LONDONDERRY, Vt. – The Collaborative announced that 15,000 free meals have been distributed to Bennington County residents since November through the Vermont Everyone Eats program. Created in response to the coronavirus pandemic and to address resulting impacts on food security, businesses, and the local economy, Everyone Eats provides nutritious meals to Vermonters in need of food assistance and is a stabilizing source of income for Vermont restaurants, farmers, and food producers.
Vermont Everyone Eats is currently funded by FEMA through a contract between the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development to Southeastern Vermont Community Action, as well as by generous donations from individual donors and local organizations. The Collaborative, Shires Housing, Bennington College’s Center for the Advancement of Public Action, and the Alliance for Community Transformations are partners in the regional hub serving Bennington County.
Each week, local restaurants provide 1,075 meals, which are distributed for free and with the support of volunteers and staff at the Community Food Cupboard in Manchester, the Federated Church of East Arlington, and Shires Housing in Bennington. These free meals are available to any community members who have been negatively impacted by Covid-19.
“The Collaborative is thrilled to be a part of this incredible initiative that assists our friends and neighbors in this very difficult time,” says Jackie Borella of The Collaborative. “A big thank you goes to our distribution partners that are doing amazing work getting the meals into the community and to all of the restaurants that have stepped up and prepared incredible meals week in and week out.”
“I feel this program has been beneficial to both our Shires Housing residents and our Support and Services at Home participants. It takes some of the stigma away from those that need food. People are much more receptive to accepting the meals when we explain that they are helping local restaurants during the pandemic,” says Becky Arbella, Shires Housing Community Specialist and SASH Implementation Manager for Bennington County.
Participating local restaurants include The Works Café, J.J. Hapgood, Sam’s Wood Fired Pizza Co., Naga Bakehouse, New Morning Natural Foods and Juicery, Moonwink, Nipper’s Cafe & Steakhouse, Cold Cow Creamery, Bringing You Vermont, The Crooked Ram, The Avocado Pit, and The Dutchman’s Tavern. Restaurants receive funds to prepare and package each meal and are required to source at least 10% of their ingredients from Vermont farms or food producers.
“Providing families and individuals in our local communities access to nutritious, filling meals throughout the pandemic has been the biggest pleasure for The Works Café,” says Katie Livingston, General Manager at The Works Café in Manchester. “I’ve been able to give my staff more hours, and we’ve worked together as an incredible team to complete these meals each week. It has also given us all a sense of pride in knowing it’s for a great cause!”
“Naga Bakehouse is thrilled to participate in the Everyone Eats program,” say Julie Sperling and Doug Freilich. “We see it as a vitally important contribution to supporting local eaters, local farms and local food producers, and is a perfect example of a win-win-win situation!”
For more information about weekly meal distributions, visit www.facebook.com/everyoneeatstheshires.