This week, Vermont Public will present the Vermont Community Foundation with more than $875,000 raised in its recent flood relief fundraiser to benefit the VT Flood Response and Recovery Fund 2023.
The weeklong effort inspired 4,454 to help affected communities rebuild and recover from the catastrophic flooding caused by heavy rainfall last month.
“We don’t just report on our community, we’re living this too, and we wanted to help,” said Vermont Public President & CEO Scott Finn. “This outpouring of support from our audience went beyond anything we imagined.”
The fund will support emergency needs, families, farms, main street businesses and communities that were affected across the state and will play an important role as the Foundation works with local nonprofits, state government, relief organizations, and other partners to help put Vermont back together.
“We are tremendously grateful to the Vermont Public listeners, viewers, and others who contributed to this special fund drive for flood relief. They heard the call to action, they saw the tremendous need, and they contributed in ways that will help the many people and communities across Vermont affected by the recent flooding,” said Dan Smith, president & CEO of the Vermont Community Foundation.
“Already, our VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund has awarded over $1 million in grants to more than 50 nonprofits that are helping businesses and farms recover, providing food and shelter for people displaced by the flooding, and assisting towns as they tackle the enormous task of cleaning up,” Smith said. “This contribution to the fund from the Vermont Public audience and others will help maintain and build the momentum needed to advance the recovery and assist the people and places that need it the most.”
Vermont Public applied for and received a special waiver from the Federal Communications Commission, permitting the station to use its airwaves to raise funds for another cause.
Vermont Public continues to provide essential coverage on the flooding and recovery efforts at vermontpublic.org/flood and on its broadcast and social media platforms.
