ABC anchor Diane Sawyer spent two minutes last December telling the country how Brattleboro's First Baptist Church wanted to sell its historic Tiffany window to save its winter homeless shelter. Three A spate of national news reports has sparked a $100,000 window bid, thousands of dollars in church donations and a search by town artists and historians for a local savior. But however the congregation decides to proceed won't necessarily lead to a happy ending for the shelter and the homeless people it serves.

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According to Skinny Pancake owner Benjy Adler, he and his staffers have long joked that the crêperie has an alter ego called “The Chubby Muffin.” “I have this fixation on muffins. I just love [them],” Adler admits. But he never thought the goofy name would grace an honest-to-goodness eatery. Sometime in April, it will. Located at 88 Oak Street in the Old North End, the Muffin will serve dual functions. Staffers will sell the namesake pastries, coffee and ice cream to hungry locals, and the space also will serve as a community kitchen.

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The Upper Valley Haven plans to open its new 20-bed shelter for homeless adults in May but needs to raise roughly $150,000 to add staff and programming for the Hartford Avenue building. “We aren't finished yet. … We still have a ways to go to be able to have the funds to operate this program,” Haven Executive Director Sara Kobylenski said yesterday during a ceremony intended to highlight a $200,000 federal earmark U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., included in last year's budget for construction of the new shelter.

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A record 83,342 or 1 in 8 Vermonters currently rely on 3SquaresVT (formerly Food Stamps) to buy their monthly food and participation continues to rise.  3SquaresVT is designed to be a nutrition supplement for limited-income Vermonters; yet as the economic recession lingers and jobs remain scarce, more Vermonters count the benefits as their only source of support. 

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The Obama Administration announced last week the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is renewing grant funding to keep thousands of local homeless assistance programs operating. Seven Vermont organizations will receive a total of nearly $3.4 million.

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Vermont will hold its annual homeless memorial vigil Jan. 13 at noon on the Statehouse steps in Montpelier. The state’s homeless shelter and service providers will commemorate the thousands of Vermonters who received housing and/or services this past year. Stay after to discuss what can be done for the others who aren't able to receive these services.

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Vermont has been ranked as the 6th hungriest state in the nation, down from 14th in the last report which was a three year average. A non-profit organization, Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger (VCECH), is working hard to change these statistics by increasing awareness of Federal and State Programs aimed at combating hunger. VCECH also spearheads the program Cooking for Life, in collaboration with the University of Vermont Extension's Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). The Cooking for Life program impacts participants by providing them with the skills and knowledge needed to improve their food security.

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Across the nation, December 21st is recognized as the National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day. This day serves as a time to remember our neighbors who have died homeless during the year. On this first day of winter and the longest day of the year, the Community Health Center of Burlington (CHCB) and Uncommon Grounds have partnered to take action and to not only remember those who have died, but to help ensure that those who continue to struggle with homelessness have at least a warm pair of socks, gloves and a hat.

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Dwindling funds at the Vermont Foodbank have imperiled the organization's ability to provide food to the unprecedented number of residents now relying on its services.Vermont Foodbank CEO John Sayles said Wednesday that difficult economic conditions have already exacted a significant toll on staffing levels at his organization.

The operational cutbacks come as the Foodbank grapples with the highest demand in its history. Without an immediate increase in the private donations that fund the organization, Sayles said, the Foodbank could be forced to embark on additional cost-cutting measures that could jeopardize its ability to provide food to hundreds of agencies around Vermont.

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Central Vermont's only homeless shelter is running out of bed space as frigid temperatures threaten the scores of local citizens without a roof.

The Good Samaritan Haven, a 20-bed facility in downtown Barre, has exceeded capacity and is prevailing upon a local church for overflow capacity, according to Rev. Ralph Howe, pastor of the Hedding United Methodist Church. Though his church's space isn't an ideal hosting space, Howe said Wednesday, he's not in a position to turn the organization down. Link to full article

The Burlington Free Press reports that this September, national hunger action month, the Vermont Foodbank  "is urging Vermonters to fight hunger in their communities." John Sayles, the CEO of the Foodbank, states in the article that "one in eight people in Vermont uses the charitable food system and more than 20,400 of them are children." Thus, "this month the food bank is calling on Vermonters to give a little, and feed a lot."

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The Burlington Free Press reports that Burlington's Spectrum Youth and Family Services has been selected as the agency of the year by the National Network for Youth. The award is presented annually "to honor the vital role that youth agencies play in the healthy development of youth, families and communities." In a news release announcing the award, Spectrum was called "a model for otheragencies." Notably, "Spectrum has offered shelter, counseling and support to at-risk and homeless youths since 1970."

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Vermont Public Radio reports that last year, because of the recession, the Vermont Food Bank's budget "grew 20 percent from a year earlier." Meanwhile, "fewer people could afford to donate to the Food Bank." In fact, Co-chief executive Christine Foster "seriously doubted whether they would collect the $800,000 needed from holiday donors." In the end, the Food Bank was able to meet their fundraising goal. Foster commented, "Working into about the second or third week of December, the numbers were not looking very good. But the last 10 days of December were just so heartening to see how many people responded to our call [for help]. We made our goal.'' Notably, "the Food Bank is an umbrella organization [that] raises money and collects food for distribution to 109 local food shelves all around Vermont." At the end of January, "they will be looking for [another] $130,000."

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Vermont Public Radio reports that "changes to the income and savings restrictions of [food stamp] beneficiaries will allow more people to apply for the [food stamp] federal program." According to Joanne Heidkamp with the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger, "The expansion will help both needy Vermonters and the economy." Currently, "the number of Vermonters relying on food stamps has jumped to a record high of more than 60,000 residents, up 7,000 from last year."

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The Brattleboro Reformer reports that "Vermont 2-1-1 saw a big increase in calls this past October, but is keeping up with the high demand for assistance." Vermont 2-1-1 is a service provided by the United Way of Vermont that is "equipped to help Vermont residents with almost any issue including child care needs, housing, food and drug and alcohol problems."Through the service, "Vermonters who pick up the phone and dial 211 will receive help when it comes to getting in touch with the local agencies that can assist them." Notably, "in October, 2,382 calls were made to Vermont 2-1-1, the second highest call volume ever in a given month. Referrals for basic needs (food, housing/shelter, material goods, temporary financial aid and transportation) hit an all time high and continue to run higher than any other category."

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