With the rapidly changing the COVID-19 crisis, many in our community may be challenged with food insecurity, lack of access to childcare, and loss of income due to quarantine, the need to care for family members, and/or school and work closures. This is a time when we must pull together as a community and support each other.
RAD has assembled the following information in an effort to provide a list of general resources, health information, and ways for community members to help respond to this evolving situation. We appreciate your help in creating this information hub. Please contact Fronsy Thurman at fronsy@radvt.org or Shay Totten at shay@radvt.org with additional links and resources.
You can also look at our previous post on COVID-19 for more recommendations and resources.
Call Your Doctor!
If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as a cough or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider for medical advice.
GENERAL INFO
- For the most up-to-date state information, please visit: www.healthvermont.gov/covid19
- COVID-19 Vermont News Coverage and Updates
- VTDigger COVID-19 email list sign-up
- VPR Coronoavirus Briefing subscribe here
- CDC’s Get Your Community Ready for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Toolkit and resources)
- Call Vermont 2-1-1 for phone/text support
- Vermont Health Department COVID hotline: (802) 863-7240
- Contact list for local community organizers, who are coordinating community-level responses and resources.
Accessibility
- Registro para voluntarix de ayuda mutua COVID-19 en el área
- Audio transcription
- Content description information
- New Americans in Vermont – provides information related to the COVID-19 crisis in 10 languages as well as important information in simplified English that has ot been translated.
Mental Health Resources
- Crisis Textline: Text: “Home” to 741741
- http://youfeellikeshit.com/ – Website for those experiencing anxiety related to COVID-19
- Pathways Vermont Support Line: Reach out to your neighbors, connect with your chosen family, and call or text the Pathways Vermont Support Line. Open from 3 PM to 6 AM. Connect with an operator by dialing (833) VT – TALKS / (833) 888-2557
- Invest EAP: statewide non-profit serving employees and all household members. Not tied to insurance, and completely free and confidential to you. Check your or your partner’s workplace benefits for your own EAP if you do not have Invest.
- CDC Managing Anxiety and Stress with COVID 19
- Mental Health Considerations during COVID-19 Outbreak
- National Alliance Mental Illness
- Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope with the Coronavirus (Covid-19) The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Unemployment Information
- National Employment Law Project Factsheet: Unemployment Insurance Provisions in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
- Vermont-specific unemployment insurance information from the Public Assets Institute
LOCAL AND REGIONAL RESOURCES
- Generic Mutual Aid Form to be Edited for Any Community
- Copy and paste language and questions into your own Google form to collect responses at the community level.
- COVID-19 Mutual Aid-Central Vermont Facebook page
- Contact list for county-level organizers
**Note that Mutual Aid Google Forms responses can be downloaded to Excel – if any folks need help with organizing spreadsheet data by town/types of responses, contact Laura Nace at 443.558.8118 or Laurajnace@gmail.com.
Addison County
Bennington County:
Chittenden County
- Feeding Chittenden
- Volunteer babysitter program, for schools and daycare closures.
- Share a meal with neighbors experiencing homelessness at ANEW Place. They currently have a lack of meal providers and could use your help.
- BTV Quarantine delivery request
- BTV Mutual Aid Volunteer Sign-up
- Grocery Go Team
- Volunteer Sign Up Form
- Contact: gabrielle.hall.vt@gmail.com 802-735-6494
- Underhill/Jericho Residents: Delivery/Shopping Request fill out this form
- Essex Area Mutual Aid Facebook Group
- Farrell Street Community Discord – For socially distant fun and extremely local help.
Franklin and Grand Isle County
- Food Shelf & Community Action
- Champlain Islands Mutual Aid sign up
- Grand Isle County Community Action Network (C.A.N.) – Facebook Group for sharing information, resources, and opportunities to volunteer (please join the group rather than “like” the page)
Lamoille County
Northeast Kingdom (Orleans, Essex, Caledonia Counties)
- MADVT – website listing local resources
- Southern NEK Delivery Request Form
- Southern NEK Mutual Aid Sign Up
- Northern NEK Delivery Request Form
- Northern NEK Mutual Aid Sign Up
- Craftsbury Need & Volunteer Form
- Northeast Kingdom Community Action – NEKCA 1-802-334-7316 for food, fuel, utility, housing, and childcare assistance. Food shelves in Newport and Island Pond
- List of Northeast Kingdom Food Shelves
- Hardwick Area Food Pantry (802) 472-5940 hours: Monday:12pm -2pm and Thursday and Saturday:9am-11am
- Craftsbury General store (586-2440) is offering curbside pick-up, bulk buying and home delivery
- H.O.P.E Lyndonville – basic services (802) 626-3228
Orange County
- Bradford-Area COVID-19 Mutual Aid Volunteer Sign-up Form
- Thetford Emergency Management Covid-19 Information and Resources “I can help” or “I need help”
- Randolph Area Food Shelf (RAFS): Maintaining normal hours (seen below). Space is small, so asking that guidance offered by volunteers in terms of numbers of shoppers occupying the space simultaneously be taken into consideration.
- Hours: Monday, Wed, Friday 3-5 PM, Tuesdays 1-5 PM, Thursdays 5-7 PM
Rutland County
Washington County
- Berlin-Area Mutual Aid Sign-up
- Montpelier mutual Aid volunteer sign up form
- Montpelier Area Needs Request Form
- Montpelier Mutual Aid – “I can help” or “I need help”
- Worcester Neighbor Network:
- The Middlesex Town Clerk’s office is coordinating community needs support and volunteer efforts: http://middlesexvermont.org/
Windsor County
- Royalton Area Mutual Aid Volunteer Sign-up Form
- Upper Valley Mutual Aid Volunteer sign up form
- Hartland-Area Mutual Aid Volunteer Sign-up
- Capstone Community Action (https://www.capstonevt.org/) : Please note: our doors may be locked, but we are open for business.
Emergency Housing and Fuel Assistance: Starting Monday March 16th, our staff will be available to work with you over the phone. Please call: 1-800-639-1053 to schedule a call with a counselor.
Barre Food Shelf: Starting Monday, March 16th, our food shelf will begin pre-packaging bags which will be available for pick up on our loading dock, behind the building. For the time being, our MWF schedule will remain the same. You may continue to visit every 14 days, and on Tuesdays for fresh produce and bread.
Tax Assistance: Our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program will be accepting drop-offs at our Gable Place office in Barre, our Randolph office, and our Morrisville office. We will not be conducting in-person appointments at this time. Please call: 802-477-5148 to arrange a drop off, or drop off during regular business hours. If doors are locked, ring the doorbell and someone will collect your paperwork. Please bring your picture ID and social security number cards for you and your dependents, if applicable, and we will make copies.
Windham County
STATEWIDE VOLUNTEERS
- Vermont Medical Reserve Corps
- Statewide Mutual Aid Sign Up – You can sign up to just help in your own community) We are connecting folks in need of support of all kinds to those in their communities that signed up to help as well as helping some communities create their own network. We have now also added signing up to keep folks who are isolated company (virtually) and signing up to help with tutoring (virtually).
- Neighborhood-level:
- Mutual aid spreadsheet template to tailor for your neighborhood (make sure to update those in your community and in this resource doc if you are spearheading this! Great work!)
FOOD RESOURCES
- 3 SquaresVT
- Hannaford’s Grocery To-Go Order online – accepts 3SVT/EBT
- Vermont Foodbank – (800-585-2265) 3SVT (1-855-855-6181) Text VFBSNAP to 85511.
- White Market Express – Order groceries online – Lyndonville & St. Johnsbury, VT
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
- Anti-Oppressive/Anti-Racist Home School Options During Quarantine
- Education Companies Offering Free Subscriptions due to School Closings
- 12 museums that offer virtual tours
- State Guidelines on Non-Congregant “Feeding”
- Early childhood and nature education consulting service
- COVID-19 Social Distancing with Families
- Home with Kids? Advice from a Homeschool Mom
- Paris Museums
- Scholastic Learn at Home
- Mo Willems weekly live doodle!
- Kids Yoga
HEALTH INFORMATION
For up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Vermont visit: https://www.healthvermont.gov/…/infe…/2019-novel-coronavirus or call 2-1-1.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released guidelines for businesses that you can find here – links on this page will provide you with additional guidelines beyond the business context.
Vermont Department of Health has released guidelines specific to the food and lodging industries which you can find here.
UVM Health Network Covid-19 Information and Updates page organizes its updates by each hospital in the network.
Walgreens Pharmacy Update
- You can pick prescriptions for others with the last four digits of their phone numbers.
- They are doing deliveries, visit their website to request it. They are waiving the $5 delivery fee at this time. Some folks may need help with this online form.
BUSINESS RESOURCES
- The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued guidance, as well as information on the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans. The SBA is working with state Governors to provide targeted, low-interest loans to small businesses and nonprofits that have been severely impacted by the virus. If you are a Vermont small business being affected right now, contact the SBA district office at 802-828-4422.
- Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development has also established a hotline so that businesses may call to report impacts and be directed to resources: (802) 461-5143. The hotline will be staffed Monday through Friday, 7:45 am–4:30 pm. To receive the latest updates, you can sign-up for ACCD’s Business and Economic Response to COVID-19 Newsletter
- The Department of Labor will be issuing guidance for Employers and Employees, including information about the potential impact of COVID-19 on unemployment insurance benefits, employee sick-time and other issues. You can find more information and updates at labor.vermont.gov.
- Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers Recommendations & Response Plan
- Common Good Vermont Resource for Nonprofits
- Vermont Arts Council Resources for VT Creative Sector
- Vermont Community Foundation, Special and Urgent Needs – $500-$5,000 grants to organizations statewide to help nonprofits dealing with unexpected emergencies.
- Consumer Assistance Program of Vermont – Scroll down to COVID-19 Guidance and click on +.
- SCORE Resources: How Small Businesses Can Prepare for COVID-19, Small Business Disaster Preparedness (Resources), Disaster Preparedness and Continuity of Your Business
- NOFA-VT will make funds available through our Farmer Emergency Fund to pay the relief workers. If you have experience working on dairy farms, and are willing to show up for our community in this way, please email to Bill Cavanaugh on our Farmer Services team: bill@nofavt.org, with your contact information, relevant experience on dairy farms, availability, and location. You will be paid for your time and crucial service.
FINANCIAL RESOURCES
- Take advantage of online banking, mobile banking apps, including mobile deposit capture, ATMs and drive through tellers.
- Vermont Economic Services is waiving in-person contact requirements for benefits programs. Apply online or by phone 1-800-479-6151
- Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development COVID page for businesses/employees/unemployment
DONATIONS
- Vermont Foodbank Communications director Nichole Whalen says cash donations are more helpful than food or other items at this time.
- Donate blood. The FDA has raised concerns about a blood shortage as donation drives are cancelled.
- VTCOVID-19 Response Fund The Vermont Community Foundation has set-up a special fund to help both with emergency response efforts and longer term recovery.
DISCUSSION GROUPS
- Vermont How Can I Help #Prepare on Facebook
- .VTDigger COVID-19 email list sign-up
- Front Porch Forum
- Community Organizer Slack
- Suddenly find yourself working remotely? Join us Thursdays 9-1 in Zoom for a cowork!