Windham County Action Network (WeCAN)

“You can sit in a dark room and think of light all you want, but that won't change the reality of the darkness around; but step up to light a candle and suddenly the dark reality turns into one filled with light.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Ain't Enough to Look Human
One of the world's most famous Neuroscientists and advocate of global harmony and peace. Best-selling author of The Art of Neuroscience in Everything.

     As we walk into a new week after our national leadership has disappointed us yet again with the stoppage of the Voting Rights Act, it's easy to feel a bit down-trodden. We at WeCAN would like to remind and encourage you to use that unwavering desire you have for positive change, the appetite you have to make things better than they are now, at the local level right here in Windham County. These local groups listed below need your talents, your minds, and your bodies to do their good works--works that change the lives of our neighbors and communities for the better. Please consider giving of your time and your talents in the coming weeks and beyond; there is no time like the present to get involved. 

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For Brattleboro Registered Voters:

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HAPPENING THIS WEEK:
MONDAY, JANUARY 24th, 2022-SUNDAY, JANUARY 30th, 2022

Guilford Cares Food Pantry
Thursday, January 27th, 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

Lucy Terry Price: Witness, Voice, and Poetics within the American Tradition
presented by Vermont Humanities Council
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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First Wednesdays: Boneyarn: New York Slavery
hosted by Brooks Memorial Library and the VT Humanities Council
Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022, Online. 7pm.
Register for this talk HERE.
The oldest and largest slave cemetery in the United States is located in the shadow of Wall Street. Actor and poet David Mills reads from and discusses his award-winning poetry collection, Boneyarn, featuring groundbreaking poems about slavery in New York City, a topic rarely addressed.
David Mills holds MFAs from both New York University and Warren Wilson College and is a cum laude graduate of Yale University. He’s published two full-length poetry collections in addition to Boneyarn: The Dream Detective and The Sudden Country, a book prize finalist.
Partner: The National Endowment for the Humanities – A More Perfect Union Initiative.

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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.
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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Brattleboro Democracy Forum: "The Despotic Branch: The Undemocratic Nature of the Supreme Court" with Tim Lipp, Nick Biddle, and Friends
Tuesday, February 8th, 2022, Online. 6:30pm.
To Join Zoom Meeting click on this link on February 8th: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89903359871?pwd=ZVdPQXJDUmlLblFIMTUwemxjUWpZdz09
Watch the presentation and take part in the discussion.
Tim and Nick say:
The Supreme Court’s initial assertion in 1803 of the authority to nullify congressional law caused Thomas Jefferson to characterize the court as the Despotic Branch. Jimmy Carter recently concluded that the Supreme Court’s powers rendered the United States into an oligarchy. Contrary to our historic myths the Supreme Court is not a democratic institution. Throughout our history the high court, with a few notable exceptions, has been the bulwark of protecting property rights over human rights, of undermining democracy. The current court is on track to be the most egregiously anti-democratic court in the nation’s history. Tim Kipp and Nick Biddle will detail the substance of the high court’s despotic powers and how it has reached today’s all-time low.
Meeting ID: 899 0335 9871
Passcode: 787408
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,89903359871#,,,,*787408# US (New York)
Dial by your location
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 899 0335 9871
Passcode: 787408
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcrRgQulJ7

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Peace and Justice Center of Vermont Book Club Author Series: Kekla Magoon with “Revolution in Our Time”
Thursday, February 10th, 2022, Online. 6pm-7pm.
You can register HERE. For more info please contact [email protected], call 802.863.2345 or go to pjcvt.org.
With passion and precision, Kekla Magoon relays an essential account of the Black Panthers. 

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Peace and Justice Center of Vermont Book Club Author Series: Derik Lugo with “The Unlikely Thru-Hiker”
Thursday, February 24th, 2022, Online. 6pm-7pm.
You can register HERE. For more info please contact [email protected], call 802.863.2345 or go to pjcvt.org.
“The Unlikely Thru-Hiker” is the story of a young Black man setting off from the Big City to hike the Appalachian Trail with an extremely overweight pack and a willfully can-do attitude. 

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Spark Teacher Education Solidarity Film Series: The Agronomist
Friday, February 25th, 2022, Online. 7pm.
Professional development credits available. For more information contact Spark Teacher Education Institute at [email protected]
Zoom Meeting ID: 829 4329 6979
A documentary about Jean Dominique, a journalist, activist, and agronomist in Haiti who was assassinated for the work he did to expose the US backed dictatorship. Haiti’s first independent radio station, Radio Haiti-Inter, represented the thoughts of the common people, and Jean Dominique was the radio host whose voice inspired the spirit of a revolution against Haiti’s dictatorial regime. Optional Reading: The Long Haitian Revolution, by Pierre Labossiere, Margaret Prescod, and Camila Valle. 

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Film: The Reluctant Radical
hosted by 350 Brattleboro
Wednesday, February 16th, 2022 at Epsilon Spires (190 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 7pm.
The Reluctant Radical features activist Ken Ward as he confronts his fears and puts himself in the direct path of the fossil fuel industry to combat climate change. We will be joined by Ken with a brief update since the film was completed and time for Q & A.

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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, March 15th, 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.
Next Session: 
Tuesday, May 17th 5:00-7:00pm

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Aquarela
hosted by 350 Brattleboro
Tuesday, March 22nd, 2022 at Epsilon Spires (190 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 7:30pm.
Take a cinematic journey through the transformative beauty and raw power of water. Aquarela is a visceral wake-up call depicting the sheer force and capricious will of Earth’s most precious element. This event is hosted by Epsilon Spires in celebration of World Water Day. 

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Spark Teacher Education Solidarity Film Series: Not Just  a Game: Power, Politics, and American Sports
Friday, March 25th, 2022, Online. 7pm.
Professional development credits available. For more information contact Spark Teacher Education Institute at [email protected]
Zoom Meeting ID: 829 4329 6979
American sports have long been at the center of many major political debates and struggles of our time. This documentary traces how American sports have glamorized militarism, racism, sexism, and homophobia, and then excavates a largely forgotten history of rebel athletes who stood up to power and fought for social justice beyond the field of play. Optional Reading: Colin Kaepernick, the Virginia Elections, and the Canary in the Coal Mine, by Dave Zirin.

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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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Spark Teacher Education Solidarity Film Series: Cowspriacy
Friday, April 29th, 2022, Online. 7pm.
Professional development credits available. For more information contact Spark Teacher Education Institute at [email protected]
Zoom Meeting ID: 829 4329 6979
This is a documentary that interrogates the meat industry’s contribution to the climate crisis. Animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation, water consumption, and pollution, and is responsible for more greenhouse gases than the transportation industry; it is also a primary driver of rainforest destruction, species extinction habitat loss, topsoil erosion, ocean dead zones, an virtually every other environmental ill. Yet, it goes on, almost entirely unchallenged. Optional Reading: Creating an Ecological Society: Towards a Revolutionary Transformation (Chapter 1: The Social and Ecological Planetary Emergency), by Fred Magdoff and Chris Williams. 

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Spark Teacher Education Solidarity Film Series: The Boys Who Said No
sponsored by Brooks Memorial Library 
Friday, May 27th, 2022, TBD. 7pm.
Professional development credits available. For more information contact Spark Teacher Education Institute at [email protected]
Zoom Meeting ID: 829 4329 6979
This documentary profiles the young men and women who actively opposed the military draft in order to end the Vietnam War. The film shows how their personal and collective acts of nonviolent resistance, risking arrest and imprisonment for up to 5 years, were a critical part of the antiwar movement, intensifying opposition to the war and eventually forcing an end to both conscription and the war. May be in person, details available soon. 

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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.

• If you are in the service of a local home health agency, the agency will reach out to you to schedule an appointment.
• If you are not in the service of a home health agency, you may request an appointment by calling 802-863-7240 (toll-free 833-722-0860) Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm.

www.healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine

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Covid 19 Pop-Up Testing and Vaccinations
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.

Putney Foodshelf Weekly Open Hours 
Fridays at Christian Square, Putney, VT, 05346. 1:30pm-3:30pm.
Saturdays at Christian Square, Putney, VT, 05346. 9am-11am. 
Message us on our FB page HERE, call 802.387.8551, or email [email protected] with questions. www.putneyfoodshelf.org
Curbside Open Hours. All are welcome - we just ask you to provide your town of residence and number in household for our data tracking purposes.
Stay in your car, please. Volunteers will take your order and bring out boxes of food, including nonperishable items, fresh produce, paper goods, meat, and dairy products.

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.

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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Have a great week, Friends. You've got this:) 

Your Friendly WeCAN Editors,

Joanna and Sam