In response to ongoing conversations about visible inequity in our downtown, I feel compelled to add my perspective.
There is much consternation about the state of our downtown and there has been for a while now. I share that concern and agree that we should be extremely bothered by what we see happening: people camping at the Transportation Center, sleeping outside, suffering from the ravages of addiction.
However, my anger is not directed at the people on the street, but at the systems that are broken and continue to produce homelessness, poverty, and chronically escalating economic inequity.
What we are experiencing in Brattleboro is not unique to this community - in regard to both the specter of poverty and the effects of addiction. The people struggling to meet their most basic needs are also not the primary reason that our downtown is a precarious economic environment - that is a much-too-simplistic analysis of the economic struggles of small, rural communities nationwide.
On behalf of the staff, clients, and board of Groundworks Collaborative, I extend a robust thank you to The Hatch, which organized the March 30 Storytellers on a Mission event that raised more than $30,000 to support the work we do. Members of The Hatch - Tom Bodett, Rita...
On behalf of the staff, board, residents, and clients of Groundworks Collaborative, I thank everyone who made it possible for Groundworks to distribute Thanksgiving turkeys and ingredients for all the fixings to more than 300 households on Nov. 21 and 22 at the Centre Congregational Church. We are grateful...
On behalf of the staff, board, residents, and clients of Groundworks Collaborative, I extend our great and sincere thanks to Elliot Street Fish, Chips & More for selecting our organization to participate as the beneficiary of its inaugural Feeding Frenzy. The restaurant hosted the event on Nov. 4 and attracted a large and generous crowd. Sixty percent of the proceeds from the evening were donated to our organization. Groundworks Collaborative is the agency created from the recent merger of Morningside...