The Citizen - 10-06-22

Residents ask selectboard to crack down on speeders

COREY MCDONALD

Jim Faulkner, Charlotte’s selectboard chair, got a call recently from a resident that one the town’s radar speed signs on Hines burg Road wasn’t working.

The device, the caller said, “works OK, but if you go over 70 miles per hour it doesn’t register anything.”

“He was doing 70 and wanted to tell me that speed cart was no good,” Faulkner said.

Charlotte has a speeding problem — on

Route 7; on Greenbush Road, where driv ers frequently fly along the residential road at 40 to 50 mph; and on Hinesburg Road, where the Charlotte Community School operates without a designated school zone.

With no police force in Charlotte, drivers generally face little consequence for break ing traffic laws. It’s been an issue in town for years, residents say, but now, a group of 36 residents along Greenbush Road are call ing for action.

See

School community deals with homophobic slur

Incident occurred at CVU field hockey game

COREY MCDONALD

WRITER

A homophobic slur levied at Champlain Valley Union field hockey players during a game in Manchester — an incident that students say is all too common not just at opposing games but within their own community — is adding greater weight to the district’s recent equity audit and its work surrounding diversity and inclusion.

The incident occurred during a game at Burr and Burton Academy Sept. 14, where a student watching the game yelled a homopho bic slur against one of the CVU players.

District officials said the incident was immediately addressed. The Vermont Prin

cipals Association, following a year that saw numerous acts of ugly fan behavior, recently adopted a zero-tolerance policy against such behavior at sporting events, including ejec tion, forfeiture and the removal of fans from the stands.

After the incident, CVU student and field hockey player Miranda Oppenheimer wrote a letter condemning hate speech and asked her community to address “an environment that condones homophobia, sexism, racism, ableism and many other forms of hate.”

“This community loves to preach inclu sivity and acceptance of all backgrounds and identities, but this message is often lost in

See EQUITY on page 3

Touchdown

PHOTO BY AL FREY

Ollie Cheer makes the grab in a game against Hartford Saturday. CVU won

roundup

PHOTO BY LEE KROHN

the halls of our schools as slurs are thrown around like slang, etched into the walls of bathroom stalls and whispered among friends at sporting events, or just screamed loud and proud with no repercus sions following,” the letter reads.

“We as a team will not contin ue to let unnecessary hate seep through the cracks in our schools. We cannot continue to let hurtful actions be praised or condoned. We must hold people accountable for their actions and lack or repercus sions is an implicit acceptance of this behavior,” Oppenheimer said.

The incident and the equity audit both mark a watershed moment of sorts for the district, which for years has tried to address diversity, equity and inclusion but only recently has begun take it seri ously.

“As students, we can push for change and we can attempt to make change happen,” Oppenheimer said. “But in the end, it’s really their job to make our community more just.”

Rocky start

Less than three months through the 2021 school year, half of the Champlain Valley School District’s diversity, equity and inclusion team had resigned. The district’s diversi ty, equity and inclusion team had less than a dozen team members and was without a director.

Diversity coaches cited burn out and a lack of support for their work from top district officials. But it appeared to come to a head last year when a former coach, Chris tina Deeley, told district officials at a November 2021 board meet ing that Charlotte Central School officials “attempted to control DEI work, (and) handpick their new DEI coach, circumventing a process that gives access to all faculty and staff.”

“This raised serious concerns for our team. The principal’s subse quent attack of the women of color leading this work was completely unacceptable,” she said at the meet ing. “When Superintendent (Rene) Sanchez refused to bring these actions to account or to require an equitable and transparent process in the selection of new coaches, I made the decision to resign.”

Fast forward to Sept. 20 when Sanchez publicly acknowledged the district’s handling of the team’s complaints “caused emotional workplace harm for the DEI coach es.”

“The district, including myself, failed in its role as an arbiter between its employees and admin istration,” he said. “The CVSD administrators’ actions could be seen as retaliatory toward some of its employees. Due to this regret table series of events, the district has learned how to better prevent harm that could be perpetrated on

students, or employees — particu larly those with marginalized iden tities.”

It was a “fitting” way to begin the night, Sanchez said. School district officials would then hear from team members from Mass Insight, which conducted an equity audit that found that historically marginalized groups — students with individual education plans, students who qualify for free or reduced lunch and nonwhite students — are not achiev ing comparably high outcomes compared to their peers.

The audit has provided “a foun dation” to really begin the district’s work, said Dr. Asma Abunaib, the district’s diversity, equity and inclusion DEI director, who started with the district in June and is the third person to take on the role in two years.

“I have a team, and I have enough time as a full-time direc tor,” she said. “(The district) valued the position, you can feel the lead ership is very welcoming to us.”

At CVU, teachers every Wednesday hold an equitable prac tices team meeting, where more than 50 teachers and staff before the school day discuss equitable practices for the students, principal Adam Bunting said.

“I think there are a lot of ways in which our community members are insulated to experiencing our full community,” he said. “It’s one of the gifts of working in a school because you do get to see every one. There are times where people are surprised that we have students in some real situations of poverty in our district, and just they aren’t aware of it.”

Bunting, in an email address ing the incident at Manchester, told field hockey players that their “courage has already inspired change, including increased

professional development, a new athletic co-curricular policy and plans for class meetings or assem blies to look at the impact of discriminatory language.”

Students want a voice

But for students, the district’s diversity, equity and inclusion work still falls short and has yet to fully include the district’s students in the work.

The district’s Student Justice Alliance, Mass Insight team members said, have been driving the conversation for years. They pushed to raise a Black Lives Matter Flag in 2019 and organized the first districtwide Pride event in 2021.

But “what’s difficult for students is to realize that much of the work the (DEI team) is conducting, we don’t know about,” Zoe Zoller, a CVU student and a member of the student alliance, said.

“We have many student leaders and many activists and sometimes it can feel as if we work harder than maybe the administration does, and we push for more things that they don’t make happen,” Oppenheimer said.

More work should be done in conjunction with faculty and students, Zoller said, and by “putting students in DEI commit tee meetings as a student voice, not only the change that the students want to see will happen, but also the change that is imperative.”

“I do believe that the DEI team is working hard to solve these problems, but the work is nowhere near done,” Zoller said. “I, among others, believe there isn’t the sense of urgency that is, without a doubt, necessary at this moment but also for the years to come. I think that students at CVU as a whole also believe that.”

For adult programs, contact Rachel Matthews at rachel@ carpentercarse.org. For youth events, jen@carpentercarse.com.

Masks required indoors. Access the catalog here at ccl.kohavt.org. Email library@carpentercarse.org or call 802-482-2878 to request an item.

Library hours are Mondays and Saturdays 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and Tues day through Friday 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Weekly Lego club

Wednesdays, Oct. 12 and 19, 2:15-3:30 p.m.

Students in kindergarten through fourth grade complete in a STEM challenge using Legos.

Pajama Storytime

Friday, Oct. 7, 6:15-7 p.m.

For babies, toddlers, preschool

News from Carpenter-Carse Library

ers and big kids who still enjoy hearing stories before bed. Get into your jammies and grab a snuggly stuffed friend and head to the library for cozy stories, sooth ing songs and bedtime snacks. No registration required.

‘Art of the Decoy’

Tuesday, Oct. 12, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

This informal group meets on the second Wednesday of each month. The pick for October is “Art of the Decoy” by Trish Esden.

Reserve a copy with Rachel, rachel@carpentercarse.org.

Wild edible plants

Friday, Oct. 14, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Abenaki artist Carol Billings

Mcgranaghan will lead this freeform discussion centering on the identification, care and use of

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wild edible plants. To RSVP email rachel@carpentercarse.org.

Nature walk & book talk

Saturday, Oct. 15, 2-3 p.m.

Join the librarians from Carpen ter-Carse, Charlotte and Pierson libraries for a recurring local hike and a book discussion, starting with Rebecca Solnit’s “A Field Guide to Getting Lost.” Meet in the parking lot at Shelburne Farms. Contact your home library to pick up a copy of the book.

Braver Angels

Sunday, Oct. 16, 2:30-5:30 p.m.

Do you find that communica tion breaks down over political disagreements with friends, family or neighbors? Braver Angels is committed to helping people to address these tendencies and to cultivate skills that foster construc tive engagement across our differ

ences. Sponsored by the Charlotte Library. To register, visit: shorturl. at/gHSYZ.

Monthly craft club

Friday, Oct. 21, 3:14-4:30 p.m.

For students in grades two to five. Each month learn about and create a different seasonal craft, discussing seasonal book recom mendations and activities, and enjoying a snack with cocoa. Sign up at jen@carpentercarse.org or stop by the circulation desk.

‘Frankenstein in Baghdad’

Tuesday, Oct. 25, 7-8 p.m.

This informal group meets virtually on the last Tuesday of each month. The pick for October is “Frankenstein in Baghdad” by Ahmed Saadawi.

Film club interest meeting

Thursday, Oct. 27, 6:30-8 p.m.

Local film buff Larry Parker is

looking to lead a film club. This first meeting will be for introduc tions and to gauge folks’ areas of interest. Popcorn will be served.

Champlain Valley school officials seek community input

Guest Perspective

Angela Arsenault Rene Sanchez

What do you envision for Champlain Valley School District and its schools?

What constitutes a “good” education? How important are athletics and extracurriculars to a child’s school experience? Who benefits from learning outdoors?

These and many more ques tions are on our mind as the Champlain Valley School District embarks on a seven-month jour ney to map out its mission and vision for the next five years.

The strategic planning process

began last spring with the district’s administration and board of direc tors doing some preliminary work, then lifted off in September with the initial meeting of the steering committee. The goal is to present a final plan to the school board for adoption in March 2023.

As it says on the strategic plan ning page of the district website: “A strategic plan is the vehicle that allows an organization to look at its future. Through visioning, developing a mission, examining core values, and setting achievable goals, the district moves toward the attainment of school improve ment.”

The Champlain Valley School District values and invites all

members of the community to participate in this process and to help identify our shared values and priorities. We hope to hear from folks who have students in our schools, as well as those who don’t.

We also want to hear from students, employees, local busi ness and government leaders. Our plan for the next five years will be stronger and smarter with a diver sity of voices working together on its creation.

In years past, the school district has invited community members to engage in the budget develop ment process. This year, we’re combining that work with the stra tegic planning process. Everything

you share with us — whether through a survey or at a commu nity forum — will inform both the budget and the strategic plan.

There will be three strategic planning commu nity forums:

• Thursday, Oct. 13: CVU library, 6-8 p.m.

DVF

Jess

Boutique

Fall

Diane Von Furstenberg

forums or would like to contribute thoughts in another way, take this survey at bit.ly/CVSDOct22.

We want to hear

from students, employees, and local business and government leaders.

• Saturday, Oct. 15: Willis ton Central School Community Room, 9:3011:30 a.m.

• Monday, Oct. 17: Pierson Library, Shelburne, 9-11 a.m.

If you can’t attend any of the

The survey takes about eight minutes to complete and will be open through October.

We look forward to incor porating your ideas and sugges tions into this exciting work.

Angela Arsenault is the Champlain Valley School District’s board chair and Rene Sanchez is superintendent of the school system.

STOWE FOLIAGE FESTIVAL ARTS

October

Stowe, VT, is the place to experience the classic New England Autumn, and the Stowe Foliage Arts Festival is the perfect destination. Enjoy exquisite Art and fine Craftwork from over 150 juried Fine Artists and Artisans, live music and other entertainment, great food, draft beer, wine, and demonstrations of traditional craftwork. Make time to enjoy the great outdoors this Autumn, and visit the Stowe Foliage Arts Festival. At Topnotch Field, 3420 Mountain Road, Stowe, VT. Fri, Sat & Sun 10am - 5pm.

Sustainable Charlotte, library screen ‘Migration’

Sustainable Charlotte and the Charlotte Public Library have teamed up for a screen ing of “Migration,” Wednesday, Oct. 12, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at the library.

“Migration” immerses viewers in the arduous journey Dukha reindeer herders embark on each year traveling through Mongolia’s pristine wilderness to reach their summer encampment.

“Reindeer get restless and begin to move on to other pastures. When they start moving, we follow,” explained nomad Tsetsegmaa.

To the Dukhas of Mongolia, reindeer are the core of their existence. They are ridden, packed with goods, milked and, when needed, honored and sacrificed for food.

The filmmaker, Sas Carey, will be on hand.

Registration required at sustainablechar lottevt.org.

Town wide property reappraisal starts in Charlotte

Charlotte begins a town wide property reappraisal this month.

The town has contracted with New England Municipal Resource Center to update property data and calculate new fair market values by April 1.

Beginning in October, the center’s staff will start a review of all properties, which will include a physical visit to each proper ty. The review will verify and correct physi cal data and take new exterior photos.

COURTESY PHOTO

New paintings by Vermont-based artist Jessica Scriver are on display through Oct. 29 at the Furchgott Sourdiffe Gallery in Shelburne. Scriver’s new paintings in mixed media explore shapes, patterns, textures and colors as if they were living entities constantly morphing, expanding and even moving beyond their borders of confinement. Above, “If You Go to Paris, You May Still Not Find It,” Jessica Scriver, mixed media on birch panel.

Properties will be reviewed road by road. All property owners will receive a yellow postcard in the mail letting them know when staff will be looking at properties on certain roads.

Call or email the Charlotte assessor’s office with questions or concerns at assessor@townofchar lotte.com or 802-425-3533, ext. 210.

Senior center hosts Monday Munch

The next Monday Munch at the Charlotte Senior Center is Oct. 10, 212 Ferry Road, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The meal features fall harvest soup, green salad and oatmeal carmelitas.

A $5 donation is appreciated.

The menu for Oct. 17 will feature a Mexican feast and frost ed pumpkin squares. On Oct. 24, enjoy spaghetti Bolognese with beef, caesar salad, garlic bread and pumpkin pie with whipped cream. The munch on Oct. 31 features assorted sandwiches, potato salad and pumpkin pie cupcakes.

Check the website in case of last-minute cancellations at char lotteseniorcentervt.org.

Register ahead for Age Well meals

The Age Well meal pickup for Thursday, Oct. 13, is from 10-11 a.m., Charlotte Senior Center, 212 Ferry Road, and features chicken cacciatore, wheat rotini, peas and carrots, wheat bread with butter, strawberry shortcake with cream and milk.

You must have pre-registered by Monday, Oct. 10, with Kerrie Pughe, 802-425-6345 or kpughe@ charlotteseniorcentervt.org

The meal on Thursday, Oct. 20 — register by Oct. 17 — pork cutlet, brown gravy, mashed pota toes, diced beets, mini wheat hamburger roll with butter, water melon and milk.

The meal on Thursday, Oct. 27 — register by Oct. 24 — features beef steak, barbecue sauce, Ital ian rice risotto with diced toma toes, Italian vegetables with black beans, wheat bread with butter, berry crisp with cream and milk.

Check the website for last-min ute cancellations at charlottese niorcentervt.org.

Red Cross hosts blood drive in Charlotte

The American Red Cross holds a blood drive on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2-7 p.m., at the Charlotte Senior Center

Call 800-RED-CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org and enter char lotte to schedule an appointment.

Grab and go meal in Shelburne Oct. 11

Age Well and St. Catherine’s of Siena Parish in Shelburne are teaming up to provide a meal to go for anyone age 60 and older on Tuesday Oct. 11.

The meal will be available for pick up in the parking lot at 72 Church St. from 11 a.m.-noon.

The menu is chicken caccia tore, wheat rotini, peas & carrots, wheat bread with butter, strawber ry shortcake with cream, and milk.

To order a meal contact Sheryl Oberding at soberding@yahoo. com or 802-825-8546.

The deadline to order is Thurs day, Oct. 6.

Bone Builders comes to senior center

RSVP Bone Builders, a program of United Way of North west Vermont, comes to the Char lotte Senior Center on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 11 a.m.-noon.

This is a no-impact, weight-training program designed to prevent and even reverse the negative effects of osteoporosis in older adults. Bone Builders consists of a warmup, balance exercises, arm and leg exercises, and a cool down with stretching.

It’s free and no registration is required.

Book store offers ‘Spooky Tales’

A performance of “Spooky Tales,” Vermont stories acted out by actors Mark Nash and Kathryn Blum will be held Saturday, Oct. 15, 7 p.m., Bridgeside Books, 29 Stowe St., Waterbury.

A story Kathleen McKinley Harris, “The Secret of the House Highest on the Hill Near the Diggins,” is one of the tales to be performed. The story is based on a real experience she had as a child on a property in Hyde Park.

The Diggins is how Vermont ers referred to the work done on the Green River land.

Mark Nash, Kathryn Blum and Kathleen McKinley Harris all live in Charlotte.

Tickets for the performance are available in the bookstore or online. Doors open at 6 p.m.

PR firm welcomes new associate director

Whitney Coombs Bowden has joined Charlotte-based public relations firm Junapr as associate director.

Bowden will focus on some of the firm’s key Vermont-based clients, including Vermont Law and Graduate School.

Previously, Bowden was the director of business development at Greater Burlington Industrial Corp. and marketing director for Kelly Brush Foundation. She has worked with agencies, resorts and non-profit organizations.

Bowden graduated from Dart mouth College with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies.

Bowden resides in South Burl ington with her husband, Seth, and dog, Pepper.

Fall

design estate

The b est lo cal g uide to home, desig n, real estate and gardening

How to help wild bumblebee queens overwinter

LAURA JOHNSON UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT EXTENSION

Wild bees are important pollinators for crops, gardens and wild plants. In Vermont there are over 350 types of wild bees, including 17 different species of bumble bees.

Bumblebees are efficient pollinators that are especially important for spring crops, such as early blooming berries and tree fruits. But by late fall, a colony that may range in size from 50-500 bees will have all died except for a single new queen.

As with all bees, the queens depend on pollen, nectar, clean water and safe nesting sites for survival, all of which are limited resources in our managed landscapes. In addition, there is strong competition among species for these resources.

Transform

Queen bees will be one of the first visitors of spring crops, hungry after a long winter. To help them survive the winter, here are some things gardeners and landowners can do. Leave blooms standing until the first hard frost. To gain enough body mass for winter survival, bees require a lot of pollen and nectar. Leaving plants up as far into the fall as possible, ideally until they are killed by frost, provides a good source of both.

nesting sites for bumblebees. Maybe all those voles tunneling through your land scape have a saving grace?

Consider reduced mowing and avoid cutting back ornamental bunch grasses. Don’t rake up fallen leaves and skip the winter brush pile burn party. All these provide great rodent burrow materials and locations where bumblebee queens can nest during winter months.

Consider conserving historical structures on your land or cultivate new habitat by taking rocks picked from your property to make a rock pile where bumblebee queens can nest.

Man-made structures can also become wild habitat. Whether it’s your 1800s stone wall remi niscent of New England sheep farming, an old foundation or your new $30,000 retaining wall, each provides protec tive cracks and crevices where bumblebees can find shelter.

Consider conserving historical structures on your land or cultivate new habitat by taking rocks picked from your property to make a rock pile where bumblebee queens can nest as they enter diapause, a state of dormancy, for the winter.

Offering pollen, nectar and water sources late into the fall and abundant and diverse undisturbed shelters for nests will help ensure each queen’s survival and early season pollination services next spring.

Established rodent burrows are known

Laura Johnson is the University of Vermont Extension pollinator support specialist.

PHOTO BY LAURA JOHNSON

They’ve filed a petition that “implores the Select Board to act to enforce the traffic laws on our street in response to ongo ing community concern about the challenges dangerous drivers pose to safe automotive, pedestri an and bicycle travel within our neighborhood.”

“As far as I’m aware, this has been an ongoing conversation for 30 years in this village” but “it seems to have really hit a crescen do recently, since the pandemic began, and there’s much higher traffic coming through the roads in Vermont with our population changes and our travel increases,” said Carla Hunter, a Greenbush Road resident.

“Please, we need meaning ful change,” she said. “We need action.”

The selectboard is already pressing to make changes to Hinesburg Road and will likely vote to designate part of the road a 25-mph school zone at their next selectboard meeting. They will also add signage along the road and will mark the asphalt but are still deciding whether to install flashing lights.

“A little more work needs to be done on that,” Faulkner said. “That’s something we have to

coordinate with the neighbors as well, because they may not want a flashing light in their kitchen.”

Selectboard member Frank Tenney added: “You’re going to have other people that are going to say, ‘I don’t want that flashing light outside my house.’ Those are the concerns we have to look at. Hopefully, everybody in town is willing to give a little and allow us to have flashing lights.”

The town also plans on reach ing out to the state and to Chit tenden County regarding traffic safety on Route 7. Town admin istrator Dean Bloch told the selectboard that he is talking to the Chittenden County Region al Planning Commission about conducting a traffic study.

He also said he would check in with the Chittenden County Sher iff’s Department to “see if they can provide any person power to traffic enforcement in town.”

Charlotte contracts with Vermont State Police for law

Restoring

enforcement services, but troop ers are only called to Charlotte when there’s a call for service and do not routinely patrol the town.

“We’re got rural roads and no police,” selectboard member Lewis Mudge said. “We have the state police, and we also sometimes get police from other municipalities to come, but at the end of the day this is why we need to take these mitigating effects.”

The issue has reached a tipping point for some residents throughout the town.

“I think you guys need to get serious about how to solve the problem of speeding in the town,” Eric Finley, a Greenbush Road resi dent, said. “I know that when I drive into Shelburne, if I go over the speed limit, I’m going to get pulled over. In Charlotte, no one really cares because there’s no one looking. There’s no one checking the speed of anybody in this town.”

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“As far as I’m aware, this has been an ongoing conversation for 30 years in this village.”

— Carla Hunter

Amid inflation, hunger helpers feed hundreds

TOMMY GARDNER STAFF WRITER

Although the pandemic-era scenes of massive food drives organized by literal armies at high schools and airports around Vermont are a thing of the past, something quieter and bigger has replaced it: the popula tion of people still needing help getting food.

It’s unclear sometimes if there are more hungry people or if the stigma of availing oneself to food shelves and other public health organizations is simply eroded amid the pandemic. As the cost of living goes up, so do visits, and so does the economic variety of visitors.

South Burlington Food Shelf direc tor Peter Carmolli said September was the Dorset Street pantry’s busiest month ever. The organization opened three years ago, so most of its existence has been in trouble some times for food insecurity — a global pandemic replaced by worldwide inflation and supply shortages.

Instead of succumbing to viruses or

In the most recent monthly email news letter sent out Oct. 1, Carmolli said the South Burlington Food Shelf had 243 customers in the 14 days it was open in September. In the last week of the month, there were 49 customers, of which four were new visitors.

The Shelburne Food Shelf is also some what new, opening at the end of 2015.

According to its website, it serves between 80 and 90 Shelburne households a month.

During the height of the pandemic, the orga nization delivered and custom-packed orders for about 130 households a month.

The Hinesburg Food Shelf illustrates the hidden need for food help. According to director Jeff Glover, visits to the food shelf were lower during the height of the pandem ic than they have been in recent months. He said things started picking up in August, and he expects to keep adding another eight to 10 families a month going forward through the holidays, the busiest times for food shelves everywhere.

“There’s something about hunkering down for Christmas or the winter season, and the storehouses need to be filled, so all of a sudden, people will start coming back to the food shelf to get the food that might help

He said financial help such as the series of

At a glance: local food shelves

shelves in southern Chittenden

• South Burlington: southburlingtonfoodshelf.org

Shelburne: shelburnefoodshelf.org

Charlotte: charlotteucc.org

• Hinesburg: hinesburgresource.org

checks that millions of people received from the federal government was often spent at the grocery store, instead of being used to pay a utility bill, rent or a car payment. Now, that money’s all gone, and food is more expen sive.

“Ideally, I would have always hoped they would have come to the food shelf all along,” Glover said. “But I think that, overall, maybe they just decided they would like to be the average family, and not have to come. They’re coming back now, and they’re kind of storing up for the winter, and things are back to normal.”

Getting hungrier

A study conducted earlier this year by researchers at the University of Vermont and the University of Maine, interviewing rough ly 1,000 people — 415 Vermonters — found that the prevalence of food insecurity this past spring “remains similarly high to early points in the pandemic (35 percent overall), likely driven by inflation and food prices, and long-term impacts from the pandemic.”

Other findings:

• 62 percent of respondents — and 90 percent of food-insecure respondents — said recent food cost increases affected their food purchasing.

• One-third used food assistance programs in the previous 12 months.

• Two-thirds did some sort of home food production, such as gardening, raising animals, foraging or hunting, and half of that cohort were doing so for the first time.

• Nearly 40 percent of food insecure respondents ate fewer fruits and vegetables in the past year.

• Half of the respondents faced a health care challenge.

• More than half indicated anxiety or depression, with 17 percent of those people newly diagnosed in the past year.

One survey respondent said they lost their job due to COVID-19 complications, but even before that, was missing so much work that the paychecks weren’t enough to live on.

“The huge increase in food (prices) made it that much harder to get groceries and though my daughter had the items she eats, I would often go without meals due to not being able to buy more than my daughter’s food,” the respondent said. “I haven’t eaten my daughter’s food items so as to make sure she always had enough.”

Carrie Stahler, government and public affairs officer at the Vermont Foodbank, said food shelves always see more visitors in hard economic times.

“Food insecurity is just a really tangible symptom of greater economic insecurity,” Stahler said.

Helping the helpers

Food shelves thrive on partnerships, and they all lean on the Foodbank for support, while also looking locally, whether for grocery store donations, food drives by orga nizations or individual donations of food, money or both.

Trader Joe’s donated 881 pounds of items to the South Burlington Food Shelf last month, and another 827 pounds came from other community members, from

CVU moves to 4-1 after tight gridiron matchup

LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT

Football

Champlain Valley 31, Hart ford 19: Champlain Valley held off Hartford for the win in a tight matchup on Saturday afternoon in high school football.

Alex Provost had two touch downs, a 26-yard TD catch and a

42-yard TD catch, which helped CVU clinch the win.

Max Destito threw for 122 yards and two touchdowns, while Ollie Cheer added one on a touch down pass. Jack Sumner caught a 21-yard pass for a score and Billy Bates added a rushing TD.

Aidan Morris kicked a 27-yard field goal with just over three minutes remaining to put the game out of reach for Hartford.

CVU moves to 4-1.

Boys’ soccer

Champlain Valley 4, Colchester 2: The boys soccer remained undefeated with a win over Colchester Friday, Sept. 30.

Zach Spitznagle tallied a hat trick for the Redhawks (5-0).

Dylan Bokan added a goal, while Lucas Kelley, Nck Menard, Tom Roberts and Eli Marden all had

assists.

Evan Statton made one save to earn the win in goal.

Girls’ soccer

Champlain Valley 5, St. Johnsbury 0: Chloe Pecor’s goal outburst led Champlain Valley to a win Monday, Oct. 3.

Pecor scored four goals for the Redhawks, while Lily O’Brien added the other CVU tally. Zoe

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Klen, Stella Dooley, Zoe Zoller and Erin Fina each chipped in with an assist.

Emma Alllaire earned the shutout in goal. CVU moves to 6-0-1.

The Redhawks also got a win on Saturday, Oct. 1, beating Burl ington 4-1.

Klein had a hat trick in the win, while Pecor added a goal and Allaire stopped eight.

PHOTO BY AL FREY CVU’s Dylan Frere runs the ball in Saturday’s win against Hartford.

HONOR

FOOD SHELVES

churches, farms and the library, according to Carmolli. That’s about par for the course and will help shore up reserves during the cold months, he said.

Peggy Sharpe, the secretary for the Charlotte Food Shelf, noted that food isn’t the only thing people need help with. To that end, her organization does things like a clothing drive — currently happen ing — or a backpack donation program for students. Sharpe said the food shelf also distributes gas cards and helps set people up with fuel assistance for their homes.

The Shelburne shelf has, since 2017, made sure kids don’t go hungry during the summer, when school is out of session, with weekly summer food program for children.

The Charlotte Food Shelf is now housed in the basement of the Charlotte Congregational Church,

which makes it tough to go up and down the stairs with food deliver ies, both incoming from donations and grocery purchases. Also, Sharpe said the church could use the space, and she is grateful for its use.

“Our community really serves the food shelf very well,” she said. “They always have, and they continue to.”

Glover said Lantman’s Market in Hinesburg donates turkeys for the Thanksgiving baskets — and the local Rotarians buy an extra 75 or so birds to extend into the holiday season. The fire and police departments work together for a big food drive in mid-November, right before deer season.

“We have a lot of community support helping us organize for the winter, and I’m feeling pretty posi tive about things,” Glover said.

South Burlington is fortunate

with its partnerships, and people who visit might be surprised with some of the items that come through. Carmolli said inflation has left grocers with plenty of unsold luxury items like filet mignon or swordfish that butchers and fish mongers must drastically reduce in price to move it — and frequently it lands in the food shelf freezer.

Common Roots Farm sets up a farmstand at the South Burlington Food Shelf whenever it’s open, late spring through late fall, and gives away quality produce, but also things like day-old flatbread pizzas from banquets.

Breaking stigma

Asking for help can be almost as difficult as finding it, and there was a time in the 1980s and 1990s where the image of “welfare moms” and food stamp recipients were framed

in shame, often directed by people who were more well off.

Now, everyone’s being affected by things like inflation and housing shortages, and food shelf workers say there’s far more empathy and willingness to help one’s neighbors.

“I think the way through that is to make people realize it’s just a very normal process, and we’re here to help, and when they come, it’s just about encouraging them and getting to know them personal ly, to be able to share a friendship, if you will,” Glover said. “That kind of softens the blow.”

Carmolli said the stigma has thankfully receded, and food shelf

workers just see people as people, whether they are on government assistance or, more likely, not.

Roughly 80 percent of food shelf goers are employed full-time, Carmolli said.

Budget Input Survey

“Making people feel guilty over having problems putting food on their table because they’re in some situation? That’s just criminal,” Carmolli said. “I want to make sure that me or anyone else that works at the food shelf is the personification of kindness, so that everyone who comes in, irrespective of how they look or what they do, you treat them with great respect and dignity.”

Positions include a sign on bonus, strong benefits package and the opportunity to work at one of the “Best Places to Work in Vermont”.

Take the survey to give the Selectboard feedback on some ideas for addressing priority budget areas.

Budget Input Survey

Scan the QR code with your smartphone or find the survey link at www.hinesburg.org

Take the survey to give the Selectboard feedback on some ideas for addressing priority budget areas.

Budget Input Survey

Scan the QR code with your smartphone or find the survey link at www.hinesburg.org

Take the survey to give the Selectboard feedback on some for addressing priority budget areas. Scan the QR code with your smartphone or find the survey www.hinesburg.org

Service Coordinator: Continue your career in human services in a supportive environment by providing case management for individuals either for our Adult Family Care program or our Developmental Services program. The ideal candidate will have strong clinical, organizational & leadership skills and enjoy working in a team-oriented position. $47,000 annual salary, $1,500 sign on bonus.

Residential Program Manager: Coordinate staffed residential and community supports for an individual in their home. The ideal candidate will enjoy working in a team-oriented position, have strong clinical skills, and demonstrated leadership. $45,900 annual salary, $1,500 sign on bonus.

Direct Support Professional: Provide 1:1 supports to help individuals reach their goals in a variety of settings. This is a great position to start or continue your career in human services. Full and part time positions available starting at $19/hr, $1,000 sign on bonus.

Residential Direct Support Professional: Provide supports to an individual in their home and in the community in 24h shifts including asleep overnights in a private, furnished bedroom. You can work two days, receive full benefits and have five days off each week! Other flexible schedules available, starting wage is $20/hr, $1,000 sign on bonus.

Shared Living Provider: Move into someone’s home or have someone live with you to provide residential supports. There are a variety of opportunities available that could be the perfect match for you and your household. Salary varies dependent on individual care requirements. $1,000 sign on bonus.

Join our dedicated team and together we’ll build a community where everyone participates and belongs https://ccs-vt.org/current-openings/

Make a career making a difference and join our team today! https://ccs-vt.org/current-openings/

TOWN OF HINESBURG PLANNING COMMISSION

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

The Hinesburg Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on October 26, 2022 at 7pm to receive public comment on proposed changes to the Zoning Regulations and Subdivision Regulations. The purpose is to remove outdated building energy requirements, reference State building energy standards, and strengthen solar gain design standards in new subdivisions – lot-level and buildinglevel orientation. The geographic area affected is townwide.

Copies of the proposed revisions, as well as a report on how the proposed changes comply with State Statute and the Town Plan, are available on the Town web site (www.hinesburg.org), and/or by contacting Alex Weinhagen (Director of Planning & Zoning) at the Town Office or aweinhagen@hinesburg.org or 482-4209. A list of the affected section headings follows, as required pursuant to Title 24, Chapter 117 V.S.A. Section 4444 (b).

Zoning Regulation Sections: 5.23 – Energy Standards 5.26.2(5) – Rural Area Design Standards, Energy & Solar Aspect

Subdivision Regulation Sections: 5.1.12 – Energy Conservation & Solar Access 6.12.4(5) – Design Standards for Rural Areas, General Standards

Why not have a job you love?

Buying Sports and

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ARIES

March 21 - April 20

Aries, others are counting on you this week, so you’ll need to direct all of your attention toward a special project. Don’t let distractions get in the way.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 21

Taurus, rather than wishing for something to happen, figure out a plan to make it happen. Before taking action, consult with a few close friends for guidance.

GEMINI

May 22 - June 21

Someone may come to you this week with a problem asking for your advice, Gemini. It’s tempting to react right away. However, take a few hours to mull things over.

CANCER

June 22 - July 22

Someone at work may not agree with your point of view lately. Rather than cause friction, try to look at things through this person’s perspective.

LEO

July 23 - Aug. 23

Leo, cooperation could be essential in the days and weeks ahead. This week you will benefit from being more open-minded to other people’s suggestions.

VIRGO

Aug. 24 - Sept. 22

It seems that you have been tasked with moving from one difficult situation into another one, Virgo. Find ways to set aside time strictly to unwind.

LIBRA

Sept. 23 - Oct. 23

Keep careful track of your expenses, Libra. You may find that lately you have been going a bit overboard with expenditures and not bringing in any extra money.

SCORPIO

Oct. 24 - Nov. 22

Maintain a positive outlook this week, Scorpio. Things may not go exactly according to plan, but that doesn’t make it any less successful and satisfying.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 23 - Dec. 21

Sagittarius, you may have to put others first for the next few days, particularly if you care for an elderly relative or a young child. It’s a sacrifice worth making.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22 - Jan. 20

Capricorn, let another person lead a team or spearhead a project at work, even if you have an urge to take control. You can use a break from your responsibilities.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 21 - Feb. 18

Aquarius, hands-on work not only helps save you some money, but also strengthens your skills. Think about a more DIY approach with your next project.

PISCES

Feb. 19 - March 20

Pisces, if life has been tedious and filled with analytical requirements as of late, take on a creative project that will work your brain in new ways.

CROSSWORD

ACROSS

SUDOKU

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Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

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by Efficiency Vermont

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