Brooks Memorial Library resumes curbside service
BRATTLEBORO - Brooks Memorial Library will again offer curbside pickup of reserved items.
Patrons may borrow up to 10 items. Contact the library at circulation@brookslibraryvt.org or 802-254-5290 to request specific titles, or a librarian-selected collection (like picture books, spy thrillers, funny DVDs).
Patrons will be notified when their order is ready, and a specific pick up time will be arranged. Allow one full business day for fulfillment.
Borrowing limits on DVDs, new books, and audio will be observed, and the library will not have access to materials from other libraries.
Library staff say they will exercise the utmost caution in preparing the items for loan. Books will be packaged in brown paper bags, which will be placed on a table outside the Main Street entrance upon your arrival. Bring a sign with your name so staffers can match you with your bag. Please wait until staff is back in the building, with the door closed, before picking up your order.
The library will also begin accepting returns of borrowed items, only through the Big Blue Bookdrop in the Municipal Center parking lot.
Items will be sequestered for four days upon recovery and then wiped down with disinfectant. This level of vigilance exceeds the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Do not return materials if you have recently experienced symptoms of illness. No fines will be imposed on overdue materials.
The library continues to offer a multitude of digital resources available for entertainment and education at brookslibraryvt.org.
Brattleboro Food Co-op expands walk-in hours
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Food Co-op remains open for business with limited hours and curbside pickup.
Temporary hours for in-store shopping are now 2 to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, in-store hours have been expanded to 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Customers can call 802-246-2800 to place orders for curbside pickup, Monday through Saturday.
Same-day pickup orders may be placed from 8 a.m. to noon, while next-day pickup orders may be placed from noon to 2 p.m., with Saturday orders processed for Monday morning pickup.
Curbside orders will no longer be accepted on Sundays. Visit brattleborofoodcoop.coop for more information.
The Co-op says that products are subject to availability, and some quantity restrictions may apply.
For those shopping inside the store, the Co-op is asking customers to maintain 6-foot social distancing space with other customers, especially at the checkout counters, where plexiglass barriers have been installed. Card readers, belts, and screens are wiped and sanitized between every customer.
ClearChoiceMD offers expanded testing
BRATTLEBORO - ClearChoiceMD Urgent Care at at 1154 Putney Rd. now offers COVID-19 testing for both active infections and antibodies.
No appointments are needed, but patients are encouraged to save their spot in line through a registration portal at ccmdcenters.com/locations/brattleboro-vt.
According to a news release, both tests are covered by most major insurances; however, patients are urged to reach out to private insurance providers to confirm coverage prior to testing.
If you don't have insurance, ClearChoiceMD will offer the test at a discount.
The center remains open to safely test and treat all urgent, non-life-threatening medical needs, including employer health services.
The center is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week. Call 802-490-2100 for more information.
Inclusion Center continues its meetings via Zoom
BRATTLEBORO - Inclusion Center has been meeting remotely via Zoom for the past few weeks.
“We felt it was important to stay connected with everyone who counts on our Monday and Friday sessions, especially now, when many are feeling isolated, stressed, and anxious,” staff said in a news release.
On Mondays and Fridays, the group meets from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. During those sessions, participants share feelings, play silly games, do improvisation, and end with music and dance.
A Wednesday Conversation Café session also meets from 10:30 a.m. to noon and discusses a topic of interest each week.
The center's calendar is available at inclusioncenter.webs.com/apps/calendar.
To connect to these gatherings, request a link at inclusioncenter2013@gmail.com.
The Inclusion Center is open to people with disabilities, whether mental or physical, to folks with medical issues, or to those who suffer from depression or anxiety.
WIC program remains open
BURLINGTON - The Vermont Department of Health's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and other public programs, remain open to serve Vermonters.
Vermont WIC provides healthy foods, nutrition education, and breastfeeding support to support a strong immune system in Vermonters who are pregnant or in the postpartum period, and to infants and children up to their fifth birthday.
The Health Department says Vermont WIC is open and invites new and returning families to join. Since March 16, more than 600 new participants joined WIC for the first time. If you are pregnant, have recently given birth, or are the caregiver for an infant or child under 5, apply today. Medical providers, with patient permission, can refer patients to WIC.
To keep families and staff safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, all appointments are scheduled by phone. WIC staff are primarily working remotely.
WIC has also expanded its approved foods list to make it easier to find approved foods in the grocery store. These changes include larger bread loaf sizes, more varieties of eggs, and shredded cheese.
WIC is beginning to offer breastfeeding classes online.
If your family financial circumstances have changed due to a job loss or reduced hours, you could be eligible for WIC. For more information on food access, visit hungerfreevt.org/coronavirus.
High Mowing Organic offers free seeds for Vermont gardeners
RICHMOND - If you are food insecure, have lost your job, or want to contribute to help feed neighbors in this situation, High Mowing Organic Seeds of Wolcott and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) are supplying free seeds to start or expand community gardens.
High Mowing's donation packets are mostly from 2019, so the germination rates may be a little lower than normal. You can request either a bundle (10 seed packets) or five bundles (50 seed packets).
Each bundle will include roughly 80 percent vegetables, 10 percent herbs, and 10 percent flowers. If you can share seed with your neighbors, feel free to request five bundles.
For information, visit nofavt.org/resilience-garden, or contact Livy Bulger at livy@nofavt.org or 802-434-7153
If you are gardening for the first time or need general support, reach out to the UVM Extension Master Gardener team, who can pair you with an experienced gardener, at gordonclark09@gmail.com.
Baker Street Readers continue with new podcast
BRATTLEBORO - The Baker Street Readers were only two shows into their second season of live Sherlock Holmes readings when the coronavirus outbreak caused them to postpone the rest of their performances indefinitely.
Originally, the Readers planned to present one performance a month, January through June, as they did the year before.
Despite the live shows being cancelled, audiences can continue to join the Readers on their adventures in the new Baker Street Readers Podcast.
Just like the live shows, the podcast stars James Gelter as Sherlock Holmes and Tony Grobe as Dr. John Watson with a rotating list of special guests. Three episodes are already available, all featuring stories from the collection The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
The podcast is available through the online artist-funding platform Patreon. For the same price as their live shows, $5, audiences can enjoy a new episode each month, or two episodes a month for $8. For $15 a month, audiences receive two episodes every month, a shoutout at the end of each episode, and a mug.
The first episode, “The Adventure of the Gloria Scott,” is now available for free at bakerstreetreaderspodcast.com.
For more information, visit facebook.com/bakerstreetreaders, or email bakerstreetreaders@gmail.com.
NAMI moves 'In Our Own Voice' presentations online
WILLISTON - The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Vermont (NAMI) Vermont “In Our Own Voice” program will be offered free to all community members and interested participants in Vermont via videoconference.
To observe Mental Health Awareness Month, each Wednesday in May the group will offer a presentation that will teach audience members about living with a mental health condition. The program will help others gain a new perspective on those with a mental health condition and learn about what NAMI Vermont offers to the community.
The 60-to-90-minute public education presentation raises the awareness of mental illness and recovery and includes a short video, personal testimony, and a discussion that allows for honest and open dialogue.
Visit namivt.org for instructions for participating in each presentation.