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Giving Tuesday 2024: Support public media and fight hunger

A close up photo of hands holding grocery bags overlaid with purple and the text "Support Public Media and Fight Hunger in Vermont."
Laura Nakasaka
/
Vermont Public

This Giving Tuesday, you can support public media while providing critical food assistance to neighbors in Vermont.

For every gift to Vermont Public on Giving Tuesday, the Vermont Community Foundation and its generous fundholders will donate the equivalent of 23 meals that Vermont Foodbank can offer to community members facing hunger and food insecurity.

You’re invited to take part in this special opportunity, please do so right now.

Giving Tuesday is an annual global day of giving that arose in response to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This global celebration of philanthropy gives people an opportunity to focus their holiday spirit on organizations doing important work in their communities.

In 2023, UVM released data showing that 2 in 5 people in Vermont reported facing food insecurity in the year prior. The last two years have brought catastrophic flooding around the state, which continued to amplify challenges for our neighbors experiencing hunger.

But flooding was just the most recent in a cascade of crises that Vermont households have been facing. The need for food assistance was also increased by Vermont’s housing crisis and challenging economic conditions, in addition to the end of pandemic-era supports that were helping Vermonters access the nourishing food they need and want.

The Vermont Foodbank is the state’s largest hunger relief organization, working with more than 300 partners across the state – including food shelves, meal sites, schools, and hospitals. It has distributed more than 60 million pounds of food since 2020.

Please support our nonprofit news, music, education and cultural programming with a donation in any amount: the Vermont Community Foundation and its generous fundholders will match every gift with a donation of 23 meals to the Vermont Foodbank. Your gift now will provide critical assistance to a neighbor who needs a leg up.

If you wish to also donate directly to the Vermont Foodbank, click or tap here. Thank you for being part of our community.

FAQ

What is Giving Tuesday?
Giving Tuesday is a global giving movement celebrated on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It was started in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation as a response to commercialization and consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Giving Tuesday harnesses the generosity of people around the world to bring about real change in their communities and kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving.

Have you done this kind of partnership before?
This is our tenth annual Giving Tuesday collaboration with Vermont Foodbank. Vermont Public has done several other partnerships where gifts also benefited another cause. In 2022, we collaborated with the Children's Literacy Foundation to provide books to local kids. We've also worked with the Shareheat and Warmth programs and Hunger Free Vermont. In 2023 and 2024, we partnered with VCF to raise support for the Vermont Flood Response and Recovery fund.

How much money is going to the Foodbank with my donation to Vermont Public?
For any gift to Vermont Public, the Vermont Community Foundation and its generous fundholders will donate $83, the cash equivalent of 23 meals, to the Vermont Foodbank. Funds donated to Vermont Public during the Giving Tuesday campaign will stay with the organization.

What constitutes a “meal”?
The Foodbank uses "meals" to measure its impact, based on the USDA's universal meal size of 1.2 pounds. They could talk about how many pounds your gift will provide, but most people don’t go to the grocery store and think “I need 30 pounds of food to get me through the week.” The Foodbank distributes a wide variety of nutritious foods from all food groups to ensure that the Vermonters who turn to them for help have what they need to prepare the healthy meals they need to thrive.

Why not fundraise directly for the Foodbank on the air?
The FCC prohibits us from fundraising directly on the air for any organization other than ourselves unless a waiver is granted. However, the kind of Giving Tuesday partnership we’re in is allowed by the FCC and we see it as a way to do a little bit more for our community. In addition to providing meals to Vermonters, the effort also helps to raise awareness about food insecurity in our community. We are also encouraging our listeners to support other organizations they care about. You can donate directly to the Vermont Foodbank here.

On rare occasions, the FCC has granted Vermont Public a special one-day license to fundraise for another organization. Following the devastating flooding that hit our state during the summers of 2023 and 2024, Vermont Public raised more than $900,000 for the Vermont Community Foundation’s Vermont Flood Response and Recovery Fund.

Support Vermont Public and the Vermont Foodbank with one gift now. Thank you for helping us build a stronger community!

Michelle leads the team that oversees station branding, marketing, events, communications, and audience services. She joined VPR in 2002.
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