Crop Cash programs return at local farmers markets
RICHMOND - The Crop Cash program is back for 2025. From July 1 through Oct. 31, you can stretch your Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) dollars even further at local farmers markets.
Crop Cash and Crop Cash Plus are two programs that work together for participants. For every $1 in SNAP you spend at participating farmers markets, you'll get $1 in Crop Cash. Up to $20 of your SNAP benefit will be matched with Crop Cash, which you can spend on fruits, vegetables, herbs, and culinary seeds and plant starts.
With Crop Cash Plus, for every $1 in SNAP you spend, you'll get $1 in Crop Cash PLUS. Up to $10 of your SNAP will be matched with Crop Cash Plus. Crop Cash Plus can be spent on any SNAP-eligible item.
Farmers markets in Brattleboro, Bellows Falls, Londonderry, Putney, and Townshend are all participants in the program.
Crop Cash will be distributed through April 30, 2026. Crop Cash Plus will be distributed from July 1 through Oct. 31, or as long as supplies last, and can be spent through April 30, 2026.
For more information, visit nofavt.org/crop-cash.
Poems for a Summer Day in Halifax on June 28
WEST HALIFAX - Halifax gardener and poet Gregg Orifici will give a reading from his 2025 book, Rattle of the Sun, at the Halifax Café at Community Hall, 20 Brook Rd., on Saturday, June 28, at 11 a.m.
Come for the reading and stay for a lunch of sandwiches, soups/casseroles, bakery goods, beverages, and ice cream.
The Halifax Café, including the bathroom, is wheelchair accessible. It is open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays at Community Hall. The Café is supported by donations and volunteers and WiFi is available on site.
Winston Prouty's Day of Play returns on June 28
BRATTLEBORO - The Winston Prouty Center welcomes families for its annual Early Childhood Day of Play on Saturday, June 28, from 10 a.m. to noon on the center's campus, rain or shine.
This free community event, for children through age 5 and their caregivers, offers a morning "packed with engaging activities designed for joyful discovery," organizers write.
"From water play and fairy-house building to sensory stations, gross motor games, dramatic play, and finger painting, there's something for every little one to explore."
Snacks and refreshments will also be available.
Parents and caregivers will also have the opportunity to connect with Winston Prouty's early childhood specialists about resources available.
For more information, visit winstonprouty.org/dayofplay.
Strawberry supper in Westminster
WESTMINSTER - The First Congregational Church of Westminster, 3470 Route 5, will hold its annual Strawberry Supper fundraiser on Saturday, June 28, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Dinner will include ham, potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw, and homemade strawberry shortcake.
Adult meals cost $15; meals for kids ages 5–12 are $7, and kids under 5 eat free. Tickets are available at the church or at the door.
To arrange for a takeout meal, call the church ahead of time at 802-518-0321.
Community Pride Service at All Souls Church U.U.
WEST BRATTLEBORO - A Community Pride Service will be held at All Souls Church U.U., 29 South St., on Saturday, June 28, from 2 to 3 p.m. to honor LGBTQ+ strength and resilience through music, readings, and reflection.
Sponsored by the Brattleboro Area Interfaith Leaders Alliance (BAILA) in collaboration with Out in the Open, this service is open to all. If you would like to take part in the community choir that will sing, come to All Souls at 12:30 p.m. for a rehearsal.
Out In the Open's mission is to connect rural LGBTQ+ people to build community, visibility, knowledge, and power. The organization decribes itself as "a multiracial, majority working class, grassroots movement and capacity building organization based in Wabanaki territory throughout the states of Vermont and Maine." Find out more at weareoutintheopen.org.
Brattleboro Area Interfaith Leaders Alliance is made up of leaders and members from a variety of faith traditions who are committed to finding unity and common ground, offering support and solidarity within the larger faith community of southern Vermont.
BAILA faith communities include Quaker, United Church of Christ, Episcopal, Methodist, Baptist, Buddhist, Quaker, Ba'hai, Unitarian Universalist, and the Brattleboro Area Jewish Community. BAILA is open to anyone involved in a faith community as a leader or member.
St. Michael's Episcopal celebrates 'Pride Sunday'
BRATTLEBORO - St. Michael's Episcopal Church on Bradley Avenue will be celebrating Pride Sunday on June 29.
"During this service, we will offer special prayers for our ongoing support and celebration of the LGBTQ+ community at St. Michael's and in the world, as well as hear from parishioner John Linscheid for the sermon," Rev. Thaddeus Bennett, who is serving as St. Michael's Rector while Rev. Mary Lindquist is on sabbatical, said in a news release.
Linscheid, along with his late partner of 41 years, Ken M. White, has been a writer, speaker, and activist in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition, Evangelical Christian faith, and in queer spiritualities. Now in retirement, he continues to explore the art of creating nurturing space for queer and progressive individuals on a journey toward liberation for the world, the flesh, and the spirit.
Linscheid served as a Mennonite pastor in Lawrence, Kansas, from 1980 to 1984. His regional Mennonite conference, the Western District, revoked his credentials in 1984 when he came out of the closet.
This year, on May 11, the Western District apologized for its actions and granted him honorary credentials as a retired pastor. Having retired to Brattleboro in 2018, Linscheid has been attending Saint Michael's since 2022. Many of his writings and articles may be found at gayoldsouls.com.
Linscheid will speak at both the 8 a.m. and the 10:15 a.m. services.
Bennett added that, in another sign of St. Michael's support for the LGBTQ+ community, the church offers a new Pride sticker for people to wear, put on their water bottle, coffee cup, "so that they can witness to the Episcopal church's support for our sisters and brothers."
Advanced care planning training offered at Center for Solace
BRATTLEBORO - If you are interested in helping individuals navigate the crucial conversations surrounding their values and wishes in times of medical uncertainty, Center for Solace, formerly known as Brattleboro Area Hospice, invites you to be part of the volunteer program focused on advance care planning.
Organizers say this training program "will empower volunteers to assist community members in articulating their end-of-life preferences, ensuring their voices are heard even when they are unable to speak for themselves during medical emergencies.
"With the invaluable knowledge gained through our training, volunteers will mentor individuals in crafting advance directives and communicating their wishes to loved ones and health care providers when they are unable to do so themselves."
Training sessions are on two Thursdays, July 3 and 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Center for Solace, 191 Canal St.
Space is limited, and all are welcome to apply. To reserve your spot and receive more information, call 802-257-0775 or email [email protected].
This Town and Village item was submitted to The Commons.