Green Mountain United Way Awards NSB Grants After Flood

Date: October 27, 2011
FROM: GREEN MOUNTAIN UNITED WAY
Contact: Madeleine C. Roy, Marketing Director
Tel: 802-647-2148
E-mail: mroy@gmunitedway.org

At the beginning of September, the Northfield Savings Bank (NSB) made a $100,000 donation to Green Mountain United Way (GMUW) with which they could provide funds to local non-profit organizations for immediate flood disaster relief. GMUW was named administrative agent for these funds to be distributed to applying agencies in central Vermont.

Together, GMUW and NSB developed the application, funding parameters and criteria that organizations needed to follow in order to be considered for funding. A volunteer group was named to review the applications and determine eligibility and amount of funding to be awarded.

Within approximately six weeks, grants were awarded to twenty three different organizations in Washington, Orange and northern Windsor counties ranging anywhere from $750 to $5,000 each. The funds were used by these organizations to provide gift cards to families for food, water, or gas for their vehicles; for temporary housing assistance; to replace food in local food shelves; for replacement of lost prescriptions; for the cost of dumpsters and trash removal; for mental health services; for emergency fuel assistance; for needed clothes; and, for tuition assistance for children attending after school programs.

This is one example of a very successful collaboration between the local United Way and this local financial institution. Their work together resulted in a very positive impact for many who suffered because of the flooding. Heard from the director of a local clinic was this comment, “A woman called up in tears telling us that she …had lost all her money and other possessions in the flood at one of the … trailer parks. She needed an emergency medication that could not be gotten for free from any source and now had absolutely no money to pay for anything. The NSB funding paid for the voucher we were able to send along with the prescription to meet her urgent need and prevent further involvement with the medical system.”

For more information, contact GMUW at 802-229-9532 or visit www.gmunitedway.org.