Non-profit calls on community to support aging Vermonters this holiday season

By Jordan Barbour for MyChamplainValley, published on December 26, 2024

This holiday season, Age Well is calling on the community to support older Vermonters facing hunger. The non-profit provides volunteer-based support to those aged 60 and older, by assisting with food insecurity, wellness visits, caregiver support and more.

Tracey Shamberger, Age Well’s Director of Business Development and Communication, says the holidays can be an especially difficult time, as people may struggle to get out of the house or see family. She says this can leave many without proper transportation, food or heating in the winter months. 

“Older adults are having to make choices between, do I pay for my medicine? Or do I pay for my food? That’s not a choice we want people to have to make,” said Shamberger. 

John Hammer, a retiree, has been working to deliver “Meals on Wheels” for close to a decade. He’s one of a 1,000 Age Well volunteers that work to serve people in Addison, Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle. 

Hammer tells me he loves connecting with people he meets, as those conversations can be lifesaving in and of themselves. 

“I’m mister happy, which probably drives them nuts, but that’s the way I am. But they need it, they need a spark of life because they have such sad circumstances in many cases,” said Hammer.  

Read the full story and watch the video on the MyChamplainValley website.