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Pandemic Diet – Eating Beans and Rice

by Lise | Food

It’s important to keep up morale during the emergency.  One way to do that is food.  But what to do when you hit those days when your delivery order isn’t ready yet, your curbside pickup order isn’t till tomorrow, or you just don’t feel like going to the grocery store yourself?  This kind of circumstance can lead to a lot of bean and rice dinners, and who’s to say that’s a bad thing?  It brings us back to basics, enduring a little hardship in what is, after all, a life and death situation.  On the other hand, simple, noble cooking can be seriously boring if you really like food.  

I think the key for me is to have on hand a few basic meals that we actually like to eat.  That way, we can always make something reasonably appetizing.  It’s important to keep meals appetizing because boredom and depression can diminish appetite and you want to keep eating, within reasonable bounds.  Food makes us feel good, and it’s good to feel good, especially during an epidemic, because feeling good boosts our immunity.

Groundworks Invites Supporters to Fundraise By Camping-in-Place on May 1

by Not Signed In | Activism

BRATTLEBORO—Amidst the organization’s many measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Groundworks Collaborative has pivoted to a virtual approach for their 8th annual Camp for a Common Cause fundraiser.  

The event, which normally seeks a permit to lift the Town of Brattleboro’s public camping restriction for one night each May on the Brattleboro Common, will happen virtually this year on Friday, May 1st.  Organizers are encouraging participants to camp at home—on lawns, in garages, on balconies and decks, etc.—and in so doing, raise funds that Groundworks reports it needs “now more than ever.”  

Coronavirus: Vermont AFL-CIO Crisis Demands & The Need To Rebuild The Economy Through A Green New Deal

by David Van Deusen | Health

Much progress has been made in the Green Mountains since the start of the Coronacrisis. And we should all recognize the rapid pace at which it was achieved. Together, as Vermonters, we have:

* Unemployment Insurance: Greatly lowered the qualifying thresholds for unemployment insurance;

* Worker Safety & Health: Seen most unionized cities and towns take meaningful steps to better protect the health and safety of workers;

* Feeding Low Income Children: Secured food for low income children;

Donations For Those In Need – Collaboration – Brattleboro VFW Post #1034, Brattleboro Elks #1499, Masonic Lodge #102, and American Legion Post 5

by Not Signed In | Food

The Brattleboro VFW Post #1034, Brattleboro Elks #1499, Masonic Lodge #102, and the American Legion Post 5 is banding together with the guidance of the Brattleboro Fire Department to buy groceries and other essential items for those who cannot and should not venture out. Volunteers will be purchasing items, bagging or boxing them, and delivering them to homes where needed in the Brattleboro area.

We are asking for donations to support this cause. 100% of the proceeds will be used to purchase items. Please make checks payable to VFW Post 1034, and include a return address so a receipt can be mailed. Mail to:

Vermont Cases of COVID-19, April 2020

by cgrotke | Health

Here are the daily Vermont Department of Health COVID-19 Updates for April, 2020, as they are released. Also, surrounding county information for the Brattleboro area. Also, as of April 3, we’re including numbers from Brattleboro Memorial Hospital.

Blood Drive at Winston Prouty on April 14

by cohnpr | Health

Winston Prouty and the American Red Cross are hosting an upcoming blood drive on Tuesday, April 14, 2020, from 12 – 5 PM in the Prouty Gym in Brattleboro.

Blood levels are historically low. Red Cross protocols will ensure a safe environment for this essential event.

Don’t Forget The Support Staff

by RDavis | Health

Everyone treating COVID 19 patients are risking their lives. Doctors, nurses, respiratory, physical and occupational therapists, pharmacists, lab techs, social workers and a host of other professionals are on the front lines of an unprecedented health care battle and they are making do with dwindling resources. It’s as close to a worst case scenario as there can be.

There is also another group of health care workers that never get enough recognition or pay because they are the invisible foundation or our institutional health care systems. They are the housekeepers, maintenance personnel and food service workers who make sure that the patient care environment is safe, supportive and clean for the sick as well as for the other health care workers who make a lot more money than they do.

Brattleboro Dog and Wolf-Hybrid Licenses Due

by Not Signed In | Pets

Brattleboro dog and wolf-hybrid licenses are due on or before April 1. Vermont dogs and wolf-hybrids 6 months of age and older must be licensed on or before April 1. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all licenses being renewed must be processed through the mail or online at www.brattleboro.org.

Vaccination against rabies is required by Vermont Statutes before licensing. A current vaccination means:

WGDR Interview: VT AFL-CIO President Van Deusen on the CoronaCrisis & Rebuilding Through A Green New Deal

by Not Signed In | Health

The Coronavirus public health crisis is rapidly becoming an economic crisis for the working class. In this interview (WGDR 91.1 FM) Vermont AFL-CIO President David Van Deusen discusses the steps already taken to address the needs of working people, what still has to be done in the here and now, and the need for a Green New Deal to rebuild society after the immediate danger passes.

Click on the below video link to listen to the full interview:

Essential Information: Brattleboro Food Co-op and Covid-19

by BrattFoodCoop | Food

The Brattleboro Food Co-op is well considered an essential local business and is open for business with limited hours and curbside pickup for groceries, sundries, fresh and frozen foods, wellness supplies, and more during this Covid-19 epidemic.

As a central local business focused on food and health, the Co-op feels it is important everyone in the Bratt community knows the Co-op is making every effort to keep its staff and customers safe and comfortable during this crisis. The store hours have changed temporarily to 2pm-7pm daily so customers can come into the Co-op to do their own shopping. The Co-op has also created a Curbside Pickup service for those who are compromised and don’t want to go into the store. Customers can call the Curbside Hotline at 802-246-2800 to place an order for pick up curbside either that same day or the next day.

Amtrak Vermonter Shut Down North of New Haven

by cgrotke | Travel

According to Amtrak, no Vermont service on the Vermonter, or Ethan Allen Express, until further notice:

“Vermonter (Washington – St. Albans): No service north of New Haven (Monday-Saturday) and no service on Sundays.

Ethan Allen Express (New York – Rutland, VT): No service north of Albany”

Reflections In The Time of Pandemic

by RDavis | Health

We are focusing our efforts on self-preservation and prevention during this time of pandemic. But we will all have more time on our hands for reflection and I urge people to stand back a little and try to take the bigger view whenever possible. It will help with the state of your mental health and it may provide some comfort, even if fleeting.

Most of us have had little experience with the process of death and dying and that inexperience tends to create fear. In past generations death was a part of life that everyone watched play out in their family. They had a chance to understand what lay ahead and they learned acceptance of that inevitability.

Information About Alternative Disinfectants and Hand Santizers

by Not Signed In | Health

Because rubbing alcohol, disinfectant spray, and hand sanitizer are still difficult or impossible to find, here are two ideas:

1. Grain alcohol –  BE CAREFUL,   IT IS VERY FLAMMABLE!  and it’s not cheap ($19- $21), but these are unusual circumstances!

Everclear Vodka is 151 proof (75.5% alcohol) available at NH Liquor Stores. Here is link to the current supply on hand at each store, and what’s on order:    https://www.liquorandwineoutlets.com/products/detail/1692/everclear_151

The Return of Paper Towel Emergencies

by Lise | Home & Garden

Back in my childhood, paper towels were regarded as an expensive commodity, to be used rarely, if at all, and only on the most spectacular of spills. For a spill to be worthy of a paper towel, a Paper Towel Emergency had to be declared unanimously  by all present. Otherwise, we were supposed to use the kitchen sponge or a dish cloth to wipe up the offending area.