Building Stronger Communities

On August 1, 2019, employees from The Vermont Country Store brightened the workplace for the dedicated staff of the Rutland Open Door Mission who prepare and serve a community lunch each day for those in need. Employee volunteers applied a fresh coat of paint to the kitchen, which was in sore need of an update. While paint dried, our volunteers changed gears, cooking and serving a barbecue lunch to approximately 20 people who arrived hungry for a mid-day meal. Appreciation extended in both directions as our team shared their gratitude for the Mission’s work in the community, while those they serve thanked our staff for their time and effort.

In 2018, the Rutland Door Mission provided 37,000 meals and 14,000 bed nights to the disenfranchised of Vt., among whom 89% are veterans. The Mission strives to operate as a self-sufficient, independent shelter. Learn more about them at www.rutlandmission.org.

The Vermont Country Store’s Summer interns got down and dirty at Hildene, the Lincoln Family Home on June 5, 2019 in Manchester, Vt., helping to transform a rocky area on their grounds to a smooth and seeded field that will grow pollinator plants to support the estate’s active honeybee hives. The work was physical, as the team removed several tons of rocks ranging from golf ball size to some too almost too large to lift. Despite the challenge, there is satisfaction in helping to preserve the beautiful and sustainable grounds for future generations.

Hildene was built in 1905 by Robert Lincoln, the only child of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln to survive to adulthood. Hildene’s 412 acres include the historic home, a goat dairy, restored Pullman car, a working farm and 12 miles of walking trails; a formidable landscape to put Hildene’s mission, Values into Action, into practice. For more information on Hildene visit www.hildene.org .

Two dozen VCS employees and their family members turned out on a wet Green-Up Day, May 4, 2019, to help spruce up at the Rutland County Humane Society in Pittsford, Vt. Volunteers cleared the shelter’s walking trail, raked and mulched flower beds, pressure washed and painted parts of the building exterior and helped them organize goods for the next day’s big yard sale fundraiser. There was a lot of good done that let core staff work their magic, adopting out four dogs to new homes that same day!

The Rutland County Humane Society cares for 50 to 120 animals at the shelter throughout any given month. Approximately 1,400 cats, dogs, rabbits, birds and rodents are brought into the shelter each year and most of them go on to find loving forever homes. To learn more about RCHS and the furry friends waiting for adoption, visit https://rchsvt.org.

The Vermont Country Store Team is led by fellow employee and Special Olympian Ben Comar. Plungers enjoyed relatively mild weather at the event, which was held at Stratton Mountain Resort on March 31, 2019.

Special Olympics Vermont contributes to the physical, social, and psychological development of people with intellectual disabilities. Through successful experiences in sports, our athletes gain confidence and build positive self-images, which follow with them into their homes, classrooms, jobs, and communities. Learn more about Vermont Special Olympics at https://specialolympicsvermont.org/ .

On January 14, employees from The Vermont Country Store split and stacked wood in Weston that will be given to residents in need of help to heat their homes through Just Neighbors, a local non-profit organization that provides assistance to meet emergency heating and other basic needs. Our team made short work of over four cords of wood to help our neighbors stay warm during the coldest months of the year.

In 2014, Just Neighbors helped 116 households in Windsor and Windham Counties, providing 15 cords of wood and nearly $30,000 in direct assistance. Learn more about Just Neighbors at www.justneighborsvt.org. Want to help folks in your town stay warm? Contact your local Community Action Agency to learn what you can do.

The Vermont Country Store helped make the holidays brighter for 500 families in Rutland County by sponsoring the Vermont Foodbank’s Pack for Good. On December 15, dozens of volunteers gathered at the Vermont Foodbank’s Rutland facility and packed 500 boxes, each containing the makings for a family holiday dinner. The Vermont Country Store contributed $5,000 to cover food costs and also donated the boxes, so everyone receiving their holiday delivery got the same packaging as our customers. The filled boxes were distributed that day to local food shelves to share with families in need.

To learn more about hunger in Vermont and how you can help, visit www.vtfoodbank.org.

The Vermont Country Store found a new way to tie “service” to “community” this holiday season by inviting eight local non-profit organizations into our stores to offer gift wrapping in exchange for a small donation. On Saturdays and Sundays in December, customers in our Weston and Rockingham locations could have their purchases hand wrapped and ready for gift giving by members of the community.

Organizations included: Chester-Andover Family Center, Flood Brook Student Activities Committee, Green Mountain Union High School, Londonderry Food Pantry, Neighborhood Connections, Springfield Humane Society, Springfield Parent Child Center, and the Wilder Library.

The Vermont Country Store made the opportunity even sweeter by matching the contributions collected by each agency. This is the start of what we hope will become an annual event that creates even closer ties to our communities.

The American Red Cross blood collection staff came to our locations, so employees had the convenience of giving blood, then returning to work to go about their day. We kept the smiles going with midday barbecues to celebrate the success of collecting over 50 pints between the two drives. Each pint collected can save the lives of up to six people! To find out how you can donate blood in your community, visit www.redcross.org.

Employees of The Vermont Country Store invited over 50 fifth-grade students from Rutland Intermediate School to make dozens of fleece blankets for children with cancer attending Camp-Ta-Kum Ta. This was the second year we collaborated with local students on the Help and Heal project, which teaches empathy, service above self, and self-worth. It was a wonderful opportunity for our employees to engage with young people, and share their passion for serving others.

Camp Ta-Kum-Ta is the only camp in Vermont for children ages 7 to 17 with cancer who are undergoing treatment, and for those who have recovered, at no cost to their families. The 70 blankets made at The Vermont Country Store were presented to camp founder Ted Kessler, who founded Camp Ta-Kum-Ta in 1984. To learn more about Camp Ta-Kum-Ta, visit www.takumta.org.

Employees from The Vermont Country Store not only helped plant 75 flowering crab apple trees as part of a Rutland Blooms beautification project, but also sowed the seeds of community pride that will blossom for years to come. The trees were planted along a stretch of Route 7 that serves as a gateway to the City of Rutland, but has been blighted in recent years. This project is part of a long-term effort to help restore pride and a sense of community to the city’s neighborhoods that have been affected by crime and neglect. Find out more about Rutland Blooms at www.rutlandblooms.org

Children learn when they play, and they need a safe place to do that, so employees of The Vermont Country Store joined a group of community members to help build a new playground at Flood Brook Union School in Londonderry, Vermont.

Volunteers worked from the ground up to construct climbing structures, swings and slides that will improve children’s physical fitness and stimulate imaginative play. The grounds were re-designed to attract people of every age, so they will be a resource for the whole community. Contributions were also a collective effort, including funding from public and private sources. Even the school’s students were actively involved, collecting pennies that contributed meaningfully to the project.

The Vermont Country Store’s management team – 35 strong – jump-started the outdoor spring clean-up at Smokey House Center in Danby, Vermont. Team members spent their time on familiar farm tasks like preparing their garden for planting and cleaning out perennial beds, stacking wood, sorting beans for planting, and getting their grounds ready for the spring and summer seasons.

Smokey House Center encompasses more than 5,000 acres of mostly conserved forest and farmland in southern Vermont. In addition to managing those lands, Smokey House promotes sustainable agricultural and forestry practices and provides educational programming that enables young people to develop the skills needed to be productive and self-sufficient members of their communities. Through a partnership with the Tutorial Center of Manchester, Smokey House serves as an alternative high school campus for students who learn best outside of a traditional classroom. Learn more about Smokey House Center at www.smokeyhouse.org.

This program, funded with $20,000 from The Vermont Country Store, provides matching support of $2,000 to 10 needy food shelves and meal sites in southern Vermont that are experiencing exploding demand and a shortage of resources. Partner agencies are: Bennington County Meals on Wheels, Brigid’s Kitchen, Guilford Food Pantry, Chester-Andover Family Center, Pittsford Food Shelf, Reading-West Windsor Food Shelf, Rutland City Rescue Mission, Rutland Community Cupboard, Rutland County Women’s Network amp; Shelter and the Second Congregational Church (Londonderry, VT).

The Vermont Country Store’s gift effectively doubles the purchasing power of each of these agencies when ordering from the Vermont Foodbank to buy staples that are available at pennies on the dollar. To learn more about hunger in your community and to take action against hunger and poverty in Vermont, visit www.vtfoodbank.org.