Updated 2 hours ago
NECN
A Vermont church has found itself with an unusual and enviable responsibility: giving away well over half a million dollars.
A nonprofit formed by the Congregational Church of Middlebury to disburse donated funds wants the money to make the community’s shopping and dining district more vibrant. Download our mobile app for iOS or Android to get alerts for local breaking news and weather.
“There’s a buzz about it,” said Rev. Andy Nagy-Benson, the pastor at the Middlebury Congregational Church. “It feels like a once in a lifetime moment.”
The church has received two separate chunks of money, totaling $650,000, Nagy-Benson said. He told NECN it was all donated by a woman overseas with close ties to the community and church.
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 Share Updated: 12:50 PM EDT Apr 15, 2021
An anonymous donor asked the church to administer grants that will strengthen Middlebury’s business community Share Updated: 12:50 PM EDT Apr 15, 2021
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Show Transcript 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
Vermont Church Has Once in a Lifetime Chance to Give Away $650,000 msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Thu, 04/08/2021 - 1:16pm meganj
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John Flowers THE REV. ANDY Nagy-Benson, pastor of the Congregational Church of Middlebury, is an architect of “Table 21,” a nonprofit created to evaluate applications from businesses seeking a portion of the donated money to mop up red ink and make payroll.
A lot of times, (businesses) don’t always need $10,000 grants; sometimes it’s only $1,000 or $2,000. Rev. Andy Nagy-Benson
MIDDLEBURY The unofficial guardian angel of small, struggling Middlebury-area businesses has made another huge donation this time for $350,000 to help those that have taken a financial hit from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The anonymous benefactor who lives overseas but has ties to Middlebury has now given a total of $650,000 this year to help area farms, restaurants, and now stores that are barely making ends meet during a pandemic that just marked its grim one-year anniversary.
SADIE, LILA AND CARINA BRIGHTMAN
Can you feel it? Spring is tugging us outside, begging us to shed our hats, mitts, coats and oh, heavens maybe even our masks. After a year of carefully considering COVID precautions, the promise of vaccines and the nicer weather have many of us grasping for the light at the end of the tunnel.
Matt Bonner a musician, writer, producer and entrepreneur from Cornwall has been feeling this way since the New Year when he wrote “Daylight,” a song envisioning “coming back together, hope and connection and daylight.” He recently coordinated with 20 other local musicians to produce a music video that premiered two weeks ago during Porter Auxiliary’s fundraising event “Laughter Is The Best Medicine.”