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Rally for Change for Local Food Shelves is 11/2-11/8

Our Annual Rally for Change for local food shelves, CVOEO and HOPE, starts on November 2nd!  Just round up your total (or feel free to give more!) at the registers between 11/2 and 11/8 and the Co-op will match your donation!  What an easy way to do good this holiday season!

Hunger is not just an issue on the other side of the world.  Food insecurity is right at home in Vermont, and no one works on the front lines to combat this in Addison County like our two local food shelves – CVOEO and HOPE.    These two organizations spend a lot of their resources trying to get food to hungry Vermonters, but that’s not the whole story.  Want to know more?  Read on, to hear about them, in their own words:

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From Jan Demers, Executive Director:

We had moved to another state so that my husband could work on his Master’s Degree.   He was making $35 a week. Housing came with a job he had taken while at Boston University and we were paying our bills.   How I don’t know.    What I do know is how to make a chicken last a week for a family of four.   First, you roast it.   The next day you make a casserole from what is left.  After that, the bones are boiled for a good long time and you make soup.  Those we serve have the same challenges.   How can we keep hunger at bay and food on the table?

1 in 5 children and youth in Addison County know hunger.   Over 3,500 Addison County residents participate in the 3Squares VT program.  There are 26 summer meal sites in Addison County.  10 senior meal sites serve our older citizens several times a week all summer long.

In the time period of July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2017,  CVOEO’s Food Shelf in Middlebury served 1,964 households with 3,711 individuals in multiple visits: 357 of this number were under the age of 18,  357 were seniors and 1,133 of that number are people with disabilities. Individuals and families come from towns throughout Addison County.

Donna Rose is the Food Shelf Coordinator.  The Food Shelf is located at 54 Creek Road in Middlebury.   CVOEO is a nonprofit corporation formed in 1965 to carry out the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 in the Vermont Counties of Addison, Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle.  CVOEO is one of five Community Action Agencies in the state of Vermont.  Its mission is to address fundamental issues of economic, social and racial justice and works with people to achieve economic independence.  Its vision is to bridge gaps and build futures.  For more information, go to  https://www.cvoeo.org/

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For more than 50 years, HOPE has been providing vital assistance to low income people in Addison County.  Our mission is to improve the lives of people in Addison County, Vermont by working with individuals to identify and secure the tools and resources needed to meet their basic needs.  HOPE is a community-based, private, non-profit organization that provides a wide array of services to more than 3,000 low income people each year.  Rather than working from a static list of services, we ask those who come to us: “What do you need?” Then, we work with them and other local organizations to find solutions that target our community’s limited resources most effectively to meet a person’s needs.

HOPE works with low income and homeless people to provide assistance with food, clothing, housing, employment needs, medical needs, and much more.  HOPE’s charity resale store provides free or low cost items to people who cannot afford them.  It also generates revenue to support HOPE’s poverty relief work; everyone is welcome shop at the store, and to donate items for resale.

HOPE operates the largest food shelf in the county.  In 2016, our food shelf provided food for over 67,000 meals and served more than 2,000 individuals, nearly one third of which were children.  It is important to note that we report unduplicated numbers; in other words, these 2,000 individuals come to HOPE’s food shelf more than once a year and many come every month.

Despite the high level of usage that our food shelf sees, there are still many in our community who are hungry and who cannot afford to feed themselves and their families adequately.  We believe that with the amount of locally grown and produced food in our county, no one should be going hungry.  Through our Local Food Access Program, HOPE collaborates with local growers and producers to rescue surplus farm food and make it available to low income food insecure people in our community.

Lily Bradburn, HOPE’s Local Food Access Coordinator, spearheads activities including gleaning (salvaging usable produce not harvested), farm pickups, and food processing.  Last year, HOPE received over 40,500 pounds of fresh, locally grown food from 29 farms which we distributed at our own food shelf and also shared with 15 charitable food sites including child care centers, other food shelves, the Addison County Summer Meals Program, and others.  Using local produce, HOPE worked with volunteers to prepare and freeze 449 quarts of hearty soup for our food shelf.  We also processed 752 pounds of this food for the freezer and distributed it during the winter months.  In addition, HOPE offers cooking classes and demonstrations so that more people can learn how to prepare quick, healthy and economical meals from fresh produce.

We appreciate our community’s support of our poverty relief efforts and invite those who are interested to take a tour of HOPE or volunteer with us.  Please contact us at (802) 388-3608 for information.  We are located at 282 Boardman Street in Middlebury and welcome donations to our food shelf Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm.  For more information, please go to http://www.hope-vt.org/

Save the Date for Our Empty Bowl Dinner on 11/4

 

Empty Bowls – Over 25 Years of Fighting Hunger

On Saturday, November 4th, at 6 pm, Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op will host our 26th Empty Bowl Dinner to support our local Food Shelves – CVOEO and HOPE (find out more about them on the following pages).  This will be a small community event, coordinated and attended mainly by very local folks.  You may be surprised to know then, that all over the world, at around the same time, people will be gathering for just the same cause.

“Empty Bowls” is an international project to fight hunger, personalized by artists and arts organizations on a community level.  It was founded by Lisa Blackburn and Art teacher John Hartom in 1990-91 when they joined a drive to raise charitable funds in his Michigan community. Hartom’s idea was to organize a charitable event to give artists and art students a way to make a personal difference. Hartom’s students made ceramic bowls in their high school art classes. The finished products were then used as individual serving pieces for a fund-raising meal of soup and bread. Contributing guests kept the empty bowl.

Today, hundreds of communities hold some version of an Empty Bowls event.  Their efforts support food-related charities around the world and have raised millions of dollars to aid in the fight against hunger.  Although the sponsors of the events may differ widely – from glass blowers to churches to Co-ops like ours, their goals remain the same:

  • Raise as much money as possible to feed the world’s hungry people.
  • Increase awareness of hunger and related issues. Through education, awareness, and action, concerned individuals can change human attitudes that allow hunger to exist.
  • Advocate for arts education. Nurturing the creative process through the arts enhances the possibility of finding new solutions to old problems.

For 25 years, the Co-op has had the pleasure of collaborating with Middlebury Studio School (formerly, Frog Hollow) to help us pull off this event.  Kathy Clarke has been particularly instrumental in coordinating dozens of local potters to create up to 80 bowls for us, each year.  In addition, we have enjoyed the generosity of the Middlebury United Methodist Church, which has provided the venue for this event free of charge.  In fact, virtually every aspect of our event is possible because of the generosity of local businesses, organizations, and individuals, from the local farms that provide soup ingredients to the local musicians that provide entertainment.

According to the U.S. Census, Current Population Survey, 1 in 9 Vermonters are dealing with food insecurity.   This is a number well below the national average, but for 12% of our State’s population, the number is still too high.  Please join us this year for our 26th Empty Bowl dinner and be a part of the effort to illuminate hunger in Addison County.

 

Share The Harvest On Thursday, October 5th

Buy Your Produce on Thursday, 10/5 – The Co-op Will Donate 30% of Produce Sales to Share the Harvest!

On Thursday, October 5th, 2017 generous restaurants, coops, and food stores statewide will participate in Share the Harvest by donating a portion of their day’s sales to the Farm Share Program. NOFA Vermont thanks these participants and all of the people who eat out or shop at participating establishments on this date!

Share the Harvest is a win-win scenario! Here’s how it works:

  1. The public eats out or shops at participating businesses on the Share the Harvest date.
  2. Those generous businesses donate to Farm Share.
  3. The $ goes to our local farmers.
  4. Folks (who might not otherwise be able to afford it) can join a local CSA and recieve delicious, healthy local food!

PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES

Donations to the Farm Share Program are always welcomed and are accepted year round. If you would like to contribute to the Farm Share Program, you can do so online or download this form (pdf) to make a donation by mail.

If you own a restaurant, store, brewery, co-op, or other business and would like to be a Share the Harvest participating business, please fill out the form here

Many thanks to our print sponsor for this event:  First Step Print Shop. Please consider using them for your next print job!

NOFA Vermont’s Farm Share Program is a great way that limited-income Vermonters can afford to purchase CSA (community supported agriculture) shares of fresh produce from their local farmers. Donations to the Farm Share Program go into a fund which helps subsidize CSA shares to needy Vermonters. NOFA Vermont believes that all Vermonters should be able to eat local organic food, regardless of their income level, while also making sure farmers get a good wage for their hard work.

Demand for Farm Share Program support is significant and a waiting list for CSA share recipients has been established. The Farm Share Program is funded by individual donations and by the annual Share the Harvest fundraiser.

If you know of a restaurant or food store who would like to participate in Share the Harvest 2017, please contact Becca Weiss at becca@nofavt.org or 802-434-4122 x 20

Oats, Spices, & Everything in Between: Shopping and Cooking from the Bulk Department

If you’re looking to seriously stretch your food budget, reduce packaging waste, and cook healthy, affordable meals at home, the Bulk Department is calling your name! This department can also be a little intimidating and unfamiliar if you’re accustomed to shopping for packaged products with instructions on the box. Lily Bradburn to the rescue! Join Lily in this hands-on workshop to learn the ins and outs of shopping in the bulk department and how to incorporate those healthy grains, beans, and spices into your meal repertoire.

To register for classes, contact Denise Senesac at the Hannaford Career Center by calling (802) 382-1004 or emailing dsenesac@pahcc.org. Please register for classes at least one week in advance. Please disclose food allergies/intolerances at registration. Classes are capped at 12 participants and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. All classes are $30, or FREE for members of the Co-op’s Food For All program.

Herbal Approaches To Lyme

Join Certified Clinical Herbalist Emily French of Sweetgrass Herbals for this in-depth workshop covering herbal approaches to prevention, infection, acute care, and chronic treatment of Lyme disease. You will learn about the most effective plant medicines for Lyme borreliosis and common co-infections, as well as lifestyle and dietary guidelines to strengthen immune health and improve quality of life. whether your goal is staying healthy or healing from a long-term Lyme infection.

To register for classes, contact Denise Senesac at the Hannaford Career Center by calling (802) 382-1004 or emailing dsenesac@pahcc.org. Please register for classes at least one week in advance. Please disclose food allergies/intolerances at registration. Classes are capped at 12 participants and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. All classes are $30, or FREE for members of the Co-op’s Food For All program.

Home Fermentation: Kombucha, Kefir, & Yogurt

Trying to increase your consumption of probiotic foods without breaking the bank? Join Emily Landenberger for this hands-on workshop to learn to make kombucha, kefir, and long-cultured yogurt at home!

To register for classes, contact Denise Senesac at the Hannaford Career Center by calling (802) 382-1004 or emailing dsenesac@pahcc.org. Please register for classes at least one week in advance. Please disclose food allergies/intolerances at registration. Classes are capped at 12 participants and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. All classes are $30, or FREE for members of the Co-op’s Food For All program. For safety reasons, children under 16 years of age are not able to participate.

Cooking with Beer

Have you ever tried cooking with beer? It adds a rich, earthy flavor to soups and stews, imparting flavors that typically only come from hours of simmering. Malty, nutty beers can also add a wonderful depth of flavor to desserts. And don’t worry about getting tipsy – virtually all of the alcohol evaporates during the cooking process! Join Emily Fleming in this fun hands-on class where you’ll learn to cook with some of your favorite brews.

To register for classes, contact Denise Senesac at the Hannaford Career Center by calling (802) 382-1004 or emailing dsenesac@pahcc.org. Please register for classes at least one week in advance. Please disclose food allergies/intolerances at registration. Classes are capped at 12 participants and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. All classes are $30, or FREE for members of the Co-op’s Food For All program. This class is for participants 21 years of age or older.

The Perfect Pie Crust

With holiday baking season just around the corner, it’s a great time to brush up on your pie crust skills! Join Kat Cyr in this hands-on class where you will learn to make a crust by hand, get tips on how to handle the pastry, blind baking, preventing a soggy bottom, short and longer-term storage and learn to assemble hand pies! You’ll never want to purchase one of those pre-made pie shells again!

To register for classes, contact Denise Senesac at the Hannaford Career Center by calling (802) 382-1004 or emailing dsenesac@pahcc.org. Please register for classes at least one week in advance. Please disclose food allergies/intolerances at registration. Classes are capped at 12 participants and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. All classes are $30, or FREE for members of the Co-op’s Food For All program. For safety reasons, children under 16 years of age are not able to participate.

Topical Herbal Medicines

There are a number of herbs which are great for healing the skin and addressing common first aid conditions. Join Herbalist Anna Blackwell in this hands-on class where you will learn to make several common topical herbal medicines to heal and soothe burns, blisters, bug bites, and more!

To register for classes, contact Denise Senesac at the Hannaford Career Center by calling (802) 382-1004 or emailing dsenesac@pahcc.org. Please register for classes at least one week in advance. Please disclose food allergies/intolerances at registration. Classes are capped at 12 participants and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. All classes are $30, or FREE for members of the Co-op’s Food For All program.

The Truck Load Sale is Coming to Town Saturday, 10/7

The Co-op’s Annual Truck Load Sale is coming to town!  Save the date and grab “the list” in the store or download right HERE  Line up starting at 8:30 am to claim your share of pantry staples at deeply discounted prices.  All products are available only while supplies last, so be an early bird!.