Capstone Community Action’s Fuel Your Neighbors campaign, in partnership with VSECU, exceeded its fundraising goal by raising $300,000 to support emergency food and heating assistance to vulnerable Vermonters, surpassing the goal of $200,000.
This frigid winter forced households to face tough decisions on basic needs like food and heat. The COVID-19 pandemic created further uncertainty and economic vulnerability. Capstone redesigned its services and systems to ensure access to these essential services and offered support to over 5,000 central Vermonters in need of food and heating assistance.
“We are so grateful for the outpouring of support from the entire community including our generous sponsors and donors for supporting our most vulnerable community members,” states Sue Minter, Capstone’s executive director. “This has been an extremely challenging year to ensure the health and wellbeing of our neighbors to put food on their tables and heat in their homes. This is an exciting way to end our fifth year of this initiative.”
Fuel Your Neighbors is a 100 day campaign, in partnership with VSECU, that ran from December 1, Giving Tuesday, through March 10, to raise awareness and funds to support vulnerable Vermonters with food and heat this winter. This is the fifth year Capstone and VSECU have teamed up on this effort, raising a total of $621,000 since 2016.
“VSECU is proud to support the Fuel Your Neighbors campaign for its fifth year. The positive impact that Capstone can create in our community through this effort is quite astounding,” said Rob Miller of VSECU. “This collaborative initiative is incredibly important in one of our greatest times of need.”
This year’s campaign was successful due to the generous business sponsors: VSECU, Central Vermont Medical Center, North Country Federal Credit Union, National Life Group, Blue Cross Blue Shield of VT, The Alchemist, AT&T, Northfield Savings Bank, Front Porch Forum, Vermont Creamery, Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Red Hen Baking Company, Passumpsic Bank, Washington Electric Cooperative, Waitsfield Telecom, Radio Vermont, The Point, The Blackback Pub, Artisan Coffee and Tea Company, Vermont Gas and The Times Argus. The campaigns success was also due to an increased number of community members.
“In this unprecedented time, Capstone can be a new resource for central Vermonters who have never needed our support and we can help,” states Minter. “We encourage people to contact Capstone to determine their eligibility for our multitude of services and programs. We can be reached at 1-800-639-1053 or online at www.capstonevt.org. We are building ladders out of poverty creating opportunities for every Vermonter to achieve success.”
Capstone Community Action was founded in 1965 and works to overcome poverty by serving people in crisis and creating economic opportunity for people and communities. Capstone’s programs include emergency food, heat assistance, housing counseling and homelessness intervention, savings and credit coaching, business counseling, workforce development, home weatherization, transportation access, and child and family development programs in Early Head Start/Head Start. We serve over 10,600 people through these programs each year. www.capstonevt.org.
VSECU is a member-owned cooperative and not for profit credit union for everybody who lives or works in Vermont, offering a full range of affordable financial products and services to its member-owners. VSECU is committed to improving the lives of Vermonters by empowering the possibilities for greater social, environmental, and financial prosperity. For more information about VSECU, call 802/800 371-5162 or visit www.vsecu.com.