Vermont church has 'once in a lifetime' chance to give away $650,000
An anonymous donor asked the church to administer grants that will strengthen Middlebury’s business community
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Updated: 12:50 PM EDT Apr 15, 2021
An anonymous donor asked the church to administer grants that will strengthen Middlebury’s business community
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Updated: 12:50 PM EDT Apr 15, 2021
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AN ADDISON COUNTY CHURCH-- FINDING ITSELF IN AN UNUSUAL POSITION AFTER RECEIVING WELL OVER A HALF MILLION DOLLARS IN DONATIONS--áBUT WITH CLEAR DIRECTIONS TO GIVE THAT CASH AWAY! JACK THURSTON TELLS US--IT'S BEING SPENT TO MAKE MIDDLEBURY'S SHOPPING AND DINING DISTRICT MORE VIBRANT. ((STEVE ATOCHA / Store Owner: 1:22:50: thank you from the bottom of my heart.)) Gratitude ((KAREN DUGUAY / Better Middlebury Partnership: 1:12:47: we are so unbelievably appreciative.)) around every corner in Middlebury, Vermont ((MATT CORRENTE / Restaurant Owner: 1:33:05: she can't know how much it means to us.)) for lots and lots of pennies, not from heaven, but from as close as you can get on earth. ((REV. ANDY NAGY- BENSON / Congregational Church of Middlebury: 1:00:00: there's a buzz about it.)) Andy Nagy-Benson is the pastor at the Middlebury Congregational Church. ((REV. ANDY NAGY- BENSON / Congregational Church of Middlebury: 59:47: It feels like a once in a lifetime moment.)) It's already given away $300,000 - all of it, we're told, donated by a woman overseas with close ties to the community. She wants to stay anonymous, but Nagy-Benson says she asked the church to boost area farms and restaurants hit hard by the pandemic. ((REV. ANDY NAGY- BENSON / Congregational Church of Middlebury: 1:01:28: it's a good day for Middlebury to have that kind of money infused into this place.)) Matt Corrente's using some of the $20,000 he received to order an outdoor heating system for deck dining at his Italian restaurant, The Arcadian. ((MATT CORRENTE / Restaurant Owner: 1:32:26: the more reasons that people to come to and stay in Middlebury, the better for all of us.)) With that first pot of money spent on 19 grants - the donor then surprised the town with a check for another 350- grand. The church's new nonprofit board - now using the latest funds to help other businesses claw back from a tough year... Including Green Mountain Adventures, where 10,000 bucks means Steve Atocha can revamp his e-commerce website - it had been on the back burner because of a tight budget. ((STEVE ATOCHA / Store Owner: 1:22:01: to be able to do that instantly and get someone working on it was amazing.)) And the Better Middlebury Partnership's able double the seed money it was offering 5 entrepreneurs-now up to $20,000-to help them open up shop here, filling vacant storefronts. ((KAREN DUGUAY / Better Middlebury Partnership: 1:13:33: we're going to get some really great businesses into Middlebury, and I can't wait to see what happens.)) The church isn't sure if still more money could be coming - if so, it promises to use it all to keep strengthening small- town bonds... confident a more vibrant downtown will make for an even better place to live, work, and visit. ((REV. ANDY NAGY- BENSON / Middlebury Congregational Church: