Welcome back! I’m happy to announce that our fall edition of Kernels is now available.
Since the last issue of Kernels, your Foodank has been leveraging all the food and funds we steward on your behalf. As you’ll read in this issue, it could be the 3SquaresVT team helping a family apply for monthly food purchasing benefits, or a driver distributing food to older adults on fixed incomes, or a local food shelf hosting classes on how to prepare meals with donated food.
I hope these stories lift you up. As we adjust to another autumn and seek connection during the holiday season, those of us fortunate enough to be able to give back may be thinking: how do I best support my neighbors this year? A meal does more than fill a basic need. It strengthens ties within families, between individuals, and across communities. It’s hard to feel divided when we’re joining hands to give thanks for a meal to be shared together. That’s what your support helps make happen.
Cuts to federal food and health care support are resulting in more people using the charitable food system. Vermont Foodbank is here, and with your help we will continue to do our best to fill the resource gaps that leave families and neighbors without enough food.
Thank you,
John Sayles
CEO
P.S. If you have a story to share or an idea that you’d like us to consider writing about in a future edition, please let us know!
When life took an unexpected turn for a mom in northern Vermont, she got in touch with the Foodbank to help provide her family with nourishing food. With the one-on-one assistance available to help connect her with the food resources that work best for her whole family, she can keep feeding her kids quality food while investing in her community.
Marian and Paul Joseph (Marian’s oldest child) live in Addison County. They like to fish and go to Port Henry to watch the trains. They also participate in community conversations hosted by Vermont Foodbank, where people who have experience with food insecurity help co-create food access strategies in their communities.
As the season changes and the temperature cools, many of us start asking “How long can I go before turning on the heat?” The cost of fuel and other utilities can be a challenge.
