BRATTLEBORO-On Thursday, Aug. 20, the seats inside the Latchis Theatre won’t be filled with moviegoers. They’ll be filled with groceries.
Peter “Fish” Case of the Brattleboro Reformer is once again inviting the community to take part in “Load the Latchis,” an annual food drive benefiting Foodworks, Groundworks Collaborative’s free-choice grocery store.
The goal is to fill all 750 seats in the theater with bags of groceries or the equivalent in financial donations to help ensure every neighbor has access to healthy, nutritious food.
If every seat is filled, the community has the potential to provide more than $20,000 in food and financial support for Foodworks.
“Every bag placed in a seat represents more than food,” Susan Lienau, advancement director for Groundworks Collaborative, said in a news release. “It represents a neighbor who won’t have to choose between paying rent and buying groceries. It represents a child with healthy meals at home and a family that knows their community cares. Load the Latchis reminds us what is possible when Brattleboro comes together around a shared purpose.”
Community members can participate in two ways. They can purchase a $25 virtual grocery bag at loadthelatchis.com, allowing Foodworks to stretch every dollar by purchasing food in bulk through the Vermont Foodbank at significantly reduced prices. Or they can shop locally and deliver bags of groceries to volunteers outside the Latchis Theatre on the Flat Street side during the event.
Last year, Foodworks said it served 4,767 individuals across 2,027 households, including 1,206 children, and they continue to welcome approximately 60 new households every month. Foodworks operates five days each week and also provides grocery delivery for neighbors who cannot visit the store because of age, disability, illness, or transportation barriers.
This Town and Village item was submitted to The Commons.