By Layla Kalinen
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
MONTPELIER, Vt. — The Vermont Community Foundation has awarded another $670,500 in grants to help individuals, businesses, farms and downtowns recover from the devastating July flooding across the state.
A new round of grants from the foundation’s Vermont Flood Response and Recovery Fund 2023 follows $330,600 in grants awarded last week. The total amount awarded from the fund now exceeds $1 million.
In a recent interview, foundation CEO Dan Smith recalled the organization’s past work for Vermonters.
“We had a really strong philanthropic response to Tropical Storm Irene 12 years ago,” he said. “And, in the COVID-19 pandemic, we raised and granted more than $10 million to support communities dealing with the circumstances of the pandemic. Now, unfortunately, we find ourselves right now gearing up our response to this storm — whatever we end up naming it — the floods and the conditions that were unleashed.”
The foundation has received $4.4 million in gifts and commitments since the requests for donations was announced on July 11. That total includes $2.8 million in gifts and $1.6 million in pledges.
The latest grants will support area nonprofits in Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, Rutland, Washington, Windham and Windsor counties.
Officials in those seven counties are helping residents of flooded mobile home parks and assisting towns as they rent dumpsters to haul away immense piles of flood-related trash and debris.
The money will also cover emergency home repairs and transitional housing. Funds also will help farmers who lost an entire season of corn, berries, cut flowers, and other products to a wave of water and mud.
The grants also will help businesses whose spaces and inventories were destroyed. It will also be used to support nonprofit organizations across the state that are working to assist survivors, including people with mental health needs, people with low incomes, and older Vermonters who rely on Meals and Wheels and other services.
“We are eager to deliver assistance as quickly as possible to people and places that need it most,” Smith said. “Through the incredible generosity of everyone who has contributed to the flood fund, we are helping people around the state with the mammoth task of recovering from this disaster. We are deeply grateful to all the people who are leaning in and stepping up to help. Together, we can bring the hope and resources needed to continue responding in the days and months ahead.”
The fund was created immediately following the torrential rains that turned large parts of the state into a mud-drenched disaster zone. In just over two weeks, donations large and small poured in from individuals, companies, Vermont music luminaries, and children running lemonade stands and “hopebox” derbies.
Money from the fund has been awarded to dozens of nonprofit organizations, with more to come in future grant awards from the fund.
Holly Morehouse, Vice President of Grants and Community Impact at the foundation, noted after round one of grants helping to clean-up debris the second round of grants will go to ground floor cleanup in the seven counties.
“This second round of grants continues to focus on getting funding out thoughtfully and quickly to communities in all of the impacted areas,” Morehouse said. “There is an added emphasis in this round on clean-up efforts with grants going to help purchase sump pumps and dehumidifiers, to bring in dumpsters for towns, and to start the cleanup of Vermont’s rivers and watersheds.
“This round also has a strong focus on food access and includes grants to provide meals for volunteers, deliver food to seniors, ensure neighbors have groceries and water, and support food shares for those who have lost access to local produce and/or culturally significant crops.” Morehouse said.
Visit vermontcf.org/floodfundstrategy for a deeper look at how the foundation plans to distribute current and future donations to the from the fund.
In the coming days and weeks, the foundation will be updating its website to include more information about the number of businesses and individuals that have generously donated to the fund.
The list of grants awarded this week from the fund are regularly updated and as additional grants are awarded, the list will be posted at vtfloodresponse.org.
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