Like most people, we at VNRC are watching the global response to the Coronavirus pandemic with a sense of shock and deep concern — concern for our families, friends and neighbors, our communities, and for the wellbeing of every impacted person, Vermonter and beyond.

To help protect the health and safety of our staff and many partners, and slow the spread of the virus, VNRC’s and VCV’s offices will be closed this week, March 16-20.  At the end of the week we will evaluate our schedule for the coming weeks, but at this point it is very likely that the offices will remain closed until further notice.

Despite this challenge, we will continue working to address the other threats to our communities and environment. Our staff will be accessible via email and voicemail (using our office phone system, which notifies staff when they receive a message. Click here to find the relevant staff person’s phone number).  We are also evaluating how to proceed with some of the public events we have in the works and will notify you of any changes or cancellations. 

Please stay up to date with the latest VNRC news on our website and by following us on Facebook and Twitter.

In addition to the threat to our health, the pandemic threatens the economic wellbeing of the state.  We appreciate your support that will enable us to weather this storm. I hope you will also consider ways to support folks who will be struggling the most in the coming weeks — parents squeezed between the need to work and provide childcare because of closed schools, or workers laid off because the restaurant, store, or hotel they worked for has closed due to lack of business. 

We know that many communities are organizing volunteer initiatives to help neighbors, through Front Porch Forum and by other means. If you are not yet plugged into any such efforts and would like to help organizations providing basic necessities to those in need, here are some to consider:

The Vermont Food Bank is seeking monetary donations; Just Basics (Montpelier Food Pantry) is seeking delivery volunteers; the COTS shelter seeks donations of hand sanitizer and other supplies; and ANEW Place is looking for volunteers to deliver meals. Find more opportunities to volunteer and recieve aid — including childcare support when schools close — in this crowdsourced COVID-19 resource list for Vermont, organized by region.

Thank you for your support during these challenging times.