Dave’s Notes: April 2026

Good things have been happening at Our Place over the first quarter of 2026. Up on top of the list is the completion of critical work to our building's exterior. Not only have the updates improved the building’s appearance, they’ve added a number of practical upgrades to our building. The project improved the  building’s insulation and exchanged the leaky windows and doors for insulated modern ones that will save on annual energy costs for years to come. Our Place is incredibly thankful to the donors who supported this project and to all the folks who did this work in the dead of the Vermont winter.

The exterior work is one of several projects we are planning to make Our Place Community Food Center more resilient and capable of fulfilling our mission. Sadly, like many so many communities across this nation, ours continues to see increased demand for human services like those provided at Our Place. Increased fuel prices, rising food costs, and inflation in general affect us all, but especially the most vulnerable in our community.  To serve those in need, Our Place must continue to grow our capacity and increase our efficiency. We will be making announcements in the near future to keep you posted on our vision and the steps being taken to meet those goals and continue to provide food, dignity, and community for those we serve.

This is certainly an exciting time at Our Place and a great time to be more involved and supportive of the work we do. If you know someone who might share our passion and desire to help feed our community please share these notes with them. You may not know: the vast majority of the funds Our Place uses to feed the community comes from people and businesses within our community, people like you. The more people like you who are activated to take action in our community, the better it is for our community. Thank you for your support and the opportunity to serve.

We continue to raise money for The Louise Luring Fund in memory of our longtime Board Secretary. Louise very much believed in the mission of Our Place and wanted to see us raise money in her honor to improve the lives of those less fortunate in our community. We continue to encourage donations to the fund so we can realize the vision she helped to create.

Perhaps Louise’s dedication and tireless work in this community has inspired you to volunteer throughout the community, as she did. April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month, so we send a huge thank you to all the volunteers that serve our community not only at Our Place, and but through all the service organizations in our region. Giving of one’s time is a kind and generous way to show your care and commitment to safeguarding the well-being of others.

Wishing you all of you a safe and productive Spring, 

Dave