VBSR Member News Round Up 9-4-24
Adventure Dinner: VBSR member Adventure Dinner, the woman-owned, queer-friendly events and catering company, recently moved its headquarters into a kitchen on Roosevelt Highway in Colchester. Its mission is to highlight and support Vermont farms, producers and small businesses through family-style dining and community events. By expanding its commercial kitchen to include shared tenancy rental space, Adventure Dinner can now uplift other local food businesses and help them grow — a critical community need due to an ongoing shortage of kitchen space. Learn more here.
Cabot Creamery Co-operative, VSJF: Vermont’s Agricultural Hall of Fame recently inducted its 2024 honorees during the Champlain Valley Fair – and those celebrated included VBSR members. Two Agri-Mark farmers (Agri-Mark is the dairy farmer cooperative that markets award-winning products under both Gold Member Cabot Creamery Co-operative and McCadam brands) were honored and cited for their sustainability practices. Also honored was Ellen Kahler of Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF). She was cited as an agricultural innovator who has positively impacted the Farm to Plate movement, among other accomplishments. Learn more here.
Efficiency Vermont, VEIC: Though summer is still in the air, it is never too early to start getting ready for winter – and implementing efficient ways to stay warm. That’s why the Button Up Vermont Campaign from Efficiency Vermont (a division of Champion Member VEIC) launched last week for partners. This annual campaign helps Vermont residents prepare for winter and reduce their energy bills. Supported by a partnership of energy service providers and local climate champions, the annual Button Up Vermont campaign runs each year from October through mid-November, raising awareness around the importance of weatherization. Want to be a partner this fall? Learn more here.
Local Motion: Local Motion was founded in 1999 with a singular (and improbable) goal: to get people on bikes across the mouth of the Winooski River, where the Burlington Bike Path then came to an end. Since then, they have grown to become Vermont's statewide advocate for active transportation, vibrant communities, and safe streets. You can celebrate 25 years of making it safe, accessible, and fun for everyone to bike, walk, and roll in Vermont. They are gathering on September 4th (today!) from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Community Sailing Center in Burlington to mark the anniversary (with special guest former Governor Howard Dean) while enjoying food, beverages and more. Learn more here.
Outright Vermont: Outright Vermont Executive Director Dana Kaplan recently met with Vermont Public's Jenn Jarecki to discuss the expansion of Camp Outright in Orwell. The residential summer camp for young folks aged 13 to 17 is an opportunity for them to come and experience the beauty and simplicity of summer camp – a place for young LGBTQ folks to have fun just being kids. The organization sees lots of families coming to Vermont right now based on the political and social climate that LGBTQ folks (and specifically trans youth) are facing elsewhere – and Camp Outright provides opportunity for the most marginalized of LGBTQ youth both from Vermont and beyond. Learn more here.
Vermont Arts Council: Artists and cultural workers, as well as staff and volunteers from arts and cultural organizations of all types (theaters, museums, archives, libraries, creative businesses, etc.) are encouraged to attend the upcoming Vermont Arts & Culture Disaster and Resilience Network (VACDaRN, a program of the Vermont Arts Council) Day of Learning event. Whether you are an artist, an event organizer, or a keeper of cultural artifacts and records, the VACDaRN Day of Learning (Barre, September 17) will provide inspiration, a sense of community, and practical tips for building disaster resilience. Learn more here.