Press Release: Capstone Community Action’s Fuel Your Neighbors Campaign Successful with Ongoing Support
For Immediate Release
Yvonne Lory, Capstone Community Action
Phone (802) 479-1053
Email: ylory@capstonevt.org
Capstone Community Action’s Fuel Your Neighbors Campaign Successful with Ongoing Support
A campaign providing emergency food and heating assistance
(Barre, VT) – Capstone Community Action’s Fuel Your Neighbors campaign, presented by EastRise Credit Union, raised $325,000 to support emergency food and heating assistance for Central Vermonters.
This frigid winter challenged many Vermont households already unable to meet their basic needs with the increased cost of heat and food. Capstone Community Action (Capstone) was able to provide 491 families with heating assistance, distributing over $260,000 in funds this winter alone. Capstone also had 1,580 families visit the food shelf between October 1, 2024 and March 2025. With no public funding for Capstone’s Food Shelf, the Fuel Your Neighbors campaign is critical to keeping the food shelf stocked to meet the community’s demonstrated need.
“We are extremely grateful for the generous business sponsors and donors who are supporting our most vulnerable community members,” stated Alison Calderara, Capstone Community Action’s interim co-executive director. “Fuel Your Neighbors is a critical support during our harsh winters for seniors, kids and families just trying to make ends meet during tough times. We are all fortunate to live in a community where people care about each other and help ensure our neighbors do not need to go to bed hungry or cold this winter.”
Fuel Your Neighbors is a 100-day campaign, in partnership with EastRise, that ran from Giving Tuesday on December 3 through March 12 to raise awareness and funds for Vermonters in need of food and heat this winter. This is the eighth year Capstone and EastRise have teamed up on this effort raising a total of $1.8 Million, since 2016.
“At EastRise, we believe everyone deserves nourishing meals and a safe, warm place to stay. We are proud to support Fuel Your Neighbors for the eighth straight year and to be part of a strong community that comes together to help people in Central Vermont get through this challenging winter,” said Sarah Ricker, Community Relationship Manager at EastRise.
“Congratulations to Capstone Community Action on achieving their Fuel Your Neighbors fundraising goal, demonstrating wide support from Vermonters and Vermont businesses,” says Pam Getsie, Vermont Blue Advantage president. “As the local Medicare Advantage plan, we live and work alongside the people we serve, and we are incredibly proud to be part of a community that joins together to support our neighbors in need.”
This year’s campaign success would not be possible without our generous donors and business sponsors including: EastRise, Vermont Blue Advantage, The Alchemist, Hunger Mountain Coop, Mascoma Bank, National Life Group, Price Chopper/Market 32, SymQuest, Vermont Federal Credit Union, Ivy Computer, Lawson's Finest Liquids, Acrisure, Alterra Mountain Company, Community National Bank, Northfield Savings Bank, and Union Mutual.
Capstone Community Action was founded in 1965 and works to overcome poverty by serving people in crisis and creating economic opportunity for people and communities. Capstone’s programs include emergency food, heat assistance, housing counseling and homelessness intervention, savings and credit coaching, business counseling, workforce development, home weatherization, transportation access, and child and family development programs in Early Head Start/Head Start. We serve over 10,250 individuals and families through these programs each year. www.capstonevt.org.
About EastRise Credit Union
With Vermont roots going back 75 years, EastRise Credit Union is a true local partner for our more than 160,000 members in Vermont, select counties in New Hampshire, and beyond. We go above and beyond to provide the financial tools and guidance that help our members and communities build stronger and more sustainable financial futures. From trusted digital banking and a relationship-first approach to affordable home ownership and green lending, EastRise is committed to doing better and raising the bar for everyone.
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