650 Grocery Bags of Healthy Food to Central Vermonters

On Saturday, Dec. 10, volunteers and staff from Hunger Mountain Co-op, Northfield Savings Bank, and the Vermont Foodbank packed 650 grocery bags filled with healthy food for Central Vermonters in need as part of the Co-op’s Annual Holiday Grocery Pack.  

Hunger Mountain Co-op collaborated with its shoppers and long-time community supporters, including Northfield Savings Bank, Vermont Coffee Company, La Panciata Bakery, and Albert’s Organics, to source healthy food staples. Products included organic peanut butter, organic black beans, bulk brown rice, organic coffee, freshly baked local bread, organic oranges, and ecologically grown local apples. 

With logistical support from the Vermont Foodbank, the state’s largest distributor of charitable food, the Co-op was able to increase the efficiencies and impact of this 14-year-old event. The Foodbank partnership streamlined the packing process and added the capacity to pack an additional 150 bags, for a new high of 650 total bags distributed to six Central Vermont organizations and three local schools. 

“Contributing to our community is a core value of our Co-op. Given the Vermont Foodbank statistic that one in four of our neighbors does not have enough to eat, the Holiday Grocery Pack is one of our most important events each year,” said Stephani Kononan, Hunger Mountain Co-op’s community relations & marketing manager. “We could not make this event happen year after year without the collective effort of our shoppers, vendors, and community partners.”