FOOD AND SACRED PLACES (continued)
flooded with several feet of mud and water. Some houses
were knocked completely off their foundations. As a
result, many Vermont residents were left devastated and
traumatized.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is located in White River
Junction, one of five villages in the town of Hartford (whose
other villages contained some of the hardest hit areas). The
Reverend Nancy Vogele, rector of St. Paul’s, immediately
reached out to Hartford’s town manager and asked what
her parish could do to help. No sooner did she receive a
request to prepare food for rescue workers than the St.
Paul’s community quickly sprang into action. The next day,
a team of volunteers met in the church kitchen, made 50
sandwiches, and drove down to the nearby village of West
Hartford to distribute them.
The newly formed Hurricane Irene Relief Ministry set its
sights on providing much-needed food and supplies for
victims of flooding in the region. From the few volunteers
that started the relief effort, word quickly spread throughout
the neighborhood and attracted dozens of new volunteers
every day.
To ensure proper soil quality, students collect samples from
the raised beds for testing. Photo courtesy of Roxborough
Presbyterian Community Garden.
weed, harvest, etc. You’ve got to care for it on a day-to-day
basis.” Fortunately, RPC had just that – a dedicated team
of volunteers who worked hard to make this partnership a
reality.
While the commitment has certainly been demanding,
the rewards of building community and contributing
to sustainable food networks have been well worth the
effort. Says Vecchione, “the Community Garden has let the
congregation share talents for gardening, construction,
and helpfulness, while getting to know our neighbors
surrounding the church. We feel truly blessed to have
met and work with our neighbors. We may be growing
things together, but it’s the relationships that are the most
rewarding.”
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church: Hurricane Irene and the
“Freeway Relay”
When Hurricane Irene hit Vermont in August 2011, the
destruction was devastating. Heavy damage to roads and
bridges left some towns completely isolated and dependent
on airlifts for food and supplies. Once the storm had
subsided, evacuated families returned to find their homes
17 • Sacred Places • www.sacredplaces.org • Summer 2012
Ministry coordinator Holly Hall was astounded by the
outpouring of support from the community. “Nobody could
figure out how it happened so quickly, but it did. People
– including people I’d never seen before – showed up at
the door and asked, ‘How can we help?’” From longtime
parishioners to total strangers, and even a few vacationers
from a nearby ski resort, the entire community was
represented in St. Paul’s kitchen.
Initially, all of the materials for the casseroles, sandwiches,
and salads that volunteers prepared came from
congregational funds. But in the weeks and months that
followed, donations from local grocery stores and eateries
came pouring in. Other sources were less formal, such as
when volunteers would arrive at St. Paul’s with their own
fresh fruits and vegetables in tow. Students from a local
elementary school made their own baked goods for the relief
efforts. Jean Kendrick, another coordinator for the relief
ministry, believes that “there was not a business or family in
the White River Valley that didn’t donate something.”
Volunteers were also involved in all fac