MIDDLEBURY / CORNWALL — Safeco Insurance recently announced that Dewitt-Blake Insurance Agency in Cornwall was named a 2019 Change Agent and was awarded $2,000 to donate to Charter House Coalition in Middlebury. The Charter House Coalitions is a nonprofit dedicated to serving meals to those who are hungry, finding housing for individuals and families who need shelter, and providing a sense of community and opportunity for personal growth for all who enter their open door.
The Safeco Insurance Change Agents program recognizes independent agents who have made a difference through their volunteer efforts with local nonprofits in the areas of animal welfare, community safety, food insecurity, supporting troops and veterans, and education. Small, everyday steps can have a big impact on local communities.
After watching his son experience addiction and homelessness, Randy Martin of Dewitt-Blake Insurance Agency, began volunteering with the Charter House Coalition three years ago. He spends his Sundays preparing meals for residents of the house and serves them the following Monday. The awarded $2,000 will enable the Charter House Coalition to provide an additional 5,000 meals each year and extend their shelter hours during the summer.
Based on the social media attention their charitable efforts garnered related to ending hunger, Martin and Dewitt-Blake Insurance was one of two winners selected nationwide for a Change Agent award. Agents were selected by submitting photos of their volunteerism, from which 10 finalists were chosen by Safeco. A Facebook album was then created and the public was invited to vote. The two agents who received the most likes and comments on their photos were recognized nationally as Change Agents.
It is noteworthy that the only agency that got more votes was from a much larger metropolitan area.
“The Change Agents program recognizes agents’ passion projects to support causes and organizations that are meaningful to them,” said Lisa Edwards, Safeco Insurance Vermont Territory Manager. “These independent agents serve as trusted advisors to help people protect what matters most while impacting their local communities.”
Charter House Coalition began in 2005 when a few concerned community members realized there was a critical need for food and emergency housing within Addison County. The desire to help proved to be contagious and the Community Suppers and the Pleasant Street Community Housing were born a few months later. Community suppers serve free, warm and nutritious meals year-round, often serving 250 meals on-site or as takeout. Charter House Coalition now has nine programs focused on essential services to benefit those in our community in need of food, housing or social interaction. To find out more, or to help in our work, visit charterhousecoalition.org.