An annual program that helps Vermonters both afford tires and home heating fuel broke records this year, according to the Governor. Gov. Phil Scott announced on Tuesday that this year’s Wheels for Warmth tire sale generated more than $100,000.
The organization hopes to feed 10,000 families this year, but donations are severely needed. Feeding Champlain Valley, the largest food shelf in Vermont, has launched its Holidays Without Hunger campaign and organizers say demand for service is very high this year.
In 2005, Wheels for Warmth raised just under $12,000. This year, 20 years later, $115,000 was raised in tire sales, recycled tires, and donations from individuals and businesses. Since 2005, about 80,000 tires have been repurposed or put back into use and just under one-million dollars have been raised.
With shelters and motel rooms already full, people living rough have few ways to keep warm when temperatures drop.
Programs serving the Champlain Valley and Northeast Kingdom will run out of funds by early December, the Vermont Head Start Association said.
We live in uncertainty as the federal government shutdown continues. The real worry is for the 63,000 low-income Vermonters who rely on 3SquaresVT for food. Recent changes to eligibility and ongoing questions about funding have made it harder to know what’s true. ?In moments like this, clear information and community support make all the difference.
A highlight of autumn events, including Wheels for Warmth, benefitting the Warmth Support Program administered by CVOEO and all community action agencies across Vermont.
Alisha Wescott of Burlington, Vermont, is trying to get her online nail business off the ground. In August, she started selling her own custom kits, which is why she’s spent a lot of time in John Gergely’s office, an advisor at the microbusiness development program at CVOEO.
The director of Addison Community Action said their new Industrial Avenue office will help them better address community needs.
CVOEO, which hosts 11 programs it says help “people meet their basic needs, achieve economic independence, and grow a future in which we all thrive,” is holding an open house at its Addison County office next week.