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Enough to Thrive- SEVCA's Annual Appeal- Give Today

Envision a world where everyone has enough to thrive and the opportunities they need to achieve that goal. We do, and we need your help to build it.

We welcome you to DONATE today.

November 2021

Dear Friend and Supporter,

For the last 1½ years we’ve been living the nightmare of a massive global health crisis causing undue hardship, suffering, disruption, and death on a previously unimagined scale. But to the extent it’s possible to see a “silver lining” in such a tragic event, it may be the fact that despite all the challenges connected with it, on a national level there was sufficient agreement among policy makers to provide an unprecedented amount of resources to help reduce and alleviate the impact on those most affected by this crisis.

As a result of all the assistance they received, more people were able to recover to a greater degree, move closer to restoring their “normal” lives, and begin, or continue, the journey toward having enough to not just survive, but to actually thrive. For the COVID experience to not have been in vain, this needs to be our new normal and we need your support to ensure that our communities have enough for everyone in them to thrive.

SEVCA’s pandemic response has provided our communities with ongoing access to programs and services that support our neighbors, especially in their time of greatest need. In Windham and Windsor counties during the past year, we provided over 41,200 services to almost 6,100 individuals in 3,300 households.

Our response continues to meet both immediate emergency and long-term recovery needs in a number of ways: With new programs developed specifically to address problems attributable to COVID, enhanced / expanded existing services sorely needed at this time, and broadened eligibility guidelines to ensure that everyone in need can get the support they need.

We’re doing everything we can with all the resources we can muster, but our grants never cover all the costs of providing the needed services. Your continued investments in our mission are needed to match and complete our funding for programs and services that stabilize, improve, and change people’s lives for a better future.

It’s vitally important work but we can’t do it without you.
Will you join us by making a gift today?


Obviously, COVID has presented an unprecedented challenge, requiring us to develop innovative approaches that deepened our impact. Take SEVCA’s role coordinating Vermont Everyone Eats (VEE), a CARES Act, FEMA, and VT Community Foundation–funded initiative to provide meals to food-insecure Vermonters during the pandemic by supporting and working through local restaurants, farmers and food producers, and sustaining local economies: It was built and operates from the grassroots level, maintains maximum participant dignity, and benefits multiple sectors of the economy. More than 250 VT restaurants have participated, 300+ VT farms / food producers have provided 27% of all ingredients, and many thousands of individuals continue to benefit from the program. Since August 2020, VEE has provided more than 1,600,000 meals in partnership with FEMA, the VT Agencies of Commerce & Community Development (ACCD) and Human Services (AHS), and over 100 community organizations statewide.

Vermont Everyone Eats is just one of the many critical and innovative programs SEVCA has been providing for 55 years and continues to provide to meet a broad spectrum of needs for Vermont residents, whether they’re triggered by extraordinary events like COVID-19 or by the ordinary hardships caused by temporary crises or long-term chronic poverty.

But our success in achieving that mission depends in great part on the willingness of compassionate and generous folks like you to be our partners on it. A donation to SEVCA helps ensure that our work to maximize the likelihood that everyone has enough to thrive can remain strong, nimble, and sustainable…now and into the future.

Will you contribute to the effort to fully fund SEVCA’s programs so that in
Vermont, Everyone Thrives as well?

 

Gratefully,

Steve s Signature

Steve Geller
Executive Director

HS.Exploration.11.2021

Donate HERE today.

E.M.B.R.A.C.E Business Grant Applications Now Being Accepted

SEVCA’s Micro Business Development Program (MBDP) announces that applications are now being accepted online for the third round of Economic Micro Business Recovery Assistance for the COVID-19 Epidemic (E.M.B.R.A.C.E.) from businesses open before 12/31/20 that have not previously received the grant. Five thousand dollar grants are available for Vermont-based businesses affected by COVID-19 with five employees or fewer, including sole proprietors, and from low to moderate income households. Businesses that opened after 1/1/21 or that are planned to launch by 11/1/22 may apply beginning on 1/18/22 and must have met for a minimum of 1 hour with a MBDP Counselor. Businesses open before 12/31/21 that have received an E.M.B.R.A.C.E. grant before may apply beginning on 3/1/22.  

For full rules, eligibility criteria, and to apply, visit mbdp.org. Please contact Glen Ohlund, Economic Development Director: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., with questions or for assistance applying. 

SEVCA EMBRACE 3 Agency Flyer

SEVCA’s Matched Savings Program Has Openings for Savers! 

Are you working toward a savings goal, and in need of some assistance to get there? SEVCA has limited openings available in our Vermont Matched Savings Program!  

This program provides 2:1 matching funds for individuals that are saving for a variety of wealth-generating items, such as: home purchase or repair; education or training; car purchase or repair; and business startup or expansion. Participants develop an approved savings plan and receive financial coaching. If you save $1,000 of your own income over a two-year period, savings are matched, enabling you to have $3,000 to apply toward your approved purchase! For more information on this opportunity, please visit here or contact Sue Dillon: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Need Assistance with Heat and Utilities This Winter? SEVCA Might Be Able to Help!

Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA) offers a variety of services and supports for eligible Windham and Windsor County residents concerned about affording their heat and utilities this winter.  

Do you need some help heating your home? The first step for receiving seasonal fuel assistance is to fill out an application, available here: dcf.vermont.gov/mybenefits. It’s best to do this now, as benefits are already being issued. Need some additional assistance to stretch your budget? Those eligible for seasonal fuel assistance are also eligible for 3SquaresVT, which can help you put healthy food on the table. Give us a call and we can provide more information about the programs, answer your questions, and help you apply. 

Are you behind on your electric bill and concerned about disconnection? Do you pay for water or wastewater services, and are you looking for help? Are you struggling to meet other utility needs? We may be able to help. For heat, utility, and other assistance, give us a call at 800-464-9951, and listen to the auto-prompt for your local family services office (Brattleboro, Springfield, Westminster, or White River Junction). 

“If SEVCA hadn’t provided heat this winter, I might not be alive to write this.”

SEVCA Client