Editor:
Just Basics Inc., (JBI) parent organization for the Montpelier Food Pantry (MFP) and FEAST, the senior citizen/persons with disabilities meal program, would like to thank Montpelier and surrounding communities for the outpouring of support for the MFP in the aftermath of Shaw’s removal of our customer donation boxes.
It should be noted that the decision to remove the boxes was not made locally, but one made at Shaw’s corporate headquarters in Massachusetts. Just Basics Inc. has always maintained a positive working relationship with our Berlin and Montpelier Shaw’s staff and management.
While we have no resolution as yet with Shaw’s, other community members and community organizations have stepped up to the plate to help us close the gap on the 7,000 pounds of non-perishable food we lost.
Price Chopper Supermarkets in Berlin has placed our customer donation box in the front of their store. Price Chopper will offer customer education about donating to JBI’s Montpelier Food Pantry.
Montpelier Alive, with little notice, organized a mini food drive at its 15th Anniversary Celebration where we collected 245 pounds of food and $100 in cash.
Porch2Pantry is a multi-neighborhood effort to collect food in one central neighborhood location for delivery to the Montpelier Food Pantry.
Bear Pond and Rivendell Books are teaming up with JBI at the end of this month to celebrate “Hunger Action” month, a nationwide campaign to support hunger organizations like ours.
While this situation created an immediate negative impact on the MFP, it also helped educate our community about the important role the Food Pantry plays in central Vermont. We are an emergency food supply for over 3,700 central Vermonters. These are our neighbors, friends, coworkers and classmates who are struggling to pay off last winter’s fuel bills before the onset of this winter, or who face a crisis in benefits, health care or insurance cuts.
If you would like to donate non-perishable foods, visit Price Chopper Supermarket in Berlin or drop-off donations at the Montpelier Food Pantry c/o Trinity Methodist Church 137 Main St Montpelier, Tues-Fri 10-11 a.m., or email for an appointment, justbasicsinc@gmail.com. Checks or cash may be dropped off at the church or mailed to the address listed.
Theresa Murray-Clasen,Executive Director
Just Basics Inc.
