Food drop in Putney
PUTNEY — The next Putney food drop will be Thursday, June 25, from 9 to 9:45 a.m. The Vermont Food Bank and Putney Foodshelf co-sponsor this service, free and open to all, offering a selection of produce and assorted foods.
The Putney Food Drop is at 78 River Rd. More details, including a map, can be found at putneyfoodshelf.org/food-drop.
AIDS Project teams with Walgreens for National HIV Testing Day
BRATTLEBORO — On Friday, June 26, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont (APSVT) will participate in the nation’s largest coordinated National HIV Testing Day event by offering free rapid HIV and hepatitis C testing at Walgreens, 476 Canal St.
A white APSVT van will be parked in the Walgreens parking lot, where testing will take place. $5 gift cards are available to all who test. The event is part of Walgreens’ 2026 National HIV Testing Day initiative, providing free testing and education at more than 580 Walgreens locations nationwide.
Since 1988, APSVT has served Windham and Bennington counties through HIV prevention, care coordination, harm reduction, and support services for individuals living with HIV and those at increased risk.
Testing will be conducted by trained APSVT staff, with results available in 20 minutes or less. No appointment or insurance is required. In addition to testing, staff will provide information about HIV prevention, including PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and doxy PEP, discuss current treatment options, and offer referrals and linkage to care as needed.
For more information, including participating locations nationwide, visit Walgreens.GreaterThan.org or contact APSVT at 802-254-4444.
Genealogy group meets June 27
BRATTLEBORO — The June meeting of the Windham County Genealogy Interest Group is scheduled for Saturday, June 27, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Zoom and at Brooks Memorial Library.
The topics discussed will cover “Gravestone & Cemetery Records Research; the 1926 Irish Census; and Researching an Artifact.” The meeting is free and open to all. Register at bit.ly/WCGIG-2026.
St. Michael’s Episcopal celebrates Pride Sunday
BRATTLEBORO — On Sunday, June 28, St. Michael’s Episcopal Church will be celebrating Pride Sunday. “During this service,” says the Rev. Mary Lindquist, St. Michael’s Rector, “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 Bee Hesselbach for the sermon.”
Hesselbach (they/them) has been a member of St. Michael’s since they moved to Vermont at the age of six. Bee describes themself as a “queer trans nonbinary lesbian neurodivergent Episcopalian parent, partner, Vermonter, public servant, union activist, and general good-troublemaker.” In their day job, they work at the Superior Court in Brattleboro as the Windham County Probate Registrar.
Hesselbach will speak at both the 8 and the 10:15 a.m. services. St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, at the corner of Bradley Ave. and Putney Rd., welcomes all and is ADA compliant. For more information, visit stmichaels-vt.org.
Strawberry picnic in Dummerston
DUMMERSTON — Dummerston Congregational Church presents its annual Strawberry Picnic, rain or shine, on Sunday, June 28, between noon and 2 p.m., at the church in Dummerston Center.
Packaged as a “to go” meal, it can either be eaten on site picnic style (participants are encouraged to bring blankets) on the Common across from the church, along the banks of the fire pond behind the church, or taken home to eat at a later time.
Adult picnics are $16, children 6–11 eat for $7. The menu includes baked ham, potato salad, cole slaw, a tomato wedge or two, and a biscuit, with fresh strawberries and real whipped cream. Or dessert may be bought as a stand-alone for $8. Also available is a large shortcake that feeds 8 persons for $46. Reservations are not necessary. Proceeds from this fundraiser will go to help support the church.
Windham-3 candidate forum at Moose Lodge
BELLOWS FALLS — The Rockingham Democratic Committee will host a Windham-3 Democratic Candidates Forum at the Moose Lodge, 59 Westminster St., Wednesday, July 1, starting at 6:30 pm.
There are three Democratic candidates running in the Aug. 11 primary for the two Windham-3 seats which encompass Westminster, Brookline, and Rockingham: incumbent Michelle Bos-Lun and new candidates Chris Lundberg and Stephen Major.
The forum is open to all Windham-3 residents, and will also be streamed live on FACT TV.
This Town and Village item was submitted to The Commons.