GM Interact Club food drive benefits Food Shelf; Whiting Library grant to help boost community

Green Mountain Interact Club donates 271 pounds of food
to Family Center

On Monday, May 3, the Green Mountain High School Interact Club delivered 271 pounds of food to the Chester-Andover Family Center Food Shelf, 908 VT Route 103 S in Chester. Collected during its April Food Drive, this assortment of shelf-stable food products will make their way into the weekly food boxes prepared for CAFC Food Shelf recipients.

Interact is Rotary International’s service club for students in middle and high school. Green Mountain’s club is sponsored by the Chester Rotary Club.

Every week, Food Shelf volunteers prepare boxes of shelf stable food items, fresh fruit and produce, dairy and meat for pick up on Thursdays and Fridays at the Food Shelf.  Residents of Chester and Andover who could benefit from supplemental food are encouraged to sign up to be a Food Shelf recipient. The only requirement is proof of residence.

For more information or to sign up, stop in at the Food Shelf during business hours, Thursdays from 1-5, and Fridays from 10-2. You can also call the center at 802-875-3236 and leave a message. Your call will be returned.

Whiting Library gets grant to boost community in Chester, Andover

Whiting Library, 117 Main St. in Chester, has been selected as one of 300 libraries nationwide to participate in Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries, an American Library Association initiative that helps library workers better serve their small and rural communities.

The competitive award comes with a $3,000 grant that will help the library conduct community outreach to better understand the needs of Chester and Andover residents. As part of the grant, Whiting Library staff will take an online course in how to lead conversations, a skill vital to library work today. The library will then host conversations with residents of Chester and Andover about the future of our area and the library’s role in creating a vibrant and connected community.

Grant funds will also allow the library to send out a community-wide survey, asking all residents to share their hopes and visions for Chester and Andover. Look for this survey in your (snail) mailbox in June.

“We are so proud to be chosen for this incredible community-building opportunity,” said Library director Deirdre Doran. “This grant will allow our library to get to know our residents better and help create the programs and services our community needs to thrive. We want to generate fresh ideas, to really dream big with these conversations and the survey, uncovering what residents consider essential to creating a healthy, vital, and connected community.”

Whiting Library is now open by appointment. To make one, call 875-2277 to set up a time to come in and enjoy in-person library services. Masks are required. Front porch pickup is still available.