​Taps Tavern in Poultney recently became the 100th restaurant to join the Dinners with Love program. Owner Serena Gallagher was inspired to sign up for the program by a friend and neighbor she has known since childhood, Kathy Huntington. For her part, Huntington has been a volunteer for the Dinners with Love program at the VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region (VNAHSR) in Rutland since earlier this year. Each week, she brings meals to families in and around Poultney.
 
“This can be a challenging area to get people involved,” said John Campbell, Volunteer Coordinator at VNAHSR. “Whenever a new restaurant or volunteer joins us, it’s pretty exciting.”
 
Gallagher says she has never experienced hospice care first-hand through a loved one, but can appreciate why the meals she donates–which she describes as “pub-style with a twist”­–are important.
 
“Preparing meals does take time, and it’s nice not to have to worry about where your next dinner is coming from,” she said.
 
Sarah Audet, Dinners with Love Executive Director, echoed Gallagher’s sentiments. “If you have ever lost a loved one after a long illness, then you know how challenging the end-of-life can be,” she said. “We are here to ensure that both patient and caregiver feel nourished, comforted, and supported by their community.”
 
And community is precisely why Gallagher wanted to join Dinners with Love.
 
“My restaurant would not be what it is today without our amazing community. This is a small gesture, a way to give back to the community that I care about.”
 
In 2017, Dinners with Love program volunteers delivered 2,082 meals donated by 68 restaurants to 155 homes throughout Vermont. With 100 restaurants now participating in the program, we expect that we will be able to provide meals to even more hospice patients and their families this year.

by Sarah Audet, DWL Executive Director

Last month, Dinners with Love was one of six local nonprofits to receive proceeds from this year’s Middlebury Maple Run, an annual half-marathon that attracts hundreds of runners from throughout the region. When your organization is chosen to receive funds through their grant program, you are asked to send volunteers to pitch in on race day. There was a team of us there, and the race organizers had assigned each of us to varying roles.
 
Our volunteer Ashley was standing out on the corner of Collins Drive and South Street, pointing runners down the final stretch of the course.
 
Further on up the way, board member Frank Finnerty and I were spotting racer bibs for the announcers as they approached the finish line.
 
And then another board member Catherine Wall and her husband Donnie were at the entrance of the food tent, taking and selling tickets for a much deserved pancake breakfast.
 
As I stood there watching all 750+ racers, I got a real sense for the broad range of human experience at the finish line.
 
There were some runners who you would never know had just run a half-marathon. Apart from rosy cheeks, they looked as fresh as when they had left the starting gate.
 
Other runners came across the finish with a grimace on their face that quickly turned to a look of personal victory. Their legs were heavy, their bodies were tired, but you could tell they were quite proud of a race well run.
 
While a lot of folks would get a sudden burst of energy as the finish line drew near, still others maintained their steady pace. They took their time, and the race would not be over until they were ready for it to be over.
 
And then there were the couples. Young couples, older couples. I suspect that they weren’t always running at the same pace for all 13.1 miles, but by the end, they matched each other, step-for-step.
 
At one point, I noticed a woman who seemed to be jogging around and around in circles. And I realized: she couldn’t finish the race just yet. She was waiting for someone. Sure enough, another woman, who I took to be her daughter, rounded the corner. The two of them took hands, and then ran as fast and as strong as they could toward the finish, together.
 
Throughout it all, there was a crowd of spectators there to cheer on the runners. Some were strangers, some were loved ones, but all offered the runners precisely what they needed in that moment. If a runner was looking particularly tired and so ready to be done, the crowd yelled words of encouragement. And if a runner was coming in hot, looking none the worse for wear, applause, whistles, and cheers rose up from the crowd to urge them on.
 
For me, there’s just something irresistibly poetic about having all of the Dinners with Love volunteers there to support the runners at the finish line. Witnessing the end of the race was a perfect illustration of what hospice care, and indeed what Dinners with Love itself, are all about.
 
In short, we are there to be whatever the families we serve need us to be. Everyone’s experience of the end-of-life, just like everyone’s experience of the finish line, is quite different.
 
For the daughter who has cared for her ailing mother for years, who is now in her final months and days of life, Dinners with Love is a relief. She’s not having yet another bowl of cold cereal for dinner tonight, or the stress of wondering what to make. Instead, she’s having a warm, delicious meal donated by her mother’s favorite restaurant in town.
 
For the food lover who has not been able to leave his house in months, Dinners with Love is a joy. The restaurant comes to him by way of a kind volunteer. He and his family can create new memories in the time they have left.
 
For the individual whose body is tired, whose heart is proud of a life well lived, who feels a bit uncertain of what is to come in the final stretch of her life, Dinners with Love is a comfort. It’s a reassurance that her community is there to support her.
 
And for the couple–perhaps one of them is under the care of hospice, perhaps both of them are–Dinners with Love is a reminder to set aside special time for one another. One of the most common things we hear from those we serve is that Dinners with Love lives up to its name: it is their date night.

Dinners with Love is very proud and excited to announce that our program is now available to hospice patients and their families in Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties in Vermont. We are incredibly grateful to our community of supporters who have made this possible–you are the fuel in the engine that makes this program go!

Last fall, we had the honor of partnering with both the VNA of Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties (VNACGI) and BAYADA Home Health Care in Shelburne. We have been thrilled to collaborate with the wonderful staff and volunteers at these hospice agencies. We look forward to seeing their programs thrive.

To kick things off, VNACGI and BAYADA have the support of a core group of restaurants located throughout the region:

• Chef's Corner in Williston
• El Gato Cantina in Essex Junction
• Junior's Italian in Colchester
• Misery Loves Company in Winooski
• Papa Frank's Italian Restaurant in Winooski
• The Rotisserie Restaurant in South Burlington
• Sweetwaters in Burlington

Thank you to the owners, managers, and chefs at these restaurants for being the first to join the Dinners with Love program in Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties. The meals you are offering will bring great comfort to the hospice patients and families who receive them.

The Dinners with Love community of supporters never ceases to amaze.

In early January, we asked for your help with a special project: sending Valentine's Day cards to the hospice patients who receive meals through the Dinners with Love program. "Dinners with EXTRA Love," we called it.

And did YOU ever deliver!

Between January 1 and February 5, you donated $1,265 to support the Dinners with Love program. You may remember that we pledged to send one Valentine for every $10 we received.

So, let's see...$1,265 divided by 10 is 126.5. And because you always round up when it comes to love, we'll call it 127.

127 Valentine's Day cards!

No sweat. About 20 community members gathered one afternoon at the Brandon Town Hall to craft 110 Valentines from a buffet of colorful paper, ribbon, stickers, stamps, and doilies. Delicious cookies donated by Quality Bake Shop fueled and inspired their efforts. Behold:

And then an amazing thing happened: Valentine's Day cards from around the state and even halfway across the country began to arrive at Dinners with Love HQ.

Mrs. Becker's preschool class at Sacred Heart in Bennington sent 20 cards...

A family all the way in Colorado Springs, CO sent a half-dozen...

One of our dear volunteers who had friends visiting for the weekend made nearly a dozen more...

That brings us to 147. Enough for each hospice patient to receive not one, not two, but a whole slew of Valentine's Day cards with their meals today!

They are sure to feel the EXTRA love from their community. We cannot thank YOU enough for filling their plates and their hearts. Generosity and creativity are thriving among our friends.

Last Thursday, we said, "See you soon!" to two of our long-time board members, Robert Barral and Carol Bertrand. Although we will miss having their kind natures and perspectives on our board, we know that we will get to see them often in the Brandon community. We are so grateful to Robert and Carol for their many years of service to Dinners with Love.

We have elected a new member to our Board of Directors, and we look forward to introducing her to you when her term begins on November 1. She is a familiar face in the Dinners with Love community, and has long been a champion of the program.

In related board news, our founder Sheri Sullivan has been elected to another one-year term as Board President. Catherine Wall steps into Carol's shoes as Vice President, and will continue in her role as Treasurer until we find a replacement. And Linda Bryant, who joined our board last fall, has been elected Secretary.

Last month, we shared with you the exciting news that the VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region (VNAHSR) in Bennington, Vermont launched their Dinners with Love program.

This month, we are just as thrilled to share with you, our wonderful supporters, some more BIG news. The Orleans/Essex VNA & Hospice (OEVNA) in Newport, Vermont has begun delivering meals, donated by local restaurants, to their hospice patients and families. It is heartwarming to think about the love and comfort that is spreading through the Green Mountain State.

The Eastside Restaurant & Pub in Newport and the Carriage House Café & Grill in Orleans are the first restaurants to join the Dinners with Love program at OEVNA. We cannot thank them enough for their generous support of hospice patients and their families.

Stay tuned to the Dinners with Love blog for even more BIG news coming your way. There are not one...not two...but THREE more Vermont hospice agencies who have joined the Dinners with Love program, and they expect to launch later this fall. You will be the first to know when they do!

Today is one of the hottest days this summer in Vermont, but Dinners with Love has chills.

Why?

Our program is officially launching in Bennington County right now.

The VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region (VNAHSR) in Bennington joined the Dinners with Love program earlier this spring. Staff and volunteers have been hard at work this summer getting organized, recruiting restaurants, and inviting patients to participate in the program.

This week, three hospice patients and their families will begin receiving meals. That's three families who will receive care, comfort, and food from their community.

We have five wonderful restaurants who are making this possible. Brown's Brewing Company, Cilantro, The Elm Street Market, KFC/Taco Bell, and Lil Britain Fish and Chip Shop are the first restaurants to partner with VNAHSR in Bennington.

We are so grateful for the VNAHSR staff and volunteers, as well as these kind, generous restaurants, who are working together to spread food and love to more hospice patients and their families in Vermont.

Dinners with Love has been fortunate to have had many wonderful board members over the years. People who are passionate about offering food and comfort to hospice patients and their families. People who bring their knowledge, experience, and creativity to the table. People who strongly but lovingly encourage the organization to do more to be of service to our community.

Like all good things, some board terms are sadly coming to an end this fall. And because we also hope to increase the size of the board, this means we are looking for 3-5 individuals to fill their shoes, starting in October.

Is that you? Is that someone you know?

Our board members serve as trusted advisors to the Executive Director as she implements the organization's strategic plan. They represent Dinners with Love to stakeholders, and serve as active advocates and ambassadors for the organization.

To round out the knowledge and skills of our existing Board of Directors, we are looking for individuals who have a background in one or more of the following areas:

• Business Analysis
• Graphic Design
• Marketing
• Law
• Event Planning
• Fundraising/Development
• Technology

We would be especially interested to hear from individuals who live or work in the areas where we currently operate or are expanding service to. This includes Bennington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Orleans, and Rutland Counties, as well as the Barre/Montpelier, St. Albans, and Alburg/Island Pond areas. In addition, we hope individuals whose loved ones have received meals through the Dinners with Love program and/or hospice care would consider joining us.

To learn more about the valuable role our board members play for our organization, please contact our Executive Director, Sarah Audet. She may be reached at 802-465-1027 or sarah[at]dinnerswithlove.org.

When Glynis Jordan's mother Carolyn J. Harris was receiving hospice care, Dinners with Love volunteers delivered meals to her home. Glynis recently wrote to us to share how much our program meant to Carolyn, and the lasting impact it has had on her own life. She writes:

Thank you to Glynis for sharing this beautiful story with us. We are honored to have been part of her mother's end-of-life transition.

Have you dreamed of making history? Of course, we all have. And now we have a chance to be a part of Vermont's day of giving - an opportunity to unite our community around causes in which we truly believe and help nonprofit organizations connect to the larger community.

We need your help! Please join our campaign and help us reach our goal of $500. We need you to tell your friends and family members about the important work we do and ask them to join us in helping to make a difference.

Get ready to give! Starting at 6:00 p.m. on June 7, visit https://www.vermontgives.org and make a donation to us and/or to any of the great participating nonprofit organizations in our state. You will have 24 hours to make your donation, and all giving will end at 6:00 p.m. on June 8.

Questions? If you have any questions or would like more information, let us know. Thank you in advance for your generosity to our organization!