DEIRDRE HOULIHAN DICARA
by JOSEPH MONTEBELLO
I am thrilled to be sitting down with Deirdre Houlihan DiCara today because it happens to be her birthday.
Houlihan is a force to be reckoned with. If she were running for office, you would vote for her in a heartbeat. As executive director of FISH since 2013, she is passionate about her job and the people FISH serves. She never says no and there is nothing she won’t attempt to make better. During the pandemic she has worked nonstop to keep things flowing in as normal a way as possible.
by JOSEPH MONTEBELLO
I am thrilled to be sitting down with Deirdre Houlihan DiCara today because it happens to be her birthday.
Houlihan is a force to be reckoned with. If she were running for office, you would vote for her in a heartbeat. As executive director of FISH since 2013, she is passionate about her job and the people FISH serves. She never says no and there is nothing she won’t attempt to make better. During the pandemic she has worked nonstop to keep things flowing in as normal a way as possible.
FISH, founded in 1972 by Carol Angevine, has evolved into the largest emergency homeless shelter in the Northwest Corner, offering 35 beds, five designated for veterans. It provides families and individuals a safe and secure haven as they wait for supportive housing. It is also a food pantry for many residents in outlying communities. Last year FISH distributed enough food to provide more than 115,000 meals to more than 500 families.
JM: You came to FISH in the same week that Pope Frances was elected. How does his message to the world of helping the hungry, the homeless and those who are vulnerable mirror your work?
DD: “Like Pope Francis, we at FISH do our best to carry out our mission, providing the most basic of human needs—food, shelter and hope. We’re here to believe in all who enter our doors. Everyone deserves a roof over their head and a good life. The stability offered by the FISH shelter is crucial.
JM: How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected FISH?
DD: When the pandemic hit, I knew we were in a global crisis. My first thought was what we would have to do to remain healthy, keep our doors open while working on front line providing services for those who depend on us. How will I fund the organization? And my greatest fear was how would we keep the FISH Homeless Shelter staffed if illness enters? So, by March 16th, 2020 we had launched our Team Stay Healthy safety and health protocols, re-arranged dorm rooms, created isolation areas, redesigned delivery systems for the FISH Food Pantry and worked to keep up morale.
JM: How did your staff respond to the crisis?
DD: I admire and am grateful for my fellow staff members who shared with me the stages of fear, stress and anxiety—to what has evolved to become routine in our services for the hungry facing food insecurity and the homeless. The FISH NWCT staff have courageously been on duty 24/7, and, in recent months, we’ve seen the return of some of our pantry volunteers. We so appreciate the generosity of our heroes and angels and foundations, providing support in so many ways—from miraculous donations of food items and meals, generous funding, medical support, and cheerful pictures from children of hearts and rainbows—we at FISH are proving resilient.
JM: And did your staff and residents remain healthy?
DD: While the lives of some Food Pantry clients have been lost during this time, the staff and all FISH Shelter residents have remained well and COVID free. That has been a great gift and such a weight off my shoulders—to know we are all safe.”
(Through months of Zoom calls, DiCara has championed the need for testing among the homeless and at this time all who work at FISH have been vaccinated. She also continues to concern herself with making people feel welcome. Before she leaves the office, DiCara makes sure to spend some time with any current residents, making them feel that they are part of the FISH family.)
JM: Where did you grow up and how did your family life inform your career?
“My dad purchased the property in Winchester during World War II in order to create his own airfield—Torwin Airport. Today a portion of the land is owned by the Winchester Land Trust. Houlihan Woods was donated in memory of my parents for everyone to enjoy during the four seasons.
My parents instilled in their four daughters a great sense of community service and helping others. I believe time spent volunteering truly brings joy and positively enriches my own life. I graduated from The Gilbert School and Wheaton College with a degree in Urban Studies. Returning to my hometown, I served as the chairman of the Laurel City Commission for 16 years, producing with a great volunteer team the Laurel Festival for generations of families.
(Prior to coming to FISH, she was CEO for the Girl Scouts of Northwestern Connecticut for 23 years. She has also led the Winsted Health Center Foundation and Southbury-Middlebury Youth and Family Services. Currently, she is treasurer of the Susan M. B. Perry Senior Housing project and vice-president of the Winsted Health Center Foundation, serves on the boards of the Torrington Historical Society and New Beginnings and is an active Torrington-Winsted Area Rotarian—a full life, indeed.)
JM: What would you like to do when the pandemic is finally over?
DD: I love to travel, dating back to my dad bringing each of his daughters on a ‘taste of the world’ trip. Mine was to the Yucatan of Mexico, Honduras, Belize and Guatemala, when I was 15, to explore the land of the Maya which I have had a fascination with since seventh grade. I am hoping that my next trip will be to Scotland in 2022. And I deeply cherish time spent with my sisters and their families whom I have not seen since the pandemic began. Since I have no children of my own, I love my role as Auntie Dee Dee.
www.fishnwct.orgJoseph Montebello, former vice-president and creative director at Harper Collins Publishers, was editor of the imprint Harper Style where he worked Carolyne Roehm, Annie Leibovitz, Scavullo and Vicente Wolf. His book show Between the Covers was broadcast on WAPJ and WVOX. He writes frequently for BerkshireStyle and other publications in Connecticut and New York State.
JM: You came to FISH in the same week that Pope Frances was elected. How does his message to the world of helping the hungry, the homeless and those who are vulnerable mirror your work?
DD: “Like Pope Francis, we at FISH do our best to carry out our mission, providing the most basic of human needs—food, shelter and hope. We’re here to believe in all who enter our doors. Everyone deserves a roof over their head and a good life. The stability offered by the FISH shelter is crucial.
JM: How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected FISH?
DD: When the pandemic hit, I knew we were in a global crisis. My first thought was what we would have to do to remain healthy, keep our doors open while working on front line providing services for those who depend on us. How will I fund the organization? And my greatest fear was how would we keep the FISH Homeless Shelter staffed if illness enters? So, by March 16th, 2020 we had launched our Team Stay Healthy safety and health protocols, re-arranged dorm rooms, created isolation areas, redesigned delivery systems for the FISH Food Pantry and worked to keep up morale.
JM: How did your staff respond to the crisis?
DD: I admire and am grateful for my fellow staff members who shared with me the stages of fear, stress and anxiety—to what has evolved to become routine in our services for the hungry facing food insecurity and the homeless. The FISH NWCT staff have courageously been on duty 24/7, and, in recent months, we’ve seen the return of some of our pantry volunteers. We so appreciate the generosity of our heroes and angels and foundations, providing support in so many ways—from miraculous donations of food items and meals, generous funding, medical support, and cheerful pictures from children of hearts and rainbows—we at FISH are proving resilient.
JM: And did your staff and residents remain healthy?
DD: While the lives of some Food Pantry clients have been lost during this time, the staff and all FISH Shelter residents have remained well and COVID free. That has been a great gift and such a weight off my shoulders—to know we are all safe.”
(Through months of Zoom calls, DiCara has championed the need for testing among the homeless and at this time all who work at FISH have been vaccinated. She also continues to concern herself with making people feel welcome. Before she leaves the office, DiCara makes sure to spend some time with any current residents, making them feel that they are part of the FISH family.)
JM: Where did you grow up and how did your family life inform your career?
“My dad purchased the property in Winchester during World War II in order to create his own airfield—Torwin Airport. Today a portion of the land is owned by the Winchester Land Trust. Houlihan Woods was donated in memory of my parents for everyone to enjoy during the four seasons.
My parents instilled in their four daughters a great sense of community service and helping others. I believe time spent volunteering truly brings joy and positively enriches my own life. I graduated from The Gilbert School and Wheaton College with a degree in Urban Studies. Returning to my hometown, I served as the chairman of the Laurel City Commission for 16 years, producing with a great volunteer team the Laurel Festival for generations of families.
(Prior to coming to FISH, she was CEO for the Girl Scouts of Northwestern Connecticut for 23 years. She has also led the Winsted Health Center Foundation and Southbury-Middlebury Youth and Family Services. Currently, she is treasurer of the Susan M. B. Perry Senior Housing project and vice-president of the Winsted Health Center Foundation, serves on the boards of the Torrington Historical Society and New Beginnings and is an active Torrington-Winsted Area Rotarian—a full life, indeed.)
JM: What would you like to do when the pandemic is finally over?
DD: I love to travel, dating back to my dad bringing each of his daughters on a ‘taste of the world’ trip. Mine was to the Yucatan of Mexico, Honduras, Belize and Guatemala, when I was 15, to explore the land of the Maya which I have had a fascination with since seventh grade. I am hoping that my next trip will be to Scotland in 2022. And I deeply cherish time spent with my sisters and their families whom I have not seen since the pandemic began. Since I have no children of my own, I love my role as Auntie Dee Dee.
www.fishnwct.orgJoseph Montebello, former vice-president and creative director at Harper Collins Publishers, was editor of the imprint Harper Style where he worked Carolyne Roehm, Annie Leibovitz, Scavullo and Vicente Wolf. His book show Between the Covers was broadcast on WAPJ and WVOX. He writes frequently for BerkshireStyle and other publications in Connecticut and New York State.
