Putney monthly free produce distribution is April 22
PUTNEY - The Vermont Foodbank and the Putney Foodshelf will co-sponsor the next monthly drop of free produce and some nonperishables on Thursday, April 22, from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m., at Putney Meadows, 17 Carol Brown Way (the white building across from the Putney Food Co-op and the fire station).
This food distribution takes place regularly on the fourth Thursday of every month. All are welcome. Because of COVID-19, those who need food may drive up and receive bags of food from volunteers.
Farmers to Families food box program extended through May
BARRE - Thanks to community and federal support, the Vermont Foodbank is able to extend the Farmers to Families Food Box program through May.
Each box holds about 30 pounds of food, including fresh produce, dairy products, and meat.
To keep wait times to a minimum, reservations will be required for the distributions. To register and see upcoming distribution dates and locations, visit humanresources.vermont.gov/food-help or call 802-476-0316 for assistance.
New distribution dates and locations will be posted the last week of April. Check back if you do not see the location or date you are looking for.
You are welcome to pick up food for other families who are not able to make it to the pickup site; just be sure to make a separate reservation for each household you would like to pick up for.
History of Bellows Falls Canal is topic of RFPL talk
BELLOWS FALLS - Dr. David Deacon will discuss “Bellows Falls and the Raging 'Canawl': A Social History of the Bellows Falls Canal” over the Rockingham Free Public Library's Zoom channel on Wednesday, April 28, at 7 p.m.
Deacon will describe the canal development, which ended in 1927, and he will talk about the village's mercantile development and the period of the paper mills.
His presentation comes complete with historic photos.
Deacon moved to Bellows Falls in 1980 and graduated from Bellows Falls Union High School in 1981. He went on to Marlboro College and then to the University of North Carolina for a master's degree in folklore. His concentration in American history was at Syracuse University, where he earned a master's and doctorate.
The Bellows Falls paper mill industry features prominently in his doctoral thesis, “Paper Towns: Sense of Place in Industrial, Small-Town New England 1869-1927.” He is an adjunct professor of history at SUNY-Oswego and at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, N.Y.
To receive an invitation to this free Zoom program, email [email protected] or call the library at 802-463-4270. Leave your phone number and email address.
Dummerston Senior Lunch offers takeout meals
DUMMERSTON - Senior Solutions and Evening Star Grange in Dummerston Center will hold their Second Wednesday takeout-only luncheon on Wednesday, April 28, with pickup between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The meal will feature a choice of chicken a la king over rice, or salmon loaf, with marinated carrots and pineapple-cherry crisp.
Reservations are required by 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 27 so meal organizers can gauge how much food to make.
Call the Grange at 802-254-1138 and leave your name, telephone number, and the number of meals you wish to reserve. The meal organizers will be in touch only if they have a question.
A donation of $3 for those 60 and older, and $4 for those younger than 60, is suggested.
Wardsboro Library makes plans for plant sale, Gilfeather festivial
WARDSBORO - With spring in the air and the vaccine rollout underway, the Friends of the Wardsboro Library say they plan to hold their annual Memorial Day Weekend Plant Sale at the library on Saturday, May 29, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This year, the Friends are also running their Best Ever Raffle of a holiday quilt, handcrafted by Carol Steiner. Tickets will be on sale at all Friends events and on the Friends' website.
The Friends hope that they can also hold the Gilfeather Turnip Festival on Saturday, Oct. 23.
If you are interested in volunteering at any of these events, contact Donna Fernandes at [email protected].
Pratt Library launches Racial Justice Book Group
DUMMERSTON - Lydia Taft Pratt Library will host a facilitated book discussion via Zoom of Ijeoma Oluo's work So You Want to Talk About Race on Wednesday, April 28, at 6 p.m.
People interested in participating in this event may contact Librarian Dena Marger at the library at [email protected] or 802-258-9878 to receive a copy of the book and instructions for logging into Zoom.
According to a news release, library users “have expressed renewed interest in reading and discussing contemporary works in order to better participate in the national discussions around racial justice and civil rights.”
As a result, the library's Racial Justice Book Group officially launched last month with a well-attended discussion of James Baldwin's classic work, The Fire Next Time.
“The enthusiastic participants and thoughtful discussion made this an extremely enjoyable event,” said library Board Chair Sue Kern.