchard and Sweet Pea Cheese at the House of Hayes Farm. As the program’s director, Flagg coordinates it all.
“Everyone should contribute something to the community,” Flagg says. “It truly does take a village.”
Anyone wishing to donate or volunteer with WNWN may contact Sandra Flagg at sandraflagg10@gmail.com or call her at 860-550-2219.
Know of a candidate for a future Familiar Faces column? Please email your suggestions and contact information to Nicoleoncapecod@gmail.com