We sponsor various events and activities throughout the year to raise awareness and funds to support recovery, rehabilitation, and housing programs for our veterans. Thank you for your support!
Sleep-out for homeless VETERANS
APRIL 19, 2024
Every night in this country, 40,000 United States Military Veterans have no place to call home. To raise awareness of this shameful truth and join in solidarity with unhoused veterans everywhere, The Veterans’ Place will host its Second “Sleep-Out for Homelessness” encampment and fundraiser on April 19.
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SLEEP-OUT FOR HOMELESS VETERANS, APRIL 19, 2024
Volunteers to Brave a Night in the Cold; Raise Awareness, Funds
Northfield, Vt. – “No one who fights for this country should have to fight for a job, a roof over their heads, or the care that they need when they come home,” says decorated Army Combat Veteran Morgana Isenberg. She should know. A Lead gun truck 50 Cal Gunner and Driver during Operation New Dawn, Isenberg has been one of the 40,000 U.S. veterans who experience homelessness on any given night. On Friday, April 19, Isenberg, Air Force ROTC Cadets from Norwich University, and residents, board members, and staff from The Veterans’ Place, Inc. (TVPI), will join in solidarity with unhoused veterans everywhere by participating in a “Sleep-Out for Homeless Veterans” encampment and fundraiser in Depot Square in downtown Northfield.
Participants will construct makeshift shelters using donated pallets, tarps, and cardboard boxes. They will seek warmth around a barrel fire. “We’re aiming for authenticity, to connect with the community, to go beyond just words,” says AFROTC Commander Col. Mark Ciero, who will spend the night with his airmen.
The encampment officially commences at 5pm with opening ceremonies and informal talks by Isenberg and other combat Veterans with lived experience of homelessness, followed by a Q&A. The public is invited to take part in the opening ceremonies, engage with veterans, and learn about issues that contribute to homelessness. After the public portion of the program concludes, Sleep-Out participants will be served a simple supper of donated stew and bread before bedding down for the night.
Norwich University, the Town of Northfield, and American Legion Posts #63 and #1819 have stepped up to support the encampment with donations of materials, food, water, and a venue. “This is a community-wide effort to raise awareness of the problem of Veteran Homelessness in this country, as well as funds for The Veterans’ Place,” says TVPI Board President Diana Weggler. “We are in desperate need of a new van to transport residents to their medical appointments at the VA,” she adds. “Every dollar helps.”
Meal Train® for The Veterans' Place, Inc.
Monday through Friday we serve our residents nutritious, home-cooked meals prepared by Pete, our wonderful dinner chef. On weekends, when the staff is off, residents either cook for themselves with staples kept on hand, buy a frozen dinner, or heat up leftovers. That's not terrible, but wouldn't it be nice if they could sit down to a nutritious, home-cooked, family-style meal seven days a week? If you enjoy cooking for a crowd and are looking for a personal way to "give back" to veterans, here is how to make that happen.
We have set up a "meal train" online, where you can sign up to prepare and drop off a meal or casserole to be served as a Saturday or Sunday evening meal. What better way to say "thank you for your service." To learn more, please visit https://mealtrain.com/wl834e
Farm-to-Table,
"Double-Date" Dinner for 4
Winter Raffle
Hosted at the Margaret Holland Inn
MENU
~1st Course~ Herbed Butternut Squash Soup (Greybar Farm)
with Rustic European Loaf (Rise Up Bakery)
~2nd Course~ Fresh Greenhouse Greens (Dog River Farm)
with Maple Dijon Dressing (Alternative Kitchen)
~3rd Course~ Oven-roasted rack of lamb (Green Mountain Girls Farm and Blue Goose Farm) OR Pork Roast (Cedar Brook Homestead); accompanied by Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Floating Bridge Family Farm, Farmor Farm garlic) and Maple-Glazed Carrots (Farmor Farm, Lightfoot Farm maple syrup)
~4th Course~ Home-baked Apple Pie (Vermont Country Crafts & Gifts)
++++PLUS! ++++
Each couple will take home a decorative sap bucket filled with delectable homemade/handcrafted treats!
Salted caramels from Broadfork Farmstead
Cheryl Ann’s Homemade cookies
Scented wax melts from Dog River Candle Co.
Decorative tissue holder from Falls Valley Crafts
A bottle of kiwiberry hot sauce by Field Stone Farm
Sepia Sunflower lip balm
$20 NFM gift certificate
And the winner is (drum roll please) Dorrie Ellsworth! Dorrie's ticket was drawn on the night of January 31st. Congratulations to Dorrie, and many, many thanks to all the people who made this fundraiser a huge success. In all, we raised $1635, all of which will be used to provide direct support services to our residents. And thanks also to The Margaret Holland Inn for offering their lovely dining room in which to host the meal.
*Meal does not include alcoholic drinks; however, you are welcome to bring your own bottles of wine. In addition, a generous gift basket of goodies will be given to each couple to take home, including a complementary bottle of Bourbon.
FALL RAFFLE
Events of 2022
E-Bike Raffle Winners Announced!
Ashton Morvan, 23, of Northfield (pictured at right), was the lucky winner of a Jasion electric bicycle, the grand prize in our fall 2022 fundraiser. Second prize of $200 was won by Robert Nelson of Randolph, and third prize of $100 was won by Jamie Bariteau. The raffle, which kicked off on Labor Day Weekend and culminated with the drawing on November 11, Veterans Day, netted almost $5000 for the Veterans' Place. Many thanks to everyone who purchased tickets. You are our heroes! And to those of you who did not win, you are supporting a very worthy cause, and there is always next year!
A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the 8th Annual Granite City 5K on November 5, 2022. The event netted more than $13,000 in proceeds in support of our services and programs. Whether you sponsored us, ran, walked, bid on the online auction, or donated an auction item, you contributed to the success of this annual fundraiser.
INAUGURAL
Sleep-out for homelessness
march 18&19, 2022
Thank you to everyone for making
our inaugural sleep-out a success!
The Veterans’ Place, Inc., with the help of Norwich University’s Center for Civic Engagement, hosted its inaugural “Sleep-Out for Homelessness” encampment March 18 & 19th on the Crescent across from Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont. The event was intended to raise awareness of Veteran homelessness, and all proceeds raised by donations directly benefit The Veterans’ Place. As an added service component, items such as socks, hats, gloves and scarves were collected prior to the event and put in angel bags to be delivered to the Good Samaritan Haven in Barre, which provides shelter and services to persons experiencing homelessness.
The Veterans' Place wishes to acknowledge the contributions of NU's Center for Civic Engagement, Tops Markets, AL Post #1819, Darn Tough Socks, The NU Knit and Crochet Club, and Bob Weggler and the Norwich University Men's Rugby Team, without whom this event would not have been possible.