Outreach coordinator at Grafton Community Church Mary Howard Hall, left, received a $500 check from Andrea Spaans and Kristen Bruso from the Vermont Telephone Co. this month. The church runs a food pantry which is one of 10 rural recipients of VTel’s seasonal donation this year. Photo courtesy of David Hall A telecom company based in Springfield has donated $5,000 among 10 rural food pantries in Vermont this month. “Supporting local food pantries has long been important to us,” said Andrea Spaans, marketing manager and wireless supervisor at the Vermont Telephone Company and VTel Wireless, via email. “This December, we wanted to do more and make sure our support reached as many local pantries as possible.” The small, family-owned company operating since 1890, provides internet, phone and television services across 14 rural villages in Vermont, according to its website. While it has contributed to local food pantries since the 2010s, it increased its seasonal donation this year to spread the joy across some of the communities it serves, Spaans said. The Grafton Community Church, which runs the local food pantry, is a first-time recipient. “VTel’s effort is amazing. So unexpected,” Mary Howard Hall, outreach coordinator who received a $500 check earlier this month, said in an email. “Their donation will go toward feeding our neighbors.” Christmas is a busy time for the church and food pantry, which is open 8:30 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sunday. Additional hours are available if needed. “Some people have keys to let themselves in to get food when we are closed,” she said. “Isn’t that wonderful? We have never turned anyone away.” When the Grafton Inn across the street closed its kitchen at the start of the pandemic in 2020, they called the church.  “I took all their food, which was a lot, and it disappeared in two hours,” Hall said. That’s how the pantry at the chapel began, and they have kept it going since. It now offers shelf-stable foods, sometimes eggs, cheese and meats, and produce from the Vermont Foodbank, which they partner with. Separate from the church budget, the pantry runs on donations of both food and money and costs about $10,000 to $13,000 per year, according to Hall. The town of Grafton donates $1,000 each year, and they apply for grants. With rising prices, it’s a lot for a small rural church – but also a priority. “Each year, of course, we spend more money, as prices continue to rise,” she said. So they were happy to receive an unexpected check. They work with local farmers and growers, as well as with Grafton Cares, a community effort that provides two lunches and two dinners a month at the chapel building at 4 Main St. They also offer rides to medical appointments and help coordinate Meals on Wheels deliveries, Hall said. VTel’s holiday donation this year includes the Black River Good Neighbor Services in Ludlow, Chester-Andover Family Center, Danby Town Office Food Bank, Hartland Community Food Shelf, Our Place Community Food Center in Rockingham, Pawlet Community Church Food Pantry, Springfield Family Center, Wallingford Town Hall Food Cupboard and Woodstock Community Food Shelf, according to the release. “Local food pantries are often volunteer-led and deeply rooted in the communities we serve,” Spaans said in an email. “Supporting them is a tangible way for us to back the people and organizations doing that day-to-day work and help ensure they have the resources they need.” The donation follows VTel’s annual tradition of serving a free Thanksgiving dinner for VTel customers over 65. This year, it served more than 800 meals at Black Rock Steakhouse in Springfield and The Barn Restaurant in Pawlet, according to a VTel press release. The company will continue to give back locally through its Round Up for Change program, which allows customers to voluntarily round up their monthly bill to the nearest dollar. The proceeds, which vary yearly, are donated to a selected organization at the end of the year.  The 2026 recipient is Meals and Wheels of Greater Springfield, a volunteer-driven organization that delivers approximately 500 meals each week to residents who are unable to shop or cook for themselves, Spaans said. It also provides wellness checks and social connection. Read the story on VTDigger here: Springfield telecom company donates to 10 rural food pantries . ...read more read less