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Feeding Champlain Valley is fielding donations now through the end of 2024 for its Holidays Without Hunger campaign. NORTHWEST VERMONT — Social services organization Feeding Champlain Valley is in the midst of a holiday food drive for Thanksgiving and for the rest of the holiday season. Its current fundraising and food drive campaign, Holidays Without Hunger, is an annual tradition. This year, an anonymous donor has agreed to match all gifts made to Feeding Champlain Valley up to $75,000 through the end of December. The aim is to feed 10,000 people across Addison, Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle counties this holiday season — at a time when the agency is witnessing an increased demand across the Northwest Vermont region. The organization’s director, Rob Meehan, noted this uptick in need has grown particularly as many economically challenged households are grappling with high inflation rates and the rising costs of essentials like housing, food and heating. Last week, the drive was in dire need for Thanksgiving turkey donations, with fewer initial donations than usual — but about as soon as the public was notified, folks pulled through to address the full need for turkeys across all of Feeding Champlain Valley’s locations. “It's amazing, it really is,” said Feeding Champlain Valley’s associate director Anna McMahan, of the community’s receptiveness and willingness to give when there’s an ask. “It's incredible,” she said. “I think it really goes to show that Vermonters want to take care of each other.” Now, the agency is seeking classic side dishes for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, as well as funds to sustain its winter and year-round work to address human hunger across the region. “We rebranded back in June and we went from having one food shelf to four food shelves now, which is amazing,” McMahon said. “We’re primarily focusing on the Burlington area but appreciate all donations,” she added. “Even monetary donations — that's really the simplest way for folks to give, so that we can prioritize those contributions to purchase more food, depending on each individual food shelf’s needs.” Monetary donations are best placed online at feedingchamplainvalley.org . Those interested in dropping off Thanksgiving side dishes for this initiative may do so at their nearest in-network food shelf, or ideally, by bringing items to the Burlington location specifically — just because the Burlington-based site sees by far the highest recipient traffic. The Burlington site serves all of Chittenden County and is located at 228 North Winooski Ave. It’s open for drop-offs from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday from between now and Nov. 27. In Franklin County, NorthWest Family Foods can be delivered to at 5 Lemnah Drive in St. Albans from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday from now until Nov. 27. The best foods to bring at this point in time are side dishes such as boxed mashed potatoes and stuffings, jarred gravy, pumpkin pie fillings and even fresh or canned produce. Also useful now are alternatives to traditional whole turkeys, like smaller iterations and vegetarian versions of the Thanksgiving classic: perhaps just a turkey breast, or tofurkey. “Turkeys are wonderful, but really, it's about eating and nurturing the folks that we serve,” McMahon said. “Some people don't have the means to prepare a whole turkey. Maybe they don't eat turkey... We want to make sure that we are providing a wide variety of foods.” “We're constantly trying to look at our inventory and make sure that we're meeting that need, whether that's American families, refugee community members, older adults who maybe don't have the means to prepare their own meal, working families who are just busy,” she added. “We're just trying to make sure that we have something that will appeal to everyone.” Though the Burlington and St. Albans sites are closed for drop-offs and pick-ups on the day-of Thanksgiving and the day after, all facilities will reopen to ongoing weekday donations again next week. Monetary donations will fund items like those listed above. And anyone interested in volunteering can get started online — the need for volunteers tends to go up late-winter, after the holiday hustle has passed and before consistent summertime-snowbird volunteers return. Anyone interested in picking up food for the holidays may do so at the location most convenient to them. But while it does value its food shelves, Feeding Champlain Valley is trying to move a little bit away from the traditional charitable model, given the stigma as well as the physical barriers to access that involve transportation. So if pick-up is not a feasible option, Feeding Champlain Valley’s delivery program is, with a focus on older adults and people with disabilities. Enrollment in the delivery program is mainly done on a referral-based basis. Folks interested in inquiring about their eligibility for it may contact Nassé Salhi at nsalhi@cvoeo.org . “Obviously we're year round, and hunger is something that exists beyond the holiday season,” McMahon said. “Food is a way for us to all be connected. It's something that brings people together, and especially with a lot of the folks that we work with who are going through a tough time, giving is a way to kind of show love and keep people feeling like a part of something.”Conor McGregor axed from 'Hitman' game after being found guilty in civil rape caseSaquon Barkley becomes ninth running back to rush for 2,000 yards in a season