Food Pantry Run by Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi Receives Grant from VEC Community Fund

Johnson, Vt – Generous members of the Vermont Electric Co-op who have chosen to support the VEC Community Fund continue to direct thousands of dollars a year into local non-profits in our region.

One of the recent Community Fund awards went to the Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi Food Pantry in Swanton. The $1,000 donation will help the food pantry purchase cereal as well as fresh fruits and vegetables for the roughly 500 clients the food pantry serves per month.

Noting that the food pantry serves Abenaki and non-Abenaki alike, Debbie Lavoie, the coordinator, recently expressed her appreciation to the VEC fund.

“Thanks to the kind donations like these, we are able to continue our mission in the fight against food insecurity in our community and surrounding communities.”

Since it made its first donation in 2015, the VEC Community Fund has sent just over $110,000 to some 140 non-profit organizations in the VEC region. The fund is supported by about 2,500 co-op members who voluntarily round up their electric bills to the nearest dollar, donate their member capital, or make one-time donations. The funds are entirely separate from money collected by VEC for electricity sales.