Weekly Email Update 9.26.22
“We are living in times in which demanding basic rights is still a revolutionary act. The global threats to women’s sexual and reproductive freedom are yet another example of how painfully slowly the world is moving towards guaranteeing full equality. Worse still, is the fragility of our past social gains, which have fallen victim to backsliding in certain advanced democracies — something quite inexplicable at this stage of the 21st century.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez
at the General Assembly Gathering of World Leaders, United Nations, 9.22.22
Happy Autumn, fellow activists! This week's Weekly Email Update has plenty of new additions including a memorial for our beloved WeCAN community member Angela Berkfield, candidate meet & greets, forums, and fundraisers, and a film screening with WeCAN member Willow O'Feral--just to name a few. Grab yourself a cup of hot cider and your calendar, park yourself under a turning Maple tree, and get ready to plan this week's activism activities. We hope to see you at an event or meeting soon!
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Lean Left Action of the Week
New Hampshire
This week the New York Times reported a study that ranks New Hampshire 50th (right below Mississippi) as a state where voters face the highest personal cost in terms of the time and effort required to get and stay registered to vote and cast a ballot. New Hampshire Public Radio recently reported how a town Supervisor of the Checklist made the arbitrary decision to send a letter out to all 25 to 35 year-old-voters telling them they would be removed from the checklist unless they proved their domicile status. The Secretary of State pointed out that this action did not follow state law.
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Join us in making calls to recruit poll observers and voter assistance hotline volunteers. These volunteers are essential to ensuring voters who need help get it! Sign up for a training here, and then join us on any Sunday PowerHour from now until the election.
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HAPPENING TODAY,
SUNDAY,SEPTEMBER 25th, 2022
Share the Harvest Stand
brought to you by Edible Brattleboro
Sunday, September 25th, 2022 at the Corner of Elm Street and Frost Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301. 11am-1pm.
Questions or need a different time to drop off veggies? Email Marilyn at [email protected].
Pick up fresh, local veggies for free!
Do you have extra veggies from your garden? Drop them off at the stand between 10:30am-11:30am to share with your community!
Vegan/GF Everyone Eats! meals will be available as well, first come, first served.
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HAPPENING THIS WEEK:
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26th, 2022-SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3rd, 2022
Guilford Cares Food Pantry
Thursday, September 29th, 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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Vermont House Democrats Fall Fundraiser
hosted by Windham County House Democrats
Thursday, September 29th, 2022 at Green Mountain Orchards (130 West Hill Road, Putney, VT). 5:30pm-7pm.
To purchase tickets you can use this link: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/windham2022. In the event of rain we will move to an indoor location.
House Democrats in Vermont are working hard to gain a Super Majority in the Vermont House. To support that effort, Windham County House Democrats have organized a not-to-be missed event among the fruit trees at Green Mountain Orchards in Putney.
We will have delicious food, live music and special guests and a fantastic group of Statewide and County Democratic candidates attending. We need you to help with the effort, and I hope you will join us. Looking forward to seeing you in Putney!
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Memorial Party for Angela Berkfield
Saturday, October 1st, 2022 at the Kiwanis Shelter at Living Memorial Park (61 Memorial Park Drive, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 4pm.
Before Angela passed, she asked that her memorial service be followed by a potluck, dance party and fundraiser. It's a year later, but we're following up with her wishes and making it happen! Come join us to celebrate Angela's life, legacy and community-building fun-loving spirit by dancing, eating and raising some money for the organizations she supported (the Root Social Justice Center, SuSu Community Farm, Out In The Open, Migrant Justice and Grassroots International).
The event is outside with a roof overhead, so please bring whatever you need to keep yourself comfortable with whatever the weather brings. Please-- no fragrances to keep the space accessible for all. Parking is limited, so please reserve the parking closest to the shelter for those who have limited mobility, and we'll also plan on running a shuttle from the next parking lot down from the Kiwanis shelter. Masks will not be required but do whatever feels right for your own safety needs. Please bring a dish to share for the potluck if you're able, and money to offer to these amazing organizations if you have any to spare!
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Share the Harvest Stand
brought to you by Edible Brattleboro
Sunday, October 2nd, 2022 at the Corner of Elm Street and Frost Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301. 11am-1pm.
Questions or need a different time to drop off veggies? Email Marilyn at [email protected].
Pick up fresh, local veggies for free!
Do you have extra veggies from your garden? Drop them off at the stand between 10:30-11:30 to share with your community!
Vegan/GF Everyone Eats! meals will be available as well, first come, first served.
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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.
Please, no early birds.
Questions? Call 1-800-585-2265 or email [email protected].
Veggie Van Go is a program through the Vermont Foodbank that gives out free produce and local food for people to take home.
ATTENTION: Starting in May, the VT Foodbank asks that participants arrive at the Brattleboro Union High School no earlier than 9:45am. Cars that arrive early will be turned away until the start of the event.
Monday, October 3rd, 2022
Monday, October 17th, 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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Windham County State Senate Candidates Forum
Monday, October 3rd, 2022 at Epsilon Spires (190 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 6:30pm-8pm.
Hear from the candidates before you vote! Confirmed to attend: Wendy Harrison, Nader Hashim, Rick Morton, Tim Wessel.
The forum will be live streamed on BCTV’s Facebook page, broadcast live on Comcast Channel 1085, and available on www.brattleborotv.org.
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Solidarity Fridays
Friday, October 7th, 2022
Friday, November 4th, 2022, and
Friday, December 2nd, 2022 at Pliny Park (corner of High Street and Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 5pm-6pm.
Solidarity Fridays: A collective action focusing on connected global, national, and local outrages. These actions are organized by a coalition of organizations: Brattleboro Solidarity, The Root Social Justice Center, Lost River Racial Justice, Tenants Union of Brattleboro, and 350 Brattleboro. We act with these shared principles:
- Everyone should have what they need.
- People's lives must be valued over profit.
- All of our struggles are tied together
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Brattleboro Buddy Walk
hosted by Buddy Walk and the National Down Syndrome Society
Saturday, October 8th, 2022 on the Brattleboro Common (139 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 10am.
Register at brattleborobuddywalk.org.
What is the Buddy Walk?
The Buddy Walk was developed by the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) www.ndss.org in 1995 to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October and to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.
The Buddy Walk has grown from 17 walks in 1995 to nearly 300 walks planned for 2023 worldwide. In 2021, more than $14 million was raised nationwide to benefit local programs and services as well as the national advocacy and public awareness initiatives of NDSS that benefit all individuals with Down syndrome. So join us this year for a one-mile walk in which anyone can participate without special training and help promote inclusion for individuals of all abilities.
Schedule of events:
10am - Check in
10:30am - Keynote address
11am - 1 mile walk/roll through town which anyone can participate
12pm - Music, Bar BQ, Games, Vendors
1pm - Raffle prices
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Film Screening & RLA Discussion of Break the Silence: Reproductive and Sexual Health Stories
hosted by the Women’s Action Team
Sunday, October 9th, 2022 at The Latchis Theatre (50 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 6pm.
Suggested donation $20. NOTAFLOF. All proceeds will support the RLA (Reproductive Liberty Amendment).
Join us at the Latchis Theatre for a special, one-time-only screening of the locally made 1-hr documentary BREAK THE SILENCE: REPRODUCTIVE & SEXUAL HEALTH STORIES, created by Willow O'Feral in collaboration with the Women's Action Team.
Following the film screening, VT State Rep. Emilie Kornheiser and Sam Donnelly (Campaign Manager, VT for Reproductive Liberty) will discuss the Reproductive Liberty Amendment (Article 22) which is on our ballot this fall!
About the Movie:
Featuring raw, powerful interviews with 18 diverse cisgender and transgender women from the Brattleboro area and environs about their sexual & reproductive health histories. Challenging social taboo with unflinching candor, vulnerability, and often great humor, BREAK THE SILENCE kickstarts vitally important community conversations around sexual education, health, autonomy, pleasure, and human rights. Filmmaker Willow O'Feral co-created this documentary with the grassroots collective tWAT (the Women's Action Team), using a reproductive justice praxis. WINNER - Best Documentary Feature Award at La Frontera Queer Film Festival, WINNER - PPNNE Choice Champion Award.
"This documentary should be seen and digested by anyone with a pulse." - Donna Macomber of the Women's Freedom Center
"Through an intersectional approach, [BREAK THE SILENCE] invites us to consider how our own personal experiences are embedded within the larger social structures of class, ethnicity and justice."- Global Health Film Days, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
"Incredibly intimate, thoughtful, moving. I hope this is seen in many, many more communities as a tool for change."- Green Mountain Film Festival
About the RLA (Reproductive Liberty Amendment):
The Reproductive Liberty Amendment, previously Prop 5, will be a ballot measure in Vermont's 2022 General Election. If passed, it would amend Vermont's constitution to protect every person's right to make their own reproductive decisions, like whether and when to become pregnant, use temporary or permanent birth control, or seek abortion care.
The RLA article itself reads: "That an individual’s right to personal reproductive autonomy is central to the liberty and dignity to determine one’s own life course and shall not be denied or infringed unless justified by a compelling State interest achieved by the least restrictive means."
MORE INFO about the RLA: www.reprolibertyvt.org
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A Meet and Greet with Becca Balint, Nader Hashim, and Wendy Harrison
Tuesday, October 11th, 2022 at The Stone Church (210 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 5:30pm.
Questions can be sent to [email protected] or [email protected]. Although tickets are not required, we are asking attendees to make a donation if they have the means available. Food, drinks, and refreshments will be available.
Come to the Stone Church on Tuesday, October 11 from 5:30 to 7:30 to hear from and meet Becca Balint, the democratic nominee for U.S. Congress, and the two democratic nominees for State Senate, Nader Hashim and Wendy Harrison.
Chat and mingle with Becca, Nader, and Wendy from 5:30 to 6:30, when there will be a short, formal program. After the speeches, let the candidates know your ideas and hear more from them one-on-one.
This is a great event to show that Windham County has a powerful voice in both state and federal politics. All three candidates are continuing to fundraise in order to make it to the finish line.
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Monthly Book Group: Parenting 4 Justice
hosted by Brooks Memorial Library and Parenting for Social Justice; facilitated by Abby Mnookin
Monthly, on Second Wednesdays, at Brooks Memorial Library (224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 6pm-8pm:
Wednesday, October 12th, 2022
Wednesday, November 9th, 2022
Wednesday, December 14th, 2022
Wednesday, January 11th, 2023
Wednesday, February 8th, 2023
Wednesday, March 8th, 2023
Wednesday, April 12th, 2023
Wednesday, May 10th, 2023
Free. Some copies of books are available for loan from the library or they can be purchased at Everyone’s Books or online. To sign up or if you have questions, please email Abby at [email protected].
Dive deep into the topics of Social Justice, Parenting for Social Justice, Parenting for Racial Justice, Parenting for Economic Justice, Parenting for Disability Justice, Parenting for Gender Justice, and Parenting for Collective Liberation. Snacks will be provided and we also hope to offer childcare.
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Community Food Initiatives
Have You Heard of Farm Stand Together?
Find more info and apply here: https://www.farmstandtogethervt.org/
Delicious Food on your Terms in your Community! From their site:
"We believe that everyone should have access to the delicious foods Vermont farmers are growing and making.
The Farm Stand Together mutual food aid program will be providing gift cards for use at a small selection of farm stands across Vermont. The program is in trial and access in this first round will be limited.
Gift cards will work like regular credit cards at participating farm stands, and can be used to purchase any items at the stand. They can be spent all at once or over time."
Buy what you want and need – there are no strings attached to your gift card. Shop at the location that's most accessible to you.
Use your Farm Stand Together gift card to reduce the cost of buying local food.
Buy food grown and produced thoughtfully to provide nutritious – and delicious – food.
Keep Vermont money in the Vermont community. Shop for your groceries from farmers and producers in your own area.
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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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Taking Steps Brattleboro, a program of Brattleboro Area Hospice is offering Advance Care Planning Weekly Zoom Information Sessions on Wednesdays from 10am-11am.
If you are interested in attending the Zoom info session, or want more information about Advance Care Planning, please contact Ruth Nangeroni, Advance Care Planning Program Coordinator at 802-257-0775 ext 101 or [email protected].
Advance care planning ensures that your loved ones and health professionals know what you want in a medical emergency when you are unable to speak for yourself. It’s a process of creating a written health care plan(advance directive) that tells others what you would want if you couldn’t tell them yourself.
Advance Care Planning includes discussing choices about end-of-life (EOL) care with your medical provider, family and others. It involves choosing and educating your Health Care Agent and making informed decisions to complete an Advance Directive. Join us and learn more. Find out if adding a COVID-19 or Dementia provision would be beneficial to include or add to a previously completed Advance Directive.
Brattleboro Area Hospice (BAH) is an independent, non-profit organization that provides non-medical support to dying and grieving community members and volunteer-staffed assistance with Advance Care Planning. BAH is 100% locally funded, and provides services free of charge. Services are available to anyone living in southeastern Vermont or bordering New Hampshire towns.
Advance Care Planning: It’s how people care for one another.
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COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESOURCES
Winter Farmers' Market: Call for Vendors
Vendor applications are now being accepted for the 17th season of the Brattleboro Winter Farmers' Market. Our mission is to support sustainable agriculture by providing a viable winter-season direct market outlet for local community-based farms while building community and promoting regional sustainability.
The Winter Market will open for the 2022-23 season on Saturday November 5th and will operate through March 25, 2023. Weekly market hours are 10 am to 2 pm.
A wide array of products are typically offered including locally grown and produced fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, baked goods, handcrafted items such as clothing, jewelry, pottery, soaps, lunch menus and more. Preference is given to regional agricultural vendors, particularly those bringing new unduplicated products to market.
This is a juried market. New vendors or returning vendors with new craft, prepared food or value-added products will need to complete a jury process.
The Market’s sustainability mission places an emphasis on local sourcing for prepared foods sold at the market meaning that our prepared food vendors are expected to feature ingredients sourced from local and regional growers and producers.
The Brattleboro Winter Farmers' Market is a project of Post Oil Solutions, a grassroots citizen sustainability group based in Windham County, VT. Our goal is to raise awareness about sustainable practices for our homes, neighborhoods, and larger communities, and help create the infrastructure needed in our region as we deal with our changing climate. The creation of a community-based food system is a critical component of that infrastructure.
If you are interested in the upcoming Winter Farmers' Market season, we urge you to send in an application soon. The application and market policy information can be found at www.brattleborowinterfarmersmarket.org. For more information call Sherry at (802) 275-2835 or send an email to f[email protected].
Sherry Maher
Co-Manager
Brattleboro Winter Farmers' Market
802-275-2835
a project of
Post Oil Solutions
www.postoilsolutions.org
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Endorse Vermont’s Reproductive Liberty Amendment
Have questions? Please contact Charlie Gliserman, Policy & Prop 5 Campaign Manager at [email protected] or (802) 338-6811.
The Reproductive Liberty Amendment, previously Prop 5, will be a ballot measure in Vermont's 2022 General Election. If passed, it would amend Vermont's constitution to protect every person's right to make their own reproductive decisions, like whether and when to become pregnant, use temporary or permanent birth control, or seek abortion care.
An endorsement is a public statement of support for the Reproductive Liberty Amendment, which may be featured on the Vermont for Reproductive Liberty website (reprolibertyvt.org) and its campaign communications.
An endorsement is a powerful way to show Vermont that you or your organization is proud to support the Reproductive Liberty Amendment. Join us in this campaign, powered by and for Vermonters, to protect reproductive freedom for all.
You can find the endorsement form 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:
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There is no longer an Everyone Eats distribution at Turning Point on Sundays, as Edible Brattleboro is dormant in the winter.
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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 1pm 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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Updated Covid boosters are now available through Rescue Inc and local pharmacies, WeCAN community! We encourage you to stay up to date if you are able. Be safe and stay healthy!
Your Friendly WeCAN Editor,
Joanna
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