How Capstone Community Action Fuels Thousands of Vermonters with Home Heating and Food Access

This past winter in Vermont had some brutally cold stretches. Between the freezing temperatures and the rising price of fuel, heating bills were more expensive than usual for many Vermonters. For some families, it meant that they had to face an impossible choice: pay for heating or put food on the table?

In 2016, we teamed up with Capstone Community Action to start Fuel Your Neighbors, powered by VSECU, and help improve the lives of Vermonters in need. Each year, we raise money from Giving Tuesday through early March to ensure no one goes to bed cold or hungry during Vermonter’s long winter months.

We received an amazing outpouring of support during this year’s campaign, surpassing our $300,000 goal. With these funds, Capstone was able to provide hundreds of Vermont families with access to food and a range of emergency heating assistance.

• Capstone’s food shelf in Barre helped feed 1,232 Vermonters from 617 households.
• Capstone assisted 195 households with fuel purchases, safety measures, and/or overdue bills so that these families could start receiving fuel deliveries again.

Altogether, Fuel Your Neighbors has raised more than $920,000 in just six years, assisting over 32,000 Central Vermonters to heat their homes and have enough to eat. Learn more about Fuel Your Neighbors and the important work Capstone is doing to help families achieve financial stability and create resilient communities.

About VSECU

VSECU is a member-owned cooperative and not for profit credit union for everybody who lives or works in Vermont, offering a full range of affordable financial products and services to its member-owners. VSECU is committed to improving the lives of Vermonters by empowering possibilities for greater social, environmental, and financial prosperity.

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