GOOD WORKS: Otter Creek, Kids CAN Help make differences

Burlington Free Press

Monday, November 9, 2009

Otter Creek launches Facebook fundraiser for food shelf

Otter Creek Awnings, Sunrooms & Custom Closets of Williston is sponsoring the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf using Facebook to help raise awareness about hunger in the region.

For each new fan of its Facebook page, the company will give $1 to the food shelf, up to $1,000 through Dec. 1.

Rachel Moss, development and communication director of the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf, says the food shelf provides five days’ worth of groceries to families and sees about 350 people per day, while another 150 to 200 people per day visit the soup kitchen for a hot meal. The organization runs several additional programs to reach other groups, such as people with limited mobility.

“It is hard for me personally to know that even here in beautiful northwest Vermont, people do not have enough to eat,” said Otter Creek co-owner Elizabeth Warren. “Instead of simply sending our donation, we wanted to launch an effort that could reach well beyond our own company.”

Facebook users can search for the company by typing Otter Creek Awnings in the search tool at Facebook.

Kids can help feed their communities

Citizens Bank, the Burlington Free Press, Vermont Lake Monsters, Campus Kitchen and City Market partnered for the fourth year in a Kids CAN Help food drive to raise awareness about hunger in Vermont.

The campaign, which ran Oct. 12-16 at participating schools, was also a contest to see which could collect the most nonperishable items.

The winning school was Albert D. Lawton Middle School in Essex Junction, where children collected 2,430 pounds of non-perishable items — more than seven pounds per student.

The items were distributed to 170 needy families in the greater Essex Junction community.