Windham County Action Network (WeCAN)

“Taking a little time to stock your fridge with healthy, homemade food is an act of self-care that will serve you well while you’re busy resisting. In other words, it’s important to take care of yourself so you can better take care of the world.”
Julia Turshen
activist and author of Feed the Resistance from Chronicle Books

     As we get back to work, school, and activism in 2022, we here at WeCAN want to remind you that caring for our community and for others can’t happen unless we care for ourselves, first. One of our favorite activism books is Feed the Resistance: Recipes + Ideas for Getting Involved by Julia Turshen; it inspires the reader to use their strengths in cooking and match it to needs in the community. Matching passion with community based needs is something we have been doing for 5 years here at Windham County Action Network—no wonder we love this book!
     Here’s a peak at a quick and easy roasted broccoli meal you can enjoy while you smash the patriarchy, push for equality, and redefine rights for our neighbors. Enjoy! 

Roasted Broccoli and Quinoa with Curry Cashew Dressing (Serve immediately. Serves 4.)*

• 1 lb fresh broccoli, tough stems removed, cut into large florets
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 cup roasted and salted cashews
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 1/4 cups water, divided
• 1 cup quinoa

1) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a sheet pan in the oven to heat up.
2) Meanwhile, place the broccoli in a large bowl, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of the salt. Toss everything well to combine.
3) Once the oven comes to temperature, place the broccoli on the hot sheet pan in an even layer.
4) Roast the broccoli, stirring it now and then, until it’s softened, browned, and crisp on the edges, 30 minutes total.
5) Meanwhile, place the cashews in a blender along with the curry powder, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of the water. Blend until smooth and reserve the mixture.
6) Lastly, rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve and then place it in a medium saucepan set over high heat and with the remaining 1 tsp salt and the remaining 1 3/4 cups water. Bring the mixture to a boil, decrease the heat, cover, and simmer until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water and is softened, about 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and put a kitchen towel between the pot and the lid and let the quinoa sit for 10 minutes (the towel will absorb the excess steam.)
7) Uncover the quinoa, fluff it with a fork, and divide it among serving bowls. Top with roasted broccoli, and drizzle with the cashew dressing.

*shared with permission

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HAPPENING THIS WEEK:
MONDAY, JANUARY 10th, 2022-SUNDAY, JANUARY 16th, 2022

Youth Centered Art Series with Local BI&POC Artist
hosted by The Root Social Justice Center, Youth 4 Change, and the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center
Tuesday, January 11th, 2022 at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (10 Vernon Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 5pm-7pm.
This series is FREE for all youth participants! Food will be provided. Masks are required. Please Register and share your dietary needs at https://forms.gle/D7Mu6c6DEeN9WwsU7
Youth ages 12-22 are invited to participate in the collaborative workshop series between Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, Youth 4 Change and local BI&POC Artist Deidra Razzaque.
Youth4Change and Brattleboro Museum are excited to create space that will connect youth of our community with a local BI&POC artist as well as find ways to honor the history of art in activism. We are grateful to artist Deidra Razzaque for her eagerness to share her skillset and creativity with youth as together we share space centered on art and activism.
The next meeting in this series is 
Tuesday January 11th from 5:00-7:00pm
Followed by 
Tuesday March 15th 5:00-7:00pm
Tuesday, May 17th 5:00-7:00pm

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Robert’s Rules of Order: A Primer for Representative Town Meeting
sponsored by the Steering Committee of the Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting (RTM)
Wednesday, January 12th, 2022, Online. 6:30pm-7:30pm.
Will include an opportunity to ask questions. The Zoom link to join the meeting is https://links.dancingmasters.com/tjeyb7 Meeting ID: 885 2334 8254 Passcode: 30439.
Are you a Brattleboro Town Meeting member who wants to learn more about how we make decisions together as a town? Are you interested in joining Town Meeting as a representative for the first time this year? Please join us for an introduction to the use of Robert’s Rules.
The presenter is Andy Davis and he will review specifically how Robert’s Rules function in Brattleboro’s annual Representative Town Meeting. Although these rules are in use in nearly every Vermont Town Meeting many of us find them confusing, at the outset. Using Robert’s Rules ensures a fair and structured method of decision-making in deliberative bodies, boards and committees across the United States. Understanding the basics of Robert’s Rules enables members of RTM to participate effectively. Robert’s Rules become less intimidating with experience and understanding. This session is open to all, including past, present and future "town reps”, as well as anyone seeking more involvement in town affairs.
The RTM Steering Committee encourages people to consider running for a seat on Brattleboro’s 2022 Representative Town Meeting. To do so, you must request a petition from the Town Clerk: [email protected] Petitions to be on the ballot for RTM need to be turned into the town clerk by Monday, January 24. Voting will take place on Tuesday, March 1 and Representative Town Meeting will be held on Saturday, March 19.
Andy Davis joined RTM as a District 3 representative in 2009. He is an educator who taught music in Brattleboro Town Schools and other elementary schools in Windham County for number of decades.
This meeting will be hybrid on Zoom and in the Selectboard room at the Municipal Building. Due to COVID, we request that participants join via Zoom if possible. If you attend in person, you must be masked and distanced. 

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Guilford Cares FoodPantry
Thursday, January 13th, 2022 at the Guilford Fairgrounds (163 Fairground Rd, Guilford, VT 05301). 3pm-4pm. 
If you have questions, concerns or would like to donate groceries or monetary gifts please contact Pat Haine 802-257-0626. For additional questions or more information call 802 579 1350 or email [email protected]. 
Guilford Cares Food Pantry has moved! The Pantry has moved to the First Aid building at the Guilford Fairgrounds. We will be fully stocked with all our usual grocery items.
The Fairgrounds are on Fairground Road, just off Weatherhead Hollow Road. From Guilford Center Road turn onto Weatherhead Hollow Road. Travel 1.7 miles down the road. The Fairgrounds are on the left and there will be a sign directing you up the hill for about .2 miles. The red building is on the left with a sign out in front. Please remain in your car; we’ll greet you,  and give you a shopping list as we have been doing for the past year.
If the Pantry will be closed for any unexpected reason, the closure will be announced on WKVT, WTSA, and Front Porch Forum.
If you cannot come to the Pantry due to illness or high risk, you can call also call Pat to arrange for food delivery by a volunteer.
We know that supplemental food can make such a big difference in one's budget. That is why we are stocking our shelves for our neighbors. All are welcome to come and take home fresh produce, staples, meat, dairy.
Guilford Cares welcomes anyone in need of supplemental food for themselves or their families.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Vermont Food Bank’s Veggie Van Go Upcoming Schedule
The First and Third Mondays of Every Month in the parking lot across the street from the main entrance to Brattleboro Union High School (131 Fairground Road, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 10am-11am. 
Veggie Van Go is a program through the Vermont Foodbank that gives out free produce and local food for people to take home.
January 17th, 2022
February 7th, 2022
February 21st, 2022
March 7th, 2022
March 21st, 2022

Important information:

• Drive through model- please stay in your vehicles
• If you are walking there: see a Vermont Foodbank associate but please make sure to stay 6 feet back.
• There are no income requirements, registration or paperwork to participate
• You do not need to be present to get food: you may ask someone to pick up on your family's behalf.

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Mutual Aid Fund Round Table
hosted by Out in the Open
Wednesday, January 19th, 2022, Online. 6:30pm-8:30pm.
Please go HERE to register in advance. There will be ASL and Spanish/English Interpretation and closed captions for this panel. Email [email protected] with any questions.
Join us along with The Root Social Justice Center, Migrant Justice, The Woven Collective, The Pioneer Valley Workers Center, and Youth Seen to hear an open conversation and reflections on running a mutual aid fund throughout the pandemic.
Out in the Open is hosting a community-wide Mutual Aid Fund Round Table for organizers of 6 organizations to share their learnings, experiences, and reflections on opening and running mutual aid funds within their communities. For us, our mutual aid fund has been a place of continuous learning and experimentation. In opening our own Rural QTBIPOC/LGBTQ+ Mutual Aid Fund in the summer of 2020 we were inspired and learned from the mutual aid funds other groups and organizations were starting at the same time. We know we have a lot to learn from each other, and hope by sharing our experiences others building mutual aid funds will find reflections helpful in their process, and that we all can learn in building deeper mutual aid projects in our communities. 
During this two hour round table discussions organizations will share about their mutual aid funds, their processes in creating the fund, financial and legal structures, joyous moments, struggles, and what's next for their work and mutual aid funds! There will be space for community questions and discussion as well. 

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Climate Action Community Forum
cohosted by Rep. Emilie Kornheiser and 350 Brattleboro, with panelists from the Vermont Climate Council
Wednesday, January 19th, 2022, Online. 7pm.
Please Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0lde-rrz8pGtNCrfqk6DMYQgndViiKM3f1 
Climate Council members Abbie Corse and Chris Campany will join Representative Emilie Kornheiser and 350 Brattleboro talk about the council’s recommendations and the work ahead for a just transition. 

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Lucy Terry Price: Witness, Voice, and Poetics within the American Tradition
presented by Vermont Humanities
Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022, Online. 7pm.
Register for this talk at www.vermonthumanities.org/stjohnsbury
Beginning with Vermonter Lucy Terry Prince, the first known African American poet in the US, poet Shanta Lee Gander explores creative lineage within poetics. Surveying the work of Phillis Wheatley, Laurence Dunbar, Rita Dove, and slam poet Dominique Christina, Gander considers the poetic arc from the past to the modern moment. 

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The Poetics of Girlhood and Womanhood in America
presented by Vermont Humanities
Wednesday, April 6th, 2022, at Brooks Memorial Library (54 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 7pm.
Poets and writers Diana Whitney and Shanta Lee Gander join Christal Brown, associate professor of Dance at Middlebury College, in a conversation that explores how girlhood and womanhood in America are manifested across the boundaries of poetry, dance, and lived experience.

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ONGOING EVENTS

Recovery Families
hosted by Turning Point
Fridays at Turning Point of Windham County Recovery Center (39 Elm Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 10am-11am. 
Young children welcome!
Join other caregivers for connection and support of your own recovery journey or that of someone you love. 

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COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESOURCES

In Home Covid 19 Vaccines and Boosters

If you are homebound and not able to leave your home for medical services, you can get your COVID-19 vaccination and booster in your home. Call your local home health agency or 802-863-7240 to schedule an appointment. www.healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine

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Covid 19 Pop-Up Testing and Vaccinations

Brattleboro
417 Canal St.
Tue, Wed, Thur, Sat 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Testing and vaccinations are available for all. 
If you need testing or a vaccine, there are a variety of options available to you: your primary care provider, pop-up sites and pharmacies. The Test Site Finder below can help you find other testing near you.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT POP-UP TESTING LOCATIONS
Here are the steps to set up a testing appointment at a pop-up testing site:

• Register to get an account
• Receive an email with your patient ID and use that to confirm your account (check your spam folder if you don't see the email)
• Log in with your patient ID
• Set up an appointment

Register for Pop-Up Testing Here

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The Village Closet
on the Wintson Prouty Campus (60 Austine Drive, Brattleboro, VT, 05301), in Croker Hall.
Open Wednesdays from 4pm-6pm and Saturdays from 10am-12pm, or
by appointment. For more information, please email [email protected]
Your source for free baby, children, and pregnancy clothing/items. Donations of gently used items accepted. We are collecting new and "like new" children's coats and winter gear for our Kids in Coats partnership with United Way of Windham County.  If you have items to donate, please stop by today if you are able!
On Wednesdays, Everyone Eats will be distributing free dinners on campus from 3:30pm-4:30pm.

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FREE HEALTHY AND NUTRITIOUS FOOD IN WINDHAM COUNTY

Brigid’s Kitchen, St. Michael’s Church, 47 Walnut Street, Brattleboro 802-254-6800 or 802-558-6072 
Grab-and-go lunches and fruit/nuts on Mon, Weds, Thus, and Sat, 11:30am-12:20pm.

Loaves and Fishes, Centre Congregational Church 193 Main Street, Brattleboro (802) 254-4730
Grab-and-go lunches on Tuesdays and Fridays at 12pm.

VT Foodbank and Veggie Van Go will be at Brattleboro Union High School (Fairground Ave, Brattleboro, VT, 05301), in the parking lot, on the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month, from 10am-11am. Drive up, touchless pickup. Walkers welcome, too. Call VT 211 for more information. 

Foodworks, the food shelf program of the Groundworks Collaborative https://groundworksvt.org (802) 490-2412, [email protected] 
Foodworks has open hours for curbside pickup on Mondays 11am-4pm, Wednesdays 1pm-6pm, Fridays 12pm-4pm, last Saturday of each month from 9am-12pm. Deliveries are available onTuesdays across Windham county. Please email [email protected] or call 802-490-2412 with any questions!
Households in need of food are asked to call or email to coordinate delivery. There is an urgent need for volunteers, and Foodworks has set up protocols to keep staff, volunteers, and clients as safe as possible. Please email us at [email protected] if you are able to help.

Marlboro Community Food Share
hosted by the Marlboro Community Center
Wednesday 10am-2pm; Thursday 10am-5pm; Friday 10am-12pm; Saturday 10am-12pm at the Marlboro Community Center (524 South Road, Marlboro, VT, 05344). 
The Marlboro Community Center invites you to fill a bag with non-perishable grocery items. Food is set up in the main space and is available during our open hours. Eggs and produce on Thursdays as available. No registration or eligibility required. Deliveries can be made through Marlboro Cares for those needing assistance. Please call Marlboro Cares at 258-3030 in advance to arrange a delivery.
To donate food:
Leave non-perishable food in the donation box at the Marlboro Post Office. It will be collected on a weekly-basis. (Please note that this box previously supplied the Deerfield Valley Food Pantry, which is now distributing food exclusively from VT Food Pantry) 
Gardeners and farmers are welcome to donate produce. Wear masks and wash hands when harvesting and handling food. Fresh produce can be dropped off at the Community Center on Thursday between 1pm and 4pm. (Any leftover produce will be taken to FoodWorks the following morning)

Guilford Food Pantry 
Every Thursday at the Guilford Fairgrounds. 5pm-6pm.
We know that supplemental food can make such a big difference in one's budget. That is why we are stocking our shelves for our neighbors. All are welcome to come and take home fresh produce, staples, meat, dairy. Guilford Cares welcomes anyone in need of supplemental food for themselves or their families.

Everyone Eats continues, including grab-and-go meals at these times and locations: 

• There is no longer an Everyone Eats distribution at Turning Point on Sundays, as Edible Brattleboro is dormant in the winter.
• The meals at Retreat Farm are stocked in their farm stand for pick up anytime, first come first serve. We are planning to stock on Tuesdays and Thursdays in December.

Folks receiving services through Foodworks, Loaves and Fishes, and the Brattleboro Community Justice Center can obtain free meals through those organizations.
You can also order Everyone Eats! meals directly from participating restaurants using the Localvore App.

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ADDITIONAL COVID 19 RESOURCES CAN BE FOUND AT THEIR PERMANENT HOME ON OUR WEBSITE, HERE: https://www.wecantogether.net/covid19_resources

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RESOURCE FOR WeCAN

Rapid Response Text Alert System

When WeCAN began, Song & Solidarity set up a Rapid Response Text Alert System for WeCAN Groups. Directions for signing up are on WeCAN's website, here: https://www.wecantogether.net/rapid_response. We are grateful to Song and Solidarity for providing this service.

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ONGOING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING 

Indigo Radio
Sundays at 12pm on Brattleboro Community Radio 107.7FM. To stream live, visit: www.wvew.org 
Indigo Radio, deepening understanding and making connections! IndigoRadio is a group of area educators seeking to learn through engaging with others in our community and throughout the world. We will be talking about educational and social issues both globally and locally and connecting them to our lives and Brattleboro community. Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indigoradiowvew/. For archive recordings of past shows: https://soundcloud.com/user-654648353. 

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Remember to mask up, stay home if you are feeling ill, and keep up to date on your vaccines and boosters in 2022. We are all rooting for your continued health and wellness! 

Your Friendly WeCAN Editors,

Joanna and Sam