Change for Local Non-Profits

Total Bags Reused:
718,107
Thank You!

City Market previously offered 5 cents back to customers for each bag they reused. In a survey of our members, respondents overwhelmingly agreed that rather than giving this money back to shoppers, we could all have a larger community impact by sharing the change with our local non-profits. Starting July 1, 2011, we began designating a local non-profit to receive the bag refunds each month.

 

April's Recipient: 

ReSOURCE Over the last 23 years, ReSOURCE has developed programs that help alleviate poverty in our community, offer valuable job skills training to disadvantaged individuals, and reduce waste going into our landfills. The organization has grown from a small secondhand store to a multi-faceted organization with five locations and many diverse programs, all working together to support our mission:

To meet community and individual needs through (1) education and job skills training, (2) environmental stewardship, and (3) economic opportunities.

ReSOURCE uses its retail sales, weatherization, solar installation, and repair services to support poverty relief through our Essential Goods program, job and life skills through our YouthBuild, Apprentice-style, and Work Experience training programs, and new opportunities to the under-skilled and long-term unemployed. New this year is Helping Hands, a refugee resettlement and job skills program.

While ReSOURCE is typically 55% to 65% self-funded through sales and service, we do rely on foundation, corporate, and individual support to help fund our much-needed programs. In 2013, government grant funding dropped from about 20% of our budget to about 5%, making contributions from the community even more vital to our mission.

During its twenty-three year history, ReSOURCE has provided goods and services to over 10,500 low-income families and individuals (about $120,000 per year in the last few years), diverted more than 28,000,000 (yes, 28 million) pounds of waste from our landfills, and trained more than 1,000 individuals through our job skills training programs.

ReSOURCE mainly serves three communities in Vermont- Burlington, Barre, and Morrisville. According to the U.S. Census 2010, the Burlington area had more than 7,490 households receiving food stamps and the Barre area had more than 2,150. The poverty rate for Barre (10.5%) and Burlington (10.6%) reflects the state’s 11.1% rate. One result of the high rate of poverty and school dropouts is unemployment. ReSOURCE works to counter these numbers and help our community overcome these issues.

All of ReSOURCE’s programs, partners, board, volunteers, and staff work hard to fulfill our mission and strengthen our communities. For more information about ReSOURCE, visit our website: http://resourcevt.org/ and like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/resourcevt

Past Recipients

Do you run a local non-profit that aligns with our Global Ends?

Your organization can apply to participate in the Change for Local Non-Profits program. We are currently filling slots 2 years out. Visit our donations page to learn how to apply.