Student Rotarians!
Alina and Hazel joined us to share some of their thoughts. Unfortunately your note taker joined the meeting a bit late and came in just in time to hear Hazel talk about hiking 500 miles in Colorado and Alina talking about how much “fun” it is to be stuck home with her Dad… she is happy structured Family “fun” time is over for the summer. :-) 
 
Announcements:
Tristam is still working with Rotary International and putting a lot of work into the different grant applications coming in.
 
Brags:
Ali is going to pickup Nicole soon for a few months as she comes home to go virtual to school. She is very excited to have her around for a while. 
 
Jim introduces Nicole Reisman - she is the main energy behind Nicole’s community kitchen. 
 
Nicole is a Chef, her mom ran a catering company out of their house. Moved to New York and then abroad and recently returned to the US. When she was in London she did a lot of cooking for the homeless. When she moved to Brattleboro she posted that she would make meals for people who needed it. When Covid hit she started getting more and more requests. She asked for help on Facebook and people rose to the occasion to help out. It has turned into a real stone soup effort. People dropping off everything from to go containers and produce. 
 
John Julien from Top of the Hill Grill offered the use of his kitchen over the winter, but when they reopened she had to bounce around a bit. United Way of Windham County offered her a grant, she also received another grant. When she needed more monetary help she started a 501 (c)(3) and was able to find someone to help be the executive director. She is working out of the Stone Church Kitchen. It has been very rewarding and the community has really stepped up with donations and help. 
 
The challenge in front of the group is how to feed people through the winter with everyone eats being funded through December 31. Soon she will be cooking at the SIT Kitchen which will help grow the number of people she’ll be able to cook for. 
 
Nicole didn’t realize how much she needed community until she moved here to Brattleboro and the pandemic hit. She is overjoyed to be part of the reciprocal part of the community. 
 
Nicolescommunitykitchen.org - all of the ordering and menus are online here now. Get the word out! 
 
Most of the word has gotten out through traditional press and Facebook. 
 
The community kitchen has been in touch with the Vermont Food Bank and she’ll soon be part of the gleaning program and be able to purchase from them. She is hoping to partner on videos regarding such subjects as  how to stretch food and how to shop frugally among other ideas.
 
How big do you want to grow? My #1 goal is to feed people through the winter, that is top priority. The ultimate goal would be great to have it become a proper community kitchen where local businesses and farmers can come cook or prepare things for sale to help support their business.  Would also love to have cafe’s with cook books and classes, maybe even have some prepared foods or have some folks cooking. Love to see this all over the State! 
 
Primarily this is all run via volunteerism, they are working on a way to start paying some of their folks as so many volunteers can’t keep going without pay. 
 
They prepare vegan and vegetarian options also. Food is available on Friday and Sunday. 
 
If you want to get a meal please do! Just make a donation if you can. :-)
 
Now is a critical time to support the Kitchen as the 501(c)(3) isn’t up and running yet but we still need to feel people, if you can donate with time or money please do! Take a look at the website to help out. 
 
Ended with the Four Way Test