HOPE Holiday Shop spreads cheer

The shop provides free holiday gifts and ensures there are presents under the tree for Addison County families.

Area schools and nonprofits were working overtime this week to gather extra food for low-income families who faced suspension of their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits due to the federal government shutdown.

Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects, a Middlebury-based nonprofit, is starting to feel the strain from increasing assistance requests from low-income folks who’ve exhausted other aid outlets.

As the same time that Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects (HOPE) is fielding a growing number of requests for food, clothing and other necessities, the Middlebury nonprofit is also readying its annual Holiday Shop and food boxes to ensure area folks in nee … (read more)

The 2023 Vermont Waste Composition Study conducted by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation concluded that textiles grew as a portion of Vermont’s aggregated municipal solid waste (MSW), from 4.2% in 2018 to 6.5% in 2023.

Hunger in Addison County is reaching historic proportions, according to Jeanne Montross, longtime leader of the Middlebury nonprofit known as Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects, or HOPE.

Two local organizations are teaming up to tackle food security in Addison County and provide more residents with fresh, locally grown produce. 

The headquarters of Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects (HOPE) at 282 Boardman St. in Middlebury will be extra busy through the end of this year, as the agency makes sure a record number of local families in need are fed and have gifts to open during the h … (read more)

The fine furniture in question was recently acquired from Middlebury’s Woodware by former Vermont Coffee Company owner Paul Ralston and his spouse Deb Gwinn, who a few years ago established a philanthropic entity called “Little Village Enterprises” to hel … (read more)

MIDDLEBURY — Inflation, housing instability and the rising costs of fuel have all contributed to unprecedented use of the Middlebury food shelf at Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects (HOPE) this summer. And record rainfall this summer is taking a toll on s … (read more)

On behalf of everyone at HOPE — staff, constituents, board — a hearty thank you to the fabulous women who once again ran our holiday shop.

Ms. Schmidt’s letter provoked some discussion at HOPE and staff have agreed that next year, our tags with gift suggestions will only be according to age categories. Genders won’t be listed.

The non-profit Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects (HOPE) wants to make sure everyone can share a spot at the dinner table and Christmas tree.

It’s a move that could significantly add to the local waste stream and create issues for some of the area’s other clothing resale shops.

Thanks to a grant-funded refrigerator on wheels, HOPE will increasingly be able to bring food to hungry, transportation-challenged people — especially those in the rural fringes of the county who are homebound, frail and elderly.