BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – Our Place in Bellows Falls has a new logo and tagline to better reflect its important role in the community.
“Since its founding 34 years ago, Our Place has been the go-to place for folks who need help feeding themselves and their families,” said Our Place executive director Dave Billings. “That has been our primary goal, and it continues to be.”
“The new logo represents the diverse nature of our clientele, incorporates the spoon and fork, denoting our roots in food, and further symbolizes the circle of love we try to create within the community,” said Billings.
The center has adopted the tagline “Community Food Center” to further emphasize its mission of helping others deal with food insecurity in a respectful, dignified, caring way. “Our mission is still to connect people to food and each other,” said Billings. “Nothing about that has changed.”
As part of its update, Our Place is working with its landlord to make much-needed functional and structural renovations to the outside of its building, including an updated entrance, doors, windows, and siding, thanks to funding from a generous donor.
“We are putting in new windows, tightening up the building, and generally making it a more comfortable space. Also, the Bellows Falls Rotary Club is taking on the project of transforming the west side of the building into an outdoor space for seating and eating,” Billings said.”
Over the past several years, Our Place has been considering finding a new location for its operation and looked closely at several properties, but none met their needs. In the end, the board agreed that staying on the Island in its current location would best serve the center and the community it serves.
“We will be staying at our current location for the next decade at least,” said Billings. “These changes will improve Our Place and better instill client dignity, fulfill our mission, and enhance the services we provide to our community. We believe that by creating a more functional and aesthetically pleasing environment, we will more effectively show our dedication to providing food in a safe, respectful, and nonjudgmental atmosphere.”
To help fund its work, Our Place will be holding its 27th Empty Bowl dinner and auctions this fall.
Our Place is a community food center that operates a food pantry, and offers breakfast and lunch on weekdays. Located at 4 Island Street in Bellows Falls, it serves families in Rockingham and the surrounding area, and in Walpole and North Walpole, N.H. Information is available by calling Our Place at 802-463-2217, emailing info@ourplacevermont.org, or visiting www.ourplacevermont.org, or on Facebook.