Windham County Action Network (WeCAN)

"At town meetings, you can see the shy folks, the ones who have trouble sounding off in public, leaning against the back wall or bending over their knitting. On talk radio, those people are invisible, but they're there. It's a mistake to think that (only those) who call in speak for the nation." 
Donella Hager "Dana" Meadows b. 1941 d. 2001
An American environmental scientist, educator, and writer.

     Town Meeting Day is upon us, friends, and we wanted to make sure you had some vital information at your fingertips for easy access and easy sharing. We wholeheartedly encourage all of our WeCAN community members to vote, first and foremost, and to read up on your local candidates before voting as well. We also urge you, if you are able, to check in on at least one neighbor and remind them to vote (if they haven't already). Our community thrives on word-of-mouth activism and it may take a gentle reminder to get more voters to the polls this year...we are calling on you to be that gentle reminder! Thank you!  

1) Locate Your Vermont Polling Place
Click for a list of Town Meeting Polling Places. If you have any questions about this listing, please contact the clerk directly.
All polls in Vermont open between 6am and 10am and close at 7pm. Please be in line by 7pm to vote. Absentee ballots may be returned by closing time of the last day the clerk's office is open before the town meeting. Completed and sealed absentee ballots can also be returned to the voting staff on Town Meeting Day at your polling place. In addition, you may stop into your clerk's office on Monday, February 28th, 2022 to vote in person, but please call your clerk first to confirm they have the staff to assist you if you are unsure. 

2) To find your polling place, check on your registration, or to request an absentee ballot for the next election (it is too late to request one for Town Meeting Day), please go here: https://sos.vermont.gov/elections/voters/.

3) To check up on all things relating to your voter registration and ballot submissions, go here: https://mvp.vermont.gov.

3) To find your town clerk information, please go here: https://outside.vermont.gov/dept/sos/Elections%20Division/voters/townclerkguide.pdf.

4) Vermont League of Cities and Towns has produced their first ever Town Meeting Day Preview guide. You can find it here: https://www.vlct.org/sites/default/files/TM2022_Preview.pdf.

5) Commons News Summery Town Meeting Day Agendas for Windham County Towns: http://www.commonsnews.org/site/sitenext/story.php?articleno=35125. 

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Action of the Week

Virtual Phone Bank: Organize New Hampshire Voter Protection
hosted by the New Hampshire Democratic Party
Monday, February 28th, 2022, Online. 5pm.
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022, Online. 5pm.
Saturday, March 5th, 2022, Online. 1pm.
Help get out the vote for NH Town Meeting Day elections!

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HAPPENING TODAY:
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27th, 2022

Snow Snake Competition
hosted by the Atowi Project
Sunday, February 27th, 2022 at the Retreat Farm (45 Townhouse Square, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 12pm-3pm.
The Elnu Abenaki Band and the Atowi Project would like to invite all community members to participate in a snow snake competition at the Retreat Farm in Brattleboro from noon to 3 pm on February 27, 2022. Snow snake is a traditional game played during the winter months featuring a slicked track, carved wooden snow snake, and a community of players. The snow snakes are thrown underhand down the track to see which one travels the farthest. 
Refreshments and snacks will be provided. Snow snakes will be available for those that wish to participate. All are welcome to either play or enjoy the company at the gathering. Rules will be posted. All ages and abilities are welcome and the event is free. Another listing on the Retreat Farm calendar can be seen here: https://www.retreatfarm.org/gatherings/snowsnakecompetition 

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Fair and Impartial Policing Forum
hosted by Nader Hashim for Windham State Senate
Sunday, February 27th, 2022, Online. 5pm-6:30pm.
Please sign up to attend the Zoom session here ...https://forms.gle/PmyPaYh57WnFvEGe6
Judiciary Committee that created the Fair & Impartial Policing Bill. Both legislators will be available to walk through the bill, its creation, and will be able to answer questions to better guide voters on Town Meeting Day.

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HAPPENING THIS WEEK:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28th, 2022-SUNDAY, MARCH 6th, 2022

Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting: Guiding Body or Rubber Stamp
hosted by Brattleboro Common Sense
Monday, February 28th, 2022, Online. 5:10pm Meet and Greet. 5:30pm Discussion.
Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89714925598.
For more information please email [email protected] or go to BrattleboroCommonSense.org.
This is an invitation to Brattleboro townspeople, groups, and especially town meeting members and candidates who want to plan for their ideas. The town charter makes RTM the only “guiding body for the town and  source of ideas, proposals and comments”,  but this has never been realized. RTM functions mostly as a rubber-stamp for the select board.  Kurt Daims will explain how things go and how to make proposals and use the rules (Robert’s Rules of Order). Daims has helped with many successful proposals in and outside or RTM.  Then we will discuss
YOUR proposals
YOUR ideas
Because  RTM is supposed to be about YOUR ideas and proposals. If we remember we are the guide, learn the rules, and plan ahead, that’s plan ahead, we can have an interesting and productive meeting. 
Brattleboro Common Sense (BCS) has promoted election reform in Brattleboro and in the courts, to end voter suppression and invigorate democracy in Brattleboro.

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Statewide Town Meeting with Senator Bernie Sanders
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022, Online. 5pm.
Register to participate here: www.sanders.senate.gov/vt-events/telephone-town-meeting
Vermonters: Join Senator Sanders for a statewide town meeting on Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022 to discuss the issues that matter to you most. It is no secret that the last two years have been incredible difficult for all of us. I want to hear directly from you about how you’re doing, what you’ve learned, and what you need.
I will be calling Vermonters and inviting them to participate in this telephone town meeting. If you would like to ensure you receive a call, or if you’d like to submit a question in advance, you can register with the link above. 

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Let’s Talk!: A Virtual Town Hall with Becca Balint
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022, Online. 7pm.
Register HERE. More info at www.beccabalint.com.
Join Becca after Town Meeting Day to share what’s important to you, ask her questions, and hear her message. 
In an effort to make our campaign more accessible, we will have an ASL interpreter at the event.

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Leaving the World of the Temporarily Abled
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022, Online. 7pm.
Please register for the event HERE. 
Artist and legislator John R. Killacky shares his journey of overcoming paralysis from spinal surgery complications 25 years ago. He also reflects on how reentering the world in a disabled body radically changed his perspective in his artistic practice as well as in his advocacy for artists with disabilities.
John R. Killacky currently serves in the Vermont House of Representatives. Previously he was Executive Director of Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Program Officer for Arts and Culture for The San Francisco Foundation, Executive Director of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and Curator of Performing Arts for Walker Art Center.
Underwriter: Pomerleau Real Estate
Statewide Underwriters:
Vermont Department of Libraries and
Institute of Library Service

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Guilford Cares Food Pantry
Thursday, March 3rd, 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.
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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Happening Outside Windham County: Dartmouth
Hop Stop Family Show: Abenaki Artistry
presented in partnership with the Hop Stop Family Show
Saturday, March 12th, 2022 at Hopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth College (4 E. Wheelock St., Hanover, NH), in Alumni Hall. 11am-12pm.
This event is free, but advance registration is required.
For tickets, please go to: hop.dartmouth.edu/events/abenaki-artistry
Experience Wabanaki storytelling and fiber arts.
Enter the world of Wabanaki history and culture with storytelling and music by the Sagamo (Chief) of the Elnu Abenaki Tribe, Roger Longtoe Sheehan. Meanwhile, Vera Longtoe Sheehan, a museum educator and Director of the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association, shares her one-of-a-kind twined art that blends ancient and contemporary Wabanki culture.

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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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Public Forum on the Right to Housing & Healthcare
sponsored by Vermont Workers’ Center
Wednesday, March 16th, 2022, Online. 6pm.
Register here to get updates and the Zoom link. Questions: [email protected].
Have you been forced to choose between paying rent and meeting other basic needs? Are you concerned about losing emergency shelter or Medicaid? Do you have another experience related to  healthcare or housing? 
Join us on March 16th to testify about how you and your family have been impacted by the housing and healthcare crises in our state, or to listen to others from around the state.

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Vermont Reads Book Discussion: We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra
Wednesday, March 16th, 2022 at the Putney Public Library (55 Main Street, Putney, VT). 6pm.
Sarah Henstra’s beautifully written and challenging novel, We Contain Multitudes, is the story of two high school boys who discover friendship, and then love, through letters to each other. Through letters, they reveal their complicated lives and families, transcending bullying, opiate addiction, PTSD, and domestic violence. The book presents a myriad of ways to communicate around tough issues in our lives while remaining hopeful and resilient.
Join us for a fireside book discussion led by Sarah Wiles and Putney School students. Hot chocolate and cookies will be served.

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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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*POSTPONED UNTIL JUNE 1st, 2022 * From the Parlor to the Polling Place: Stories and Songs from the Suffragists
hosted by the VT Humanities Council
Wednesday, June 1st, 2022 at Brooks Memorial Library (224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 7pm. 
This talk has been postponed to Wednesday, June 1. Singer and historian Linda Radtke, in period garb and a “Votes for Women” sash, celebrates the centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave the right to vote to white women. Linda Radtke, a classically trained singer, was a Vermont high school teacher for thirty-one years and now produces the VPR Choral Hour on Vermont Public Radio.

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JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Out in the Open is hiring an Operations Director!
Full job description and details on applying on our website.
Our Operations Director will be responsible for leading all internal parts of our work. This includes non-fundraising finance, logistics, staff coordination/communication systems, internal culture, office systems management, policies, staff team development and support, and more.  
We’re looking for someone who can dream big while manifesting in reality. Ideally, someone who has existing operations knowledge and expertise and is also willing to research and try new ideas. We seek someone who can be a thought partner alongside our Executive Director in building the long-term future of Out in the Open while holding our organizational values central. 

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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-10:30am. (NEW HOURS!)
We also have a food drop at the Putney Meadows parking lot every 4th Thursday, from 9am-9:45am.
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.

Our Place Drop-In Center at 4 Island Street, Bellows Falls, VT, 05101. Call us at 802-463-2217 for assistance. Email at [email protected]. Please wear a mask to keep our employees and yourself safe.
Hours of Operation:
Monday-Wednesday: 8:30am-4pm
Thursday: 8:30am-1pm
Friday: 8:30am-4pm
Saturday and Sunday: Closed
Our Place Drop-In Center operates a food pantry and meal site where they serve breakfast with to-go meals that are ready for pickup by 9am. Lunch is ready by 11:30am. 
Everyone is welcome to stop by to get a meal. At this time we are allowing only employees in the building.

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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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One more reminder to VOTE THIS WEEK! Thank you, WeCANners, for fueling our democracy! 

Your Friendly WeCAN Editors,

Joanna and Sam