Grace Cottage Hospital hosts the Vermont Foodbank’s “VeggieVanGo” free food distribution program on the fourth Thursday of each month. The purpose of the program is to help people who cannot afford to buy enough fruits and vegetables to sustain a healthy lifestyle for themselves and their families. All are welcome and no proof of eligibility is required.
The location and time of the distribution is changing, beginning with the Thursday, April 26th event. The new time is from 12:00 – 1:00 pm. The new location is between the Family Health Center and the Wolff Outpatient Rehab building, at 185 Grafton Road. This change was necessary as the previous location in the upper lot was causing an access concern to the Emergency Department entrance.
Grace Cottage asks that all participants arrive between 12:00 – 12:45 pm (not prior) when there is less patient activity, and that all park along the street or in the lots in front of the facility, making sure not to park in handicap spaces unless handicapped. Realize that vehicles travel along Grafton Road/Route 35 in both directions regularly, so caution crossing the street is advised.
According to the Grace Cottage program administrator Jacki Brown, “Good food is good medicine. And fresh produce can be prohibitively expensive. Therefore, it is important to us to continue hosting the VeggieVanGo program here. We just need to make sure that patients and ambulances can access the hospital without interference and that the folks who come for the program get in and out efficiently and safely.”
Fresh food items generally available include potatoes, carrots, squash, kale, yogurt, apples, and the like. Participants are asked to take only what they need for their own household use and to bring reusable shopping bags or boxes to carry their items home.
For more information about VeggieVanGo at Grace Cottage, call 365-9109.
