VEDA VOLUNTEERS DONATE TIME AND FOOD TO VERMONT FOODBANK

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:             September 17, 2009

Contact:                        Judith Stermer
                                    Vermont Foodbank
                                    802-477-4108

                                    Jo Bradley, Chief Executive Officer

                                    Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA)

                                    802-828-5627

VEDA VOLUNTEERS DONATE TIME AND FOOD TO VERMONT FOODBANK

Barre, VT - Nearly 1,200 boxes of food were packed, 1,200 pounds of potatoes were sorted, and 584 pounds of dairy and dry foods were delivered by a team of volunteers from the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) and Vermont Agricultural Credit Corporation (VACC) to the Vermont Foodbank last week. 

"This was such a positive experience for our staff," said VEDA Chief Executive Officer Jo Bradley, "that we have decided to volunteer at the Vermont Foodbank on an annual basis.  We were truly impressed with the energy and high spirits of the Vermont Foodbank staff, and appreciated the opportunity to work side by side with them to help get nourishing food into communities across Vermont." 

In addition to time spent at the Vermont Foodbank headquarters, the VEDA team initiated and coordinated a food donation drive, collecting for delivery to the Foodbank 584 pounds of food and dairy products from the Chittenden Bank, the Vermont offices of U.S.D.A. Rural Development and the Small Business Administration, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, and the Vermont Community Loan Fund. 

"We are so grateful to the staffs of VEDA and VACC, for their efforts to gather nutritious foods and for their time and energy sorting and packing food," said John Sayles, Vermont Foodbank CEO.  "Each year the Foodbank receives thousands of hours of volunteer support, and it is only with the help of volunteers that the Vermont Foodbank is able to keep pace with the growing demand for charitable food."

VEDA's mission is to promote economic prosperity in Vermont by providing financial assistance to eligible businesses, including manufacturing, agricultural, and travel and tourism enterprises.  VEDA's agricultural lending program, VACC, is a nonprofit corporation which provides credit to farmers and agricultural facilities who are not having their financing needs fully met by conventional agricultural credit sources.  For more information about VEDA or VACC programs, visit www.veda.org or call 802-828-5627.

Vermont Foodbank is the state's largest hunger-relief organization, serving communities in all 14 counties of Vermont through a network of 270 food pantries, soup kitchen, shelters, senior centers and after-school programs. Last year, the Vermont Foodbank distributed nearly 6.5 million pounds of food to the more than 66,000 needy Vermonters who request charitable food assistance.  The Vermont Foodbank, a member of Feeding America, is nationally recognized as one of the most effective and efficient nonprofits and food banks in the nation.  For facts and figures on hunger and poverty, to sign-up to receive our newsletter, to find a food shelf in your community, and to learn about the Federal Nutrition Programs, visit us on the web at http://www.vtfoodbank.org/.

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