The death of Jane Duffield stirs recollections of the remarkable impact she had on Hinton from 1985-2005. She moved here because her daughter Vicki lived here. She soon assumed a tremendous role in the town.
Along with Michael Vincent, Dean Veltman, Nancy Silvasi, and Nancy Wiseman, she founded Loaves and Fishes and soon became its director. The storefront which is still serving 35 years later became a conduit from those who had too much and needed to clean house to those who had too little and always needed more stuff. From this pivotal place she came to know everyone from the upper crust ”blue haired ladies” to those with barely a roof over their heads.
L and F bridged many gaps in the community. Along with Peggy Howell, she ran a camp for about 100 underprivileged kids for approximately 30 years at Camp Summers. When people were short of money for rent or utilities, they came to L and F. When people realized the problem of domestic violence, she met with Maria Madariaga and Michael Vincent and others to found REACHH, an agency that just celebrated 30 years.
When police were using excessive force on Black men, Jane was the spearhead and L and F the haven for the formation of Citizens for a Safe Summers County. Through its advocacy a pattern of police misconduct became apparent and the Department of Justice intervened. Grand Jury indictments were handed down and one officer did some time. For this courageous work Jane Duffield received a “Living the Dream” award during a MLK Day observance in Charleston.
Jane was always a teacher, reading in the schools, working in the hospital, serving on the library and multiple other boards. She traded in information, always informative because she listened so well. She left Hinton a better off community for having lived here for only 20 years.
