BELLOWS FALLS — With spring on its way, the staff at Our Place in Bellows Falls is looking back on a busy and productive winter. Though cold and snow meant an unusually high number of guests for meals served in the dining room, the employees met the challenges and are energized to head into summer.
Located on Island Street in the heart of Bellows Falls, Our Place was founded by Donna Stevens and has been serving the area for over 20 years. As a drop-in center for people who need shelter during the day, it offers a telephone, fax, and computer for local or long-distance communications, along with a shower and rest room for personal care.
Its well-appointed kitchen serves healthy, delicious hot meals at breakfast and lunch. The dining room and sitting area provide a gathering place where people can enjoy good company, share information about community resources, and offer help to someone in need.
Behind the kitchen, the food pantry is set up like a small grocery store. The main shelves hold foods organized by category: grains, proteins, vegetables, and fruits. Other shelves offer miscellaneous items, such as salad dressing, salsa, and muffin mixes, along with personal care items. The baby food section is kept fully stocked with food, formula, and diapers.
This winter, the staff welcomed a diverse population, ranging from senior citizens to young families. Some clients were unemployed or seasonally out of work; others worked for low wages and limited hours; still others were disabled and the heads of their households.
Trained staff members helped every eligible client register for 3SquaresVT, a monthly benefit that Our Place supplements. Many senior citizens eat meals at Our Place a few times every week, as do a number of people with disabilities who depend on Social Security benefits.
Week after week, Our Place provided wholesome foods to people from Athens, Bellows Falls, Cambridgeport, Rockingham, Saxtons River, Walpole, North Walpole, Westminster, and other local towns.
With its services, Our Place helped people nourish themselves and their families, and stretch their resources to meet other needs, such as housing, car expenses, and medicine.
Sharing meals was an enjoyable experience that also nourished the spirit. As the snow piled up outdoors, many people spent the entire day relaxing and chatting in the lounge area adjacent to the dining room.
Matt Gowell, the full-time chef and food services manager, planned menus, cooked the meals, and served the guests before sitting down to eat with them. With Yankee ingenuity, he created tasty, nutritious meals from whatever was abundant that day.
Each month this winter (January through March), Our Place served meals to between 1,000 and 1,300 clients. Because Matt was always in the front of the house, he often was the first to recognize when someone needed additional help.
Two part-time employees, Kari Lockhart and Amanda Sabo, shared responsibility for the daily operation of the Food Pantry, serving 300 to 500 clients each month during the winter quarter.
Our Place also delivered grocery bags of food (enough for a couple of weeks) to more than 50 people. Kari and Amanda helped clients with food choices, assisted with benefit applications, and made referrals for fuel assistance and other necessities. They helped Matt prepare and serve meals.
Finally, Kari and Amanda coordinated the work of the many volunteers who help Our Place in countless important ways.
Lisa Pitcher, the executive director, managed daily operations while making sure that resources were available to support the clients.
This winter, Our Place relied on funds from individual donors (20 percent), contributions from local churches and businesses (10 percent), special event income (15 percent), foundation grants (20 percent), and in-kind food donations (30 percent).
Approximately 70 percent of the food served for breakfast and lunch, and distributed from the food pantry, was donated by local grocery stores, individuals, schools, businesses, and the Vermont Food Bank. Lisa also purchased food from the Vermont Food Bank, local grocery stores, and a dairy delivery company.
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As Our Place looks forward to the spring, a key goal is to increase the variety and quantity of fresh local vegetables and fruits on hand. Lisa plans to educate her staff and Our Place clients on ways to prepare and preserve fresh, local produce. Our Place also plans to purchase as many CSA shares as possible from a few local farms this season.
Another goal is to spread the word about ways people can save money while feeding themselves and their families with fresh produce, complex carbohydrates, and lean meats. Our Place is already working to expand its small garden and find additional garden space for staff as well as clients who would like to plan and maintain a garden.
Finally, Our Place will continue to explore ways to help parents meet the dietary needs of their growing children.
For example, Chef Matt plans to teach healthy cooking classes to local children and their parents during the summer. The Family Nights, held from 5 to 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month, will continue through the summer. In addition to the evening meal, families will enjoy games, reading aloud, and an occasional guest speaker.
“Bringing folks and food together” is Our Place's motto. We welcome visitors and greatly appreciate the ongoing support that underpins out success.