In terms of food we just started something new. Our elementary school has left-over food. They've been freezing if for us, and community action volunteers have created a schedule to go pick up that food so that we can distribute it. We want to get other institutions involved besides schools.
Also, the State Agricultural Department is out doing canning workshops. I went to one of them, and it was standing room only. People were very interested. I think people are really understanding the benefits of buying and producing locally. There's also a program being promoted in Vermont called "Grow An Extra Row" so that when you plant in the spring, you plant an extra row for the food banks and shelters just to share.
Another reason I got involved in food is that I'm a two-time breast cancer survivor, so for me, I just constantly think about nutrition and food safety. So I'm really focused on buying fresh, organic, local food.
CB: That just brought to mind a different question I'd like to ask. How much of the food in Vermont schools is raised locally?
PM: I can't tell you the percentage, but there is a very big effort right now to make sure that we have local food. A couple of bills have recently been passed in the legislature that support the farm to school efforts. Even here in the Statehouse cafeteria, if you'll notice, there's a real push to make sure that we have locally-produced food. There are a lot of signs around about where foods come from. Our milk refrigerator here is stocked with Vermont milk.
CB: If we can go back to that meeting where I met you in Montpelier, it was being conducted by folks who have been organizing Button Up workshops here in Vermont. Can you tell our readers a bit about those workshops and how they were created?
PM: We have put together these Button Up workshops which are really weatherization workshops, and they have been very successful. A hundred of them were planned around the state. Ours in Berlin was particularly successful because we had a spaghetti dinner before. The focus of the workshop is to look at all the things you can do in your house, without spending lots of money, to make sure that your home is really weatherized for the winter. I think people were really surprised about things they thought they should be doing but turn out not to be the best return on investment. Now, what we want to do in Berlin is a hands-on workshop. One of our local lumber supply businesses is going to provide someone for us to actually demonstrate how to do these things-particularly for women and others who live by themselves and may not have the ability themselves and may have to have a neighbor or friend do it for them.
The other day I got a phone call from a woman who said that all she needed was her front door fixed because there was such a gap in it, and all the heat was just pouring out the front door. So through this system we have developed, we were able to get her some assistance, and somebody just volunteered their time, and went over and fixed it for her. It was very rewarding-you just make a couple of phone calls, people get on it, and get it done.
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