Hundreds of elder Northeast Kingdom residents are receiving emergency “Blizzard Bags” of shelf-stable food and beverages thanks to a joint project from the NEK Council on Aging (NEKCOA), Passumpsic Bank, Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH), and North Country Hospital (NCH). Each “Blizzard Bag” is filled with a one-day supply of emergency food and beverage. The Passumpsic Bank coordinated funding of the project with their hospital partners and the bags are distributed to NEK Council on Aging home delivered meal recipients.
The Blizzard Bag partnership with the NEK Council on Aging and Passumpsic Bank started in 2017 when the existing Council’s emergency food bag program was threatened due to budgetary constraints. Passumpsic Bank reached out to the Council to help. They partnered with NVRH to coordinate the first Blizzard Bag packing party. It was held at the hospital with volunteers from Passumpsic Bank, NVRH, and the NEKCOA.
“Supporting our communities is the cornerstone of who Passumpsic Bank is and the Blizzard Bag project is a great example of what local organizations can accomplish when they work together to solve a problem, said Stacy Allen, Marketing Assistant of Passumpsic Bank. “We are proud to be a partner in this project that ensures seniors receive food in the event weather prevents a hot meal from being delivered.”
NVRH’s Food Services Manager and Plant Operation team facilitated the ordering and delivery of the shelf-stable food and beverages that were delivered to the NEKCOA St. Johnsbury office. Staff from Passumpsic Bank volunteered to pack an estimated 450 bags for distribution to home-delivered meal recipients via 14 NEKCOA meal site partners.
“NVRH recognizes that collaboration is the lynchpin for addressing local needs, especially food insecurity, which is prevalent in the NEK,” states Diana Gibbs, VP of Marketing and Community Health Improvement. “Blizzard Bag distribution has become a well-coordinated effort year after year, representative of the passion and commitment of area partners, such as Passumpsic Bank, North Country Hospital, and the NEK Council on Aging, to ensure emergency food access for our most vulnerable residents.”
The program has grown to include North Country Hospital and meal site partners in the northern NEK.
“This is the third year North Country Hospital has joined in with the purchase of food for the Blizzard Bag distribution,” added Wendy Franklin, Director of Communications and NCH Foundation. “We appreciate that with the coordination of our community partners, elder residents of Orleans County are also receiving these emergency food bags.”
“We are grateful that we can come together to provide support for the nutritional needs of NEK residents,” said Meg Burmeister, Executive Director of the NEKCOA. “The need remains great for our elder NEK friends and neighbors with the increased costs of food and fuel.”
