JOHNSON – Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) holds its annual meeting at Jay Peak Resort, May 10, beginning with a free breakfast at 8 a.m.
photo by Encore Renewable Energy
A VEC Community Fund awards grants to organizations serving community members.
It has recently partnered with the Northeastern Vermont Development Association (NVDA) to provide free community solar memberships in Orleans County, through a grant from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program.
VEC is Vermont’s second largest electric utility, providing service to the most rural portions of northern Vermont, including the northwest area of Craftsbury and a smaller section in northwest Greensboro.
The annual meeting’s business meeting begins at 9:30 a.m., where members will hear from VEC leaders about how the co-op procures the power it supplies to members and results of the board election will be announced. A presentation at 10:30 a.m. by Dan Potter, VEC Senior Power Resources Planner and Rebecca Towne, VEC Chief Executive Officer is titled “Navigating a Clean Power Supply.” The meeting will end with a drawing for door prizes. Details are at: vermontelectric.coop/annual–meeting.
Underscoring one of the seven cooperative principles, “concern for community” the board of directors established the VEC Community Fund a decade ago. The fund is supported by voluntary donations from VEC members who choose to round up their monthly electric bills to the next highest dollar with a maximum annual contribution of $11.98, donating their member capital, or making one-time donations.
The VEC Community fund is intended to strengthen the community by awarding grants to organizations that serve VEC members. The first grant was awarded in 2015. Since then, more than 200 separate grants have been awarded to non-profits in our region, totaling over $160,000. Grants will range from $100 to a cap of $1,000, with exceptions possible on a case-by-case basis.
Focus areas of the fund are: economic security, emergency and disaster relief, community support and development, and food security.
Recent fund awards have been to Central Vermont Council on Aging (CVCOA), Hardwick Farmers Market, The North Craftsbury Cemetery Association and Craftsbury Community Meals.
This year’s award of $500 to CVCOA provides funds for hosting Age Outdoors: A Fun Run, Bicycle Ride and Walk for Healthy Aging on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail in Morrisville. The event raises funds for CVCOA, supporting innovative programs for healthy aging and individualized support for older adults and caregivers in Central Vermont.
The Hardwick Farmers Market received $500 in 2024 to support an additional picnic table to increase the availability of seating during the Atkins Field Farmers Market.
The North Craftsbury Cemetery Association was awarded $500 to help in a community-wide effort to restore and preserve the historic 122-year-old decorative iron fence that surrounds the North Craftsbury Cemetery, which serves as the gateway to the Craftsbury Common Historic District.
In 2023 Craftsbury Community Meals was given $1,000 to support food purchases. The program served an average of 100 meals each month, with each monthly meal costing approximately $200, so these funds covered approximately five months of meals.
The Community Fund Allocation Committee, made up of an equal number of VEC staff and board participants, accepts applications on a rolling basis and makes awards quarterly. Each member of the committee individually reviews and scores every application against criteria and the group then meets to discuss the applications and make the awards.
Carol Maroni, a member of the VEC Board of Directors and member of the Community Fund Allocation Committee, shared her pride in VEC’s capacity to facilitate generous contributions from members to nonprofits that benefit local communities. “Each quarter, as we gather to award these grants, I am reminded of the generosity of our members. It is truly an honor to transform their goodwill and kindness into impactful initiatives that touch and benefit our larger VEC community.”
Maroni represents VEC’s District 3 which includes Albany, Craftsbury, Glover, Greensboro, Irasburg, Jay, Lowell, Newport Town, Troy and Westfield.
To apply for funding, organizations can complete and submit an online application available here at vermontelectric.coop/forms/community–fund–application. Applicants must be nonprofit tax-exempt organizations and/or public schools. Individuals are not eligible, but funds may pass through eligible organizations to support individual needs.
The free community solar memberships in Orleans County are available through funding secured by NVDA from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program.
The grant covers the cost-in-full for 20 income-qualified households in Orleans County to sponsor panels in VEC‘s Community Solar Program, leading to nearly $45 in monthly savings on their electricity bills. Over the 10-year program term, each household will save over $5,200. All program slots have been filled.
“This program will provide significant savings to Orleans County residents who could benefit from it the most,” said Allie Webster, energy planning consultant for NVDA. “We are grateful to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for making this funding possible and to VEC for their leadership in affordable renewable energy.”
Orleans County was one of more than 2,700 eligible states, territories, local governments, and Tribes awarded a portion of over $430 million in clean energy funding via the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
VEC’s community solar projects are located in Alburgh, Grand Isle, and Hinesburg, Vermont. Orleans County grant participants will sponsor panels in Hinesburg. Together they total about 7.1 megawatts and produce about 9 million kilowatt-hours annually, the equivalent of about 1,200 homes’ annual electricity usage. All VEC members are invited to enroll in Co-op community solar and can learn more online or by contacting VEC Member Services (800) 832-2667, [email protected].
To see the full list of VEC Community Fund donations, see vermontelectric.coop/community–fund
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
