Windham County Action Network (WeCAN)

"...(T)he racial violence happening across the country is concerning. Especially when the tragedy in Atlanta happened this week— that really scared us and most of (my fellow) Asian women. So that is a concern we do have. And we really don’t have to live in fear just because of where we are from.”
Lan Luo
attendee at the Burlington, VT #StopAsianHate rally, 3.20.21

     This week has been more difficult than most, WeCAN friends. From grief over yet another hate crime against the AAPI community and a bloody coup in Myanmar, to NeoNazis on our streets in Brattleboro this weekend, it is safe to say that emotions are riding close to the surface for many of us right now.
     In times of strife or in moments of uncertainty, like now, it is often productive to put your mind and body to work creating the environment and culture you wish to see, to help friends and neighbors stay safe, and to stand up for what you believe in loudly and boldly. WeCAN is an informational hub that can help you do just that. This week's email has plenty of ways you can become involved in our community, in whatever ways suit you best. 
     When Ann Braden and I created the WeCAN Weekly Email Update over 4 years ago, we envisioned it as a way to help guide our community: to show our friends and neighbors that their unique talents and skills, their individuality, could help bring about deep and meaningful change here in Windham County. Whether you are a long time reader of this email or this is your first time joining us (welcome!), we implore you to take a moment to think about how your YOU-NESS, your uniqueness, fits into these events listed below. Your YOU-NESS, your ideas, and your time is needed now more than ever. We sincerely hope you can make a plan to join us at an event or meeting soon where our collective uniqueness can create the change we wish to see in Windham County. Together, WeCAN. 

With deep gratitude and hope,
Joanna Wilson Phillips
(Editor, WeCAN’s Weekly Email Update)

Editor's Note:
To sign up for our Weekly Email Update and our Rapid Email Response, please head here: https://www.wecantogether.net/sign_up
For more information about how to submit an event to the Weekly Email Update, please go here: https://www.wecantogether.net/about_us_submission_guidelines
For previous Weekly Email Updates, please go here: https://www.wecantogether.net/updates
For Covid19 Resources, please go here: https://www.wecantogether.net/covid19_resources                                                                                                         

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HAPPENING TODAY, SUNDAY, MARCH 21st, 2021

Community Conversations with Representative Emilie Kornheiser
Sunday, March 21st, 2021, Online. 11am.
Please register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEtce-grD4rGNxo9FEE3R8zKpRSj_qBTz03 . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Emilie Kornheiser, State Representative for Windham 2-1, invites you to join her weekly office hours: Sundays at 11am. We’ll talk about what’s happening in the legislature and in our town. Open conversation format-- come for the full hour or just stop by for a few minutes to share a particular concern or question. 

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Happening Outside Windham County
#StopAsianHate Rally: Concord New Hampshire
Sunday, March 21st, 2021, The NH State House (107 N Main Street, Concord, NH, 03301). 1pm. Masks and maintaining social distance is mandatory. PPE will be provided for those in need. 
The NH Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) caucus of the NH Democratic Party in conjunction with the Kent Street Coalition NH is holding a peaceful rally to stand in solidarity with our AAPI community who are terrorized and in pain, and to condemn any and all discriminatory actions against AAPIs.
We mourn the lives of the six Asian women lost following the mass killing in Atlanta last Tuesday. This is yet another manifestation of Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric against China and the COVID-19 pandemic. It is crucial we say the names of the six Asian women: Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng. They were not only the victims of anti-Asian hate, but also of systemic racism, xenophobia, sinophobia, gender-based violence, misogyny, and white supremacy.
Last year, 3,800 hate incidents against Asian Americans were reported. The United States has a long history of national and foreign policies fueled by racism that systematically oppress marginalized and working-class communities, especially women. We call upon our NH-elected officials to denounce anti-Asian racism, racism in all forms, and such policies including NH House Bill 266 and House Bill 544. 
The United States is a melting pot of immigrants from all over the world and our strength lies when we stand united regardless of our race, gender, identity, and class.
Walter King
NH AAPI Democrats - Cora Quisumbing-King & Sumathi Madhure (Co-Chairs) 

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Happening Outside Windham County
Speaking Up: Histories of American Protest and Activism (Part of the 2021 Virtual Winter Lecture Series)
presented by Historic Deerfield
Sunday, March 21st, 2021, Online. 2pm.
Gain access here: zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4eJ8JhtvSc2UsQkgsZ2M7g. Free, registration is required. This lecture series will be presented live via Zoom webinar. The link to the webinar will be sent to registrants prior to the event. Webinars will be recorded and available to registrants for viewing for two weeks after the live event.
Protest and dissent are an integral part of American political and cultural identity. Join us this winter for three virtual webinars devoted to exploring vibrant, lesser-known histories of American activism including the radical abolition movement of the 19th century, how women of color transformed the women’s suffrage movement, and the raucous electoral politics of the post-Civil War era.

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Harm Reduction Week of Action Event: Teach-In on the Overdose Crisis and History of the War On Drugs
hosted by National Harm Reduction Coalition, Drug Policy Alliance, and VOCAL NY
Sunday, March 21st, 2021, Online. 4pm-5:30pm. Register Here: Teach-in on the Overdose Crisis and the History of the War on Drugs led by VOCAL-NY and other members of the Overdose Crisis Cohort. 
This is like no other teach-in on how we got to this place with the Overdose Crisis, where our friends and family dying and very little being done to stop this. Even for those who understand the disease, this perspective really changes how we advocate and make change. Local advocate, Brenda Siegel will be a guest speaker at this event. Other incredible speakers from across the country will share their story and where we need to go from here.
Please join the National Overdose Crisis Cohort with People's Action and Organizations/Leaders Across the Country for the Harm Reduction Week of Action coming up next week - find all the details and RSVP links here 
In 2020, it’s estimated that at least 100,000 people died from preventable overdoses - the worst year in recorded history. The War on Drugs created this crisis, and pharmaceutical and insurance corporations have exacerbated and expanded the scope of the catastrophe. 
With our allies from National Harm Reduction Coalition, Drug Policy Alliance and VOCAL NY we're hosting a series of educational and action-focused events to fight for compassion and science-based solutions OVER criminalization and stigma. 

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HAPPENING THIS WEEK, MONDAY, MARCH 22nd, 2021-SUNDAY, MARCH 28th, 2021

Everyone Eats! 
Monday, March 22nd, 2021-Thursday, March 25th, 2021 at the C.F Building (80 Flat Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 4pm-6pm. Masks required. PLEASE DO NOT ARRIVE EARLY.  If you have any questions visit https://www.brattleboro.com/everyoneeats/ or contact Frances Huntley [email protected]. Organizational ordering information is listed under our Free and Nutritious Food in Windham County section further along in this email. 
Everyone Eats! is a program which will distribute meals from Brattleboro restaurants to anyone in need who lives in Brattleboro, Dummerston, Guilford, Putney, or Vernon, free of charge, through December 11th. There will be 850+ meals/day available Monday through Thursday to serve our community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pick up for individuals will be at the C.F. Church Building at 80 Flat St in Brattleboro and group/institution orders can be picked up at Mama Sezz in West Brattleboro. All meals are available Monday-Thursday between 4pm and 6pm until supplies run out.
If you have extra produce from your garden, there will be a wheelbarrow you can drop it off in on your way out of the pickup site. Participating restaurants will use the donated produce in making more meals.
The meals are free, but if you would like to make a monetary contribution to help make more meals possible for others, it will be gratefully received. The base cost of each meal is $10 but any amount will be appreciated.
Each restaurant will contribute meals two or more days a week. You will receive one individually packaged cold ready-to-eat or heat & serve dinner for each person you request a meal for. Meals will be distributed cold, so if you are driving a distance, delivering to other households, or distributing through your organization, consider bringing a cooler if you can.

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Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holliday by Angela Y. Davis
presented by the Pioneer Valley Project Racial Justice Book Group
Monday March 22nd, 2021
Monday April 12th, 2021
Monday, April 26th, 2021, Online. 7pm-8:30pm.
The book group is free for PVP members. We request a $25 donation (or other amount that works for you) from non-members. Please register here: https://forms.gle/ihScrVQ3Ydjh5ZNm6.
We invite you to join this multi-racial and anti-racist, liberty filled space to learn, share and build community. "From one of this country's most important intellectuals comes a brilliant analysis of the blues tradition that examines the careers of three crucial black women blues singers through a feminist lens. Angela Davis provides the historical, social, and political contexts with which to reinterpret the performances and lyrics of Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday as powerful articulations of an alternative consciousness profoundly at odds with mainstream American culture."

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Putney Anti-Racism Book Group Kick Off Event
hosted by the Putney Central School Leadership Council and the Putney Public Library
Monday, March 22nd, 2021, Online. 7pm.
For Zoom info to join or for more information, contact [email protected] or 603.504.2906 -- you can also send a message through FB messenger.
Please join the Putney Central School Leadership Council and the Putney Public Library for a continuation of an anti-racism book group for all Putney families and community members.
Join us for a kick-off event at 7pm on March 22, 2021 to hear about the 3 books we will study, the work of the Putney Central School’s Social Justice Committee to build a community based on equity and inclusion, and share your ideas about the work we need to do.

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Harm Reduction Week of Action Event: State-Level Efforts and Needed Support to Move Us Forward
hosted by National Harm Reduction Coalition, Drug Policy Alliance and VOCAL NY
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021, Online. 8pm-9:30pm. Register here: state-level fights to end the overdose crisis and the war on drugs.
We will hear from several states, including Vermont. Brenda Siegel will lead us through a brief overview of introduced legislation this year and what support we need to move or prevent certain policies. We really need Vermonters on this call so that we can move important legislation! You also will hear from several leaders in several states on the work that they are doing and how we can collaborate to support the work across the country.
Please join the National Overdose Crisis Cohort with People's Action and Organizations/Leaders Across the Country for the Harm Reduction Week of Action coming up next week - find all the details and RSVP links here 
In 2020, it’s estimated that at least 100,000 people died from preventable overdoses - the worst year in recorded history. The War on Drugs created this crisis, and pharmaceutical and insurance corporations have exacerbated and expanded the scope of the catastrophe. 
With our allies from National Harm Reduction Coalition, Drug Policy Alliance and VOCAL NY we're hosting a series of educational and action-focused events to fight for compassion and science-based solutions OVER criminalization and stigma.

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BIPOC Vaccination Clinic
Wednesday, March 24th, 2021 at Brattleboro Area Middle School (109 Sunny Acres Road, Brattleboro, VT, 05301), in the Multi Purpose Room. 9am-1pm; 5pm-7pm.
Do you live in a multi-cultural, multi-race household? This opens the door for some who might not already be eligible. 
A BIPOC-specific COVID vaccine clinic will be held at the Brattleboro Area Middle School - BAMS Multi-Purpose Room on Wednesday, March 24th from 9-1 and 5-7. Free transportation to/from the clinic and interpretation services can be provided by the Vermont Department of Health if you register by March 21st. Please share!!!
Schedule your vaccine appointment: 
-contact form: https://forms.gle/Drqxcq5gsBftvHDMA
-email: [email protected]
-phone: (802) 297-7832
Can't make it on the 24th? Fill out this form to be notified when you're eligible to receive the vaccine: https://forms.gle/Drqxcq5gsBftvHDMA
Current eligible folks:
●People 18 years or older with high-risk chronic health conditions
●People 65 years and older
●People who work in the public safety system
●Healthcare personnel
●Teachers, K-12 onsite staff, and child care workers
If any of these eligible individuals is a person of color, they can bring their household members (BIPOC or not) with them when they come for their vaccine and those members will also be vaccinated. If you are in the BIPOC community and not currently eligible but live with someone who is non-BIPOC & eligible you can come to this clinic and get vaccinated!

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We Must End Starvation Wages for Tipped Workers: A Virtual Town Meeting in Partnership with One Fair Wage with special guests including Senator Bernie Sanders
Wednesday, March 24th, 2021, Online. 8pm.
Tune in at www.live.berniesanders.com
Right now, women make up 70% of tipped workers, yet they experience 3x the poverty rate as the rest of the workforce. That is an outrage.
Please join Bernie Sanders and One Fair Wage next Wednesday at 8pm for a conversation with tipped workers on raising the tipped minimum wage. 

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Vermont Food Bank Food Drop
hosted by the Putney Foodshelf
Thursday, March 25th, 2021
Thursday, April 22nd, 2021
Thursday, May 27th, 2021
Thursday, June 24th, 2021 at Putney Meadows (17 Carol Brown Way, Putney, VT 05346). 9:30am-10:15am. Everyone is welcome. No questions asked!
The Vermont Foodbank will be bringing food to Putney. There will be lots of produce along with other nonperishable food. The Vermont Foodbank truck will park on the side of the road in the big U (Alice Holway Drive).
Drivers: Shoppers will stay in their cars until called. Until further notice, shoppers can pick up for no more than two households.
Walkers: Stay tuned for instructions.
If you have never participated in this before, volunteers will be available to explain how it works!

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Marlboro Community Food Share
hosted by the Marlboro Community Center
Thursday, March 25th, 2021, and every Thursday, at the Marlboro Community Center (524 South Road, Marlboro, VT, 05344). 4:30pm-5:30pm.
Every Thursday from 4:30pm-5:30pm the Marlboro Community Center invites you to fill a grocery bag with non-perishables and fresh local produce. No registration or eligibility required. This weekly opportunity is available for anyone who could use an extra bag of groceries or knows someone who does.
Food will be set up in the entry-way to the Marlboro Community Center. For proper social distancing, please enter one person at a time. Bring a grocery bag or use ours. Masks are required. Deliveries will be made through Marlboro Cares for those needing assistance. Please call Marlboro Cares at 802-258-3030 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)

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Guilford Cares Food Pantry: NEW LOCATION!
Thursday, March 25th, 2021 (and every Thursday) at the Guilford Fairgrounds (163 Fairground Rd, Guilford, VT 05301). 5pm-6pm. 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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Traditional Abenaki Sugaring and Stories
hosted by the VT Land Trust
Thursday, March 25th, 2021, Online. 7pm-8pm.
Register here: https://vlt.org/.../traditional-abenaki-sugaring-and-stories. Free.
Call us biased, but we think the world’s best maple syrup is made in Vermont. Using technology ranging from buckets to tubing, the top of a woodstove to a high-tech reverse osmosis machine, sugarmakers condense sap from the maple tree to “liquid gold”.
The Abenaki people, who lived on the land we now call Vermont for thousands of years, are an essential part of the sugaring story.
They developed methods of tapping trees and using sap that they later taught to white colonists.
Chief Don Stevens of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk – Abenaki Nation will share the maple syrup story and ancient Abenaki sugaring traditions.
In a conversation between Chief Don and VLT forester and sugarmaker Caitlin Cusack, we’ll explore the Abenaki relationship to the land and how the maple story is alive today in Abenaki-owned sugaring operations.

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Harm Reduction Week of Action Event: Federal Level Priorities for Legislation and Budget
hosted by National Harm Reduction Coalition, Drug Policy Alliance and VOCAL NY
Thursday, March 25th, 2021, Online. 8pm-9:30pm. Register here: federal level priorities
We will hear about the Cares Act, work on Overdose Prevention Sites and about the MAT Act. Leaders from across the country will introduce the important federal work that will allow both funding and more flexibility on legislation in our states. There are federal legislation and rule changes that are needed in order to empower our municipalities and states to do more. We will also hear from Congressman Tonko, the author of the MAT Act. Local leader Brenda Siegel will introduce the MAT Act and why it is critical for the steps that we are taking in Vermont. We will hear how we as a community can take definitive action to heal the crisis.
In 2020, it’s estimated that at least 100,000 people died from preventable overdoses - the worst year in recorded history. The War on Drugs created this crisis, and pharmaceutical and insurance corporations have exacerbated and expanded the scope of the catastrophe. 
With our allies from National Harm Reduction Coalition, Drug Policy Alliance and VOCAL NY we're hosting a series of educational and action-focused events to fight for compassion and science-based solutions OVER criminalization and stigma. 
We know that to win, it’s going to take all of us coming together, bridging divides and moving towards a shared vision of a world with no overdose deaths. We can pull through this crisis by pulling together and supporting evidence-based public health solutions like harm reduction.
Come join the week of action to learn something new, meet organizers & leaders from across the country, and take action to help to end the overdose crisis and war on drugs!

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Putney Food Shelf
Saturday, March 27th, 2021 (and every Saturday until April 4th, 2021) at 10 Christian Square (Putney, VT, 05346). 9am-11am.
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.

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Winter Farmers' Market Online Shop
Saturday, March 27th, 2021 at the C.F. Church Building, 80 Flat Street, Brattleboro ,VT, 05301). For the most up to date info on current market operations or other market information go to www.brattleborowinterfarmersmarket.org, or sign up for our newsletter. Order Monday through Thursday morning for Curbside Pick up from the Brattleboro Winter Farmers' Market. 
NEW THIS WEEK: This is the LAST WEEK for curbside pick up at the Brattleboro Winter Farmers Market; it will end on March 27th. Orders can be placed between Monday - Thursday morning at 9am and pick up is between 10:30am and 1pm on Saturday. There is no farmers market in Brattleboro until the summer market opens on May 1st.  
The Brattleboro Winter Farmers’ Market is home to a diverse mix of market vendors bringing local farm produce, meats, syrup, fresh baked goods, local cheeses, fruits, cider, pickles, preserves, handmade soaps and artisan crafts. 
SNAP/EBT customers can turn $10 into $40 each week through January with market match coupons thanks to grants from NOFA-VT, C&S Wholesale Grocers, New England Grassroots Fund, Brattleboro Savings & Loan, and gifts from caring community members.  
Due to COVID19 the market is currently NOT open for in-person shopping.  However, you can select from a wide variety of farm products, locally produced foods and other goods from over 20 local producers in one convenient place. While the shopping experience is different, you still go home from your curbside pick up with all the same wonderful local goods market customers are used to! 
For more information, visit their website at https://www.brattleborowinterfarmersmarket.org

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Community Conversations with Representative Emilie Kornheiser
Sunday, March 28th, 2021, Online. 11am.
Please register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEtce-grD4rGNxo9FEE3R8zKpRSj_qBTz03 . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Emilie Kornheiser, State Representative for Windham 2-1, invites you to join her weekly office hours: Sundays at 11am. We’ll talk about what’s happening in the legislature and in our town. Open conversation format-- come for the full hour or just stop by for a few minutes to share a particular concern or question. 

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2nd Annual Windham County NAACP Virtual Freedom Fund Dinner
Friday, April 23rd, 2021, Online. 7pm-8:30pm.
Tickets can be purchased online at the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-freedom-fund-dinner-tickets-143866022145. For questions, please email: [email protected] 
This year’s Freedom Fund Dinner will be a very special evening, which includes a keynote address by Vermont State Senator Kesha Ram, the first woman of color and the youngest woman in history to serve in the Vermont State Senate.  Special music will be provided by St. Louis Songstress Olivia Neal whose voice is described as “A sound that is mixed with soul and inspiration.” Also, the poem, “The African American Challenge” will be read by its author, Wylene Branton Wood, and the Windham County NAACP Branch will present its annual Unsung Hero Award.

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Putney Anti-Racism Book Group: Stamped
hosted by the Putney Central School Leadership Council and the Putney Public Library
Sunday, April 25th, 2021, Online. 7pm-9pm.
For zoom info to join or for more information, contact [email protected] or 603.504.2906 -- you can also send a message through FB messenger.
Please join the Putney Central School Leadership Council and the Putney Public Library for a continuation of an anti-racism book group for all Putney families and community members.
Join us for a discussion of Stamped-Racism, Antiracism and You, written by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

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Putney Anti-Racism Book Group: White Rage
hosted by the Putney Central School Leadership Council and the Putney Public Library
Sunday, May 23rd, 2021, Online. 7pm-9pm.
For Zoom info to join or for more information, contact [email protected] or 603.504.2906 -- you can also send a message through FB messenger.
Please join the Putney Central School Leadership Council and the Putney Public Library for a continuation of an anti-racism book group for all Putney families and community members.
Join us for a discussion of White Rage-The unspoken truth of our racial divide, written by Carol Anderson.

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Putney Anti-Racism Book Group: Caste
hosted by the Putney Central School Leadership Council and the Putney Public Library
Sunday, June 20th, 2021, Online. 7pm-9pm.
For Zoom info to join or for more information, contact [email protected] or 603.504.2906 -- you can also send a message through FB messenger.
Please join the Putney Central School Leadership Council and the Putney Public Library for a continuation of an anti-racism book group for all Putney families and community members.
Join us for a discussion of Caste-The Origins of Our Discontents, written by Isabel Wilkerson.

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COMMUNITY SUPPORT OPPORTUNITIES

From the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance:
Your Vermont State Legislators need to hear from YOU on the following Bills and Resolutions:
1) Racism is a Public Health Emergency (Joint Resolution)
2) Abolish Slavery (PR.2)
3) Healthy Equity (H.210)
4) Economic Equity (H.406)
5) Land and Home Equity (H.273)
6) Cannabis Market Equity (H.414)
7) Reparations Task Force (H.387)
Please click HERE to find out more information and to email your representatives! Thank you. 

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Lean Left Survey for VT Activists
Lean Left volunteers contributed to some outstanding victories through determined and dedicated work at all levels—local, state, and federal—and as we gear up for another election season, we’re taking stock of our members' experience with Lean Left actions in 2020 and gauging interest in our upcoming efforts in 2021/2022. 
Why? Because there are no off years when it comes to building democracy!
Your input on this survey will help us gather information that will inform our 2021/2022 strategy for leveraging the talents and resources of our Vermont community to build a stronger, more just democracy.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfIwKt_OubXiosTvHtpCD6FVhF2IR0hJduiAiuBtsUS3JiHeQ/viewform?ct=t(EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_3_3_2021_8_10)&mc_cid=2d195d5b8e&mc_eid=e4f039b25c

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Vermont Prison System Vaccinations
1 minute action to make a difference: Please call Governor Scott at (802) 828 3333 and ask that Prisoners in Vermont's system get vaccinated NOW. These folks are in a congregate system, many have underlying conditions with little to no control over their environment. Save a life today and make the call please. You can also email him HERE. 

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COVID 19 RESOURCES: VERMONT

CURRENT COVID19 CASE INFORMATION as of 12pm, March 19th, 2021

New cases: 135 (17,393 total) 
Currently Hospitalized: 22
Hospitalized in ICU: 5
Hospitalized Under Investigation: 0
Deaths: 217 (+5 since last week)

Vaccine Data
Total received one dose: 166,093
Total received both doses: 88,841

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Gov. Scott Announces All Vermonters Will be Eligible for Vaccine by April 19

Governor Phil Scott today announced the timeline for when all Vermonters age 16 and older will be eligible to make an appointment for COVID-19 vaccination. The next age group will be people age 60 and older, who can make an appointment starting Thursday, March 25 at 8:15 a.m. See the remaining groups below:

When a new group of people is eligible, they can register online at healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine or by calling 855-722-7878. Vermonters are encouraged to create an account ahead of time so it will be easier to log in when it’s time to make an appointment.
The length of the entire process will vary, but Vermonters can expect it to take approximately two months from the time you register to the time you are considered fully vaccinated. This includes the anticipated time between registration and an appointment, the time of a first and last dose, and the two weeks needed after a last dose for it to be at maximum effectiveness. The goal is to have Vermonters fully vaccinated by July 1.
“Our age banding approach has allowed us to first protect those at greatest risk of hospitalization and death, which is our top priority, and our approach has been effective. In fact, while we have one of the oldest populations in the country, we have among the highest percentage of people age 65 and older vaccinated,” said Governor Scott. “We continue to believe age banding is the most effective and fastest way to reach all Vermonters who want a vaccine.”
Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD said the long-awaited reality of people being able to get their vaccine is the light at the end of the tunnel. At the same time, he cautioned Vermonters that with variant strains of the highly transmissible virus being identified in Vermont, prevention and testing must still be a priority.
“To really find our way out of this pandemic, along with registering for vaccination as soon as your age band opens, we must all continue to follow the very simple, but critically important guidance of masks, distancing and cautious travel,” said Dr. Levine. “This is the only way to stay ahead in the race. Through prevention, testing and vaccination, we can achieve a level of community immunity that will bring us out of this pandemic. We can cross the ‘public health finish line’ sooner, together.”

Guidance Change for Bars and Social Clubs

Gov. Scott also announced updates to COVID-19 guidance for bars and social clubs, like American Legions and VFWs. These establishments are being moved under the state’s restaurant guidance, which will allow them to reopen within that sector’s current restrictions. These include operating at 50% capacity, requiring patrons be seated at tables with a maximum of 6 per table, 6 feet of distance between parties, masking and more. Municipalities will be able to place more restrictions on these establishments in their jurisdictions.
See Work Safe guidance from the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. If you have any symptoms, stay home and get tested for COVID-19
Dr. Levine said Friday that interviews with people who have COVID-19 indicate that some assumed they had a cold or a sinus infection, instead of first thinking they might have COVID-19. The COVID-19 virus is still circulating in our communities, and the only way to know if you have it is to get tested.
Remember that symptoms can sometimes be mild, such as a headache, cough, fatigue or a runny nose. So, if you have even just one of these symptoms, it’s best to get tested. It’s also important to avoid going to work, school or other places until you receive a negative result. COVID-19 is a highly transmissible virus, and this is how we can each protect our loved ones and our communities.

Covid 19 Pop-Up Testing

Testing is available for all. 
If you need testing, there are a variety of options available to you: your primary care provider, pop-up test 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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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-11:30am. 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] 
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.

Guilford Food Pantry 
Every Thursday at the BBCC (3940 Guilford Center Road, Guilford, VT, 05301). 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! at the C.F Building (80 Flat Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 4pm-6pm. Masks required. PLEASE DO NOT ARRIVE EARLY.  If you have any questions visit https://www.brattleboro.com/everyoneeats/ or contact Frances Huntley [email protected]. Organizational ordering information is listed under our Free and Nutritious Food in Windham County section further along in this email. 
Everyone Eats! is a program which will distribute meals from Brattleboro restaurants to anyone in need who lives in Brattleboro, Dummerston, Guilford, Putney, or Vernon, free of charge, Monday-Thursday through June 2021. 
Pick up for individuals will be at the C.F. Church Building at 80 Flat St in Brattleboro and group/institution orders can be picked up at Mama Sezz in West Brattleboro. All meals are available Monday-Thursday between 4pm and 6pm until supplies run out.
If you have extra produce from your garden, there will be a wheelbarrow you can drop it off in on your way out of the pickup site. Participating restaurants will use the donated produce in making more meals.
The meals are free, but if you would like to make a monetary contribution to help make more meals possible for others, it will be gratefully received. The base cost of each meal is $10 but any amount will be appreciated.
Each restaurant will contribute meals two or more days a week. You will receive one individually packaged cold ready-to-eat or heat & serve dinner for each person you request a meal for. Meals will be distributed cold, so if you are driving a distance, delivering to other households, or distributing through your organization, consider bringing a cooler if you can.

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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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Until next week, WeCAN Friends...

Your Friendly WeCAN Admins,

Joanna and Sam