Our Pandemic Response & Community Resources
State of New Hampshire’s new online COVID-19 Testing Registration portal
The Vital Communities offices:
To protect the health of our staff and community partners, and to slow the spread of the virus, the Vital Communities office is closed to visitors until further notice. Staff are working our regular hours, and for nearly all of us, that means remotely. To reach us by phone, leave a message on the general line or personal extensions, and the message will automatically be delivered to the inbox of the person you are seeking. Our phone number is 802-291-9100. Staff are also available by email at firstname@vitalcommunities.org, or info@vitalcommunities.org.
Our work during the pandemic:
The convening work that is integral to Vital Communities helps build the social capital of the Upper Valley so that, when crises occur, key partners are already working toward powerful, regional solutions. The staff and Board of Vital Communities are actively considering how we can adapt our work to more fully meet the needs of the Upper Valley during this health crisis and for the long-term economic recovery. Vital Communities staff is already working with community partners to:
- assist local businesses, including farm and food businesses
- secure food and access to food for children, families, and vulnerable community members
- connect our communities with information, resources, and tools to respond quickly as circumstances shift
- mobilize the Upper Valley Strong collaborative emergency response (Vital Communities staff are serving on the Upper Valley Strong committee and a subcommittee)
Stay tuned as our work continues to evolve. We also want to hear from you and work with you. Please email or call to join our efforts, alert us to needs in your community, or find resources: 802-291-9100, info@vitalcommunities.org or firstname@vitalcommunities.org.
To stay up to date with Vital Communities responses to the pandemic, sign up to receive our e-newsletter, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. We highly recommend signing up for the community discussion list in your town, as well as community discussion lists relevant to your interests.
Upper Valley info pages:
- Daybreak’s resource page
- Junction Magazine’s resource page (includes some fun stuff!)
- Valley News
Skill building & family activities:
Outdoor recreation guidance:
Explore Valley Quest this summer
Find Open Local Businesses and Farms. Search the Vital Communities Guide.
How you can get involved:
It is essential that we work together for community resilience, and assist those most vulnerable to the impacts of this pandemic. See below for resources on both how to help others and how to find the help you or people you know may need.
Upper Valley Strong:
Medical Reserve Corps and other medical response volunteering:
- VT volunteers: www.OnCallforVT.org
- NH volunteers: www.nhresponds.org
Other ways to get involved:
GIVE HELP and GET HELP through local Mutual Aid networks:
There are many mutual aid networks popping up in our region and around the world. These are community-driven networks of people helping each other and are critical in these times. If you have a need or would like to help your neighbors, please sign up in the mutual aid sign-in sheet (below) for your region, and a local organizer will make sure that a volunteer helps address your need. Some of these networks are also taking donations for distribution to people in need.
- Bradford Area Mutual Aid Volunteer Sign-Up
- Central Vermont Mutual Aid
- Chelsea/Vershire/Corinth/Tunbridge/Washington mutual aid volunteer and need sign up
- Hartland-Area Mutual Aid volunteer sign-up
- Randolph Area Mutual Aid Network (RAMAN)
- South Royalton mutual aid
- Southern NEK Delivery Request Form
- Southern NEK Mutual Aid
- Strafford Emergency Management
- hern NEK Mutual Aid
- Thetford mutual aid volunteer and need sign up
- Upper Valley Area Mutual Aid(for both NH & VT)
- Vermonters Feeding Vermonters
- Barre mutual aid volunteer and need sign up
- Crowd-sourced Vermont COVID-19 Resource List
- New Hampshire – Mutual Aid and Defense Resources
Funding & resources for people:
- Upper Valley Strong (food, housing, childcare, family & elder health, mental health and substance use, financial, and utilities resources)
- USCRI Vermont Neighbor Relief Fund
- Computers for low income Individuals, Non-Profits, Libraries, Schools & Faith Based Organizations (New Hampshire)
Funding & resources for businesses & farmers:
- Mask Order Form for Businesses (New Hampshire)
- CARES Act Business Eligibility Checklist
- Small Business Owner’s Guide to the CARES Act
- Small business Economic Impact Disaster information
- Farmer Emergency Fund
- American Farmland Trust Farmer Relief Fund
- UNH Extension COVID FAQ Blog
- UVM Extension COVID Blog
- COVID-19 Best Practices for Farmers Markets
Funding & resources for nonprofits:
- New England Grassroots Environmental Fund
- The Vermont Community Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund
- NH Center for Nonprofits – resources and funding for nonprofits
- National Council of Nonprofits – apply for non-profit funding through the CARES ACT
- River Network Pandemic Resources for Nonprofits
- New Hampshire Humanities CARES Act General Operating Support Grants Program
Other useful links:
- World Health Organization
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Dartmouth-Hitchcock Daily Information Videos
- Vermont Department of Health
- Vermont COVID-19 FAQ
- Vermont Quarantine Definition and Guidance
- Vermont Governor Phil Scott: Executive Orders
- Vermont 211: Resource Referral
- Vermont Agency of Education
- Vermont Department of Labor
- Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development
- Stay At Home, Stay Safe Weekly Q & A for Municipalities
- VT ACCD COVID-19 newsletter sign-up
- VTDigger COVID-19 page and VTDigger COVID-19 newsletter sign-up
- Go! Vermont COVID-19 Transportation Updates
- Windsor County COVID-19 Demo Profile
- Orange County COVID-19 Demo Profile
- New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services – Daily Updates
- New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services – Current Situation
- NH DHHS Updated Information for School Communities (03/06/2020)
- New Hampshire Employment Security
- New Hampshire 211
Please let us know if there’s something else that should be added to this list. If you’d like to add to this collection, please send us an email containing all of the following:
- Resource Name
- Brief Description
- URL (link) to resource or the file
- Section it should be placed under (or let us know if we need a new section)
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