BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – Rockingham Help & Helpers is pleased to announce that the innovative Vermont Everyone Eats program, which provided free restaurant to-go meals, is returning. Picking up where the program paused in December, community members can collect meals for their household and up to three other households at Parks Place Community Resource Center, 44 School St. in Bellows Falls, Wednesday evenings from 5-6 p.m. and Friday mornings from 10-11 a.m. Meals are also distributed through Our Place, the Bellows Falls Senior Center, Westminster Cares, and the Grafton Community Church. Meals are available on a first-come, first served basis.
If your ability to get food has in any way been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, you qualify to participate in the program. Taking part in this project supports our local economy by providing a source of income for restaurants who have been negatively impacted by Covid-19 and providing Vermont farmers and food producers an opportunity to increase sales – 10% of the ingredients are purchased from Vermont producers. Restaurants currently participating in the program include Jamaican Jewelz, MKT: Grafton, Moon Dog, Wunderbar, Allen Brothers, and the Fullerton Inn in Chester.
As we continue to live with this health pandemic and economic crisis, the need in Vermont is significant. Teagan Kosut of the Bellows Falls Senior Center says, “Being a part of the Everyone Eats program has been truly exceptional for our senior clients. With food insecurities on the rise coupled with the inability to shop for groceries or eat out, this program has made a huge impact at just the right time. Through our Meals on Wheels program, we were able to deliver 80-100 meals to our clients on a weekly basis. Not only does this program provide meals; but it allows our seniors to stay home and stay safe, especially during such a challenging time.”
This creative program was made possible in 2021 with federal funds allocated by the Vermont Legislature. The Springfield Family Center and Chester Helping Hands have partnered to provide VEE for Rockingham, Grafton, and Athens, and Westminster as well as Springfield and Chester. For more information, contact Sam at the Rockingham Free Public Library at 802-463-4270, sam@rockinghamlibrary.org, or go online to www.rockinghamlibrary.org.