Welcome to the Center for Community Engagement’s Hunger & Homelessness Podcast Series! We hope you will give our series a listen and then check out some of the resources and opportunities for engagement found below!
In our first podcast, we chatted with Sam Kachmar, Associate Director of Housing Programs at Charter House.
In our second episode, we learned about John Graham Housing & Services with Director Elizabeth Ready.
Our third episode interviewed Lily Bradburn, Local Food Access Coordinator at HOPE (Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects).
Our fourth installment featured Erika Paine of the Apartment Management Division at Addison County Community Trust (ACCT).
Our fifth episode will feature Middlebury Foods, an entirely student-run nonprofit that sells and delivers fresh produce and much more each month in five Addison County towns.
Find out more about each of these organizations by listening to our podcast series! Interested in volunteering with these community partners? Scroll down to find contact information for each organization under “get involved.”
Articles and Resources
Check out this fact sheet on homelessness in Addison County and Vermont.
Check out this fact sheet on hunger in Addison County and Vermont.
Read this article on homelessness and gentrification in New York City.
Watch this Hunger Free Vermont video advocating for universal school meals in Vermont.
Book Recommendation
Read “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City,” a new book by Matthew Desmond, sociology professor with the Justice and Poverty Project at Harvard and 2015 recipient of the MacArthur Genuis Grant. In this gripping non-fiction work, Desmond details the experiences of homelessness, eviction, and poverty of 8 Milwaukee families and explores the roles of tenants, landlords, and the city in cycles of eviction and poverty. Find out more about the book here. Consider checking it out from Davis Family Library.
Learn more about author Matthew Desmond and read stories of homelessness he’s collected at http://justshelter.org/stories/.
Listen to this podcast interview with the author to find out more about the project.
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
Join the Charter House Coalition Student Group
Luna Shen, chc@middlebury.edu
The Charter House Coalition is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization dedicated to providing basic food and housing in and around Middlebury, VT. Charter House Coalition student organization helps organize student volunteers to make and serve meals to Charter House guests, promoting a sense of community to all members of our community. As volunteers, students can participate in any meal preparation and service and winter shelter shifts. Charter House also hosts several interns throughout the academic year and summer to assist in their meal programs, organic garden initiatives, staff the family shelter, and coordinating volunteers.
Join Friends of John Graham
Will McDonald, fojgs@middlebury.edu
John Graham Shelter serves individuals and families by offering short-term emergency shelter, casework, and referrals to other agencies. They seek volunteers to assist with childcare or to serve as long-term mentors. Friends of the John Graham Shelter make balanced, nutritious dinners every Thursday at the shelter for residents. On Wednesdays, a cohort of students helps the residents with English language learning, homework and tutoring. A variety of new volunteer opportunities will be available this year. Contact the student leaders for more info!
Join Habitat for Humanity: Middlebury Chapter
humanity@middlebury.edu
Habitat for Humanity works to address the challenges of affordable housing by helping with local builds, fundraising, and assisting with local chapter events. The Middlebury College Chapter also organizes an alternative spring break trip every year – visit go/habtrips to sign up!
Volunteer with Addison County Community Trust (ACCT)
Elise Shanbacker, 802-877-2626, elise@addisontrust.org
Addison County Community Trust works to create affordable housing while regarding Smart Growth ideals; the non-profit currently owns and operates over 600 units of permanently affordable housing. They seek volunteers to work on rehab and beautification projects for ACCT properties.
Volunteer with HOPE (Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects)
Jeanne Montross, Executive Director, 802-388-3608, jmontross@hope-vt.org
Lily Bradburn, Food Access Coordinator, 802-388-3608 ext. 225, lbradburn@hope-vt.org
HOPE is a locally controlled, locally funded poverty relief organization. They run the largest food shelf in Addison County, the RetroWorks thrift store, and provide numerous poverty-relief services to members of the community. Through their food shelf, HOPE tries to provide healthy, nutritious food through their Local Food Access Program and as a member organization of the Vermont Gleaning Collective. Volunteers are needed to help with the organization’s new gleaning project and help process produce.
Join Middlebury Foods
Charlie Mitchell ’18, 978-335-3875, charlie@tom.org
Middlebury Foods is an independent nonprofit organization run entirely by a group of fun, passionate, and dedicated Middlebury students. Middlebury Foods seeks to provide residents of Addison County with easy access to fresh and affordable food. They deliver groceries every month in five Addison County towns. This is a great opportunity for students interested in food justice, community service, and/or social entrepreneurship.
Have your team or organization cook community supper! Or attend as an individual!
Bridport Community Supper
Katie Welch, welchchuck@gmavt.net
Bridport Community Suppers seek volunteers to host free meals for the Bridport community every Friday night during the coldest months (roughly November through April). Each week, 4-6 volunteers plan, prepare, and share meals.
Charter House Coalition Community Supper
Dottie Neuberger, nueberge@middlebury.edu
Each week, a volunteer group prepares a Community Supper for about 200 guests every Friday night at the Congregational Church in Middlebury. The group also seeks individuals, weekly, to prepare and preserve food to share at Community Suppers; contact Dottie for more information about how your group can get involved with processing (washing, prepping, freezing, etc.) produce, baking desserts, or preparing meals.
