Staff from Passumpsic Bank are joined by Herb Will, Director of Nutrition at the NEK Council on Aging, as they prepare to stuff blizzard bags containing shelf stable food. The bags were delivered to older residents throughout the Northeast Kingdom. The annual project is supported by a partnership with the NEKCOA, Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital, North Country Hospital, and Passumpsic Bank. 

Chef Joey Buttendorf is pictured leading a class about the creative use of food ingredients to provide appealing and cost-effective meals for people managing heart, circulatory, or kidney health challenges. 

Staff from 14 Northeast Kingdom senior meal nutrition programs attended a one-day training session to learn about methods to produce medically-tailored meals to support people with heart, circulatory, and kidney health challenges.

The training session was funded by a grant from Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) as part of the NEK Prosper! Healthy Cents Fund. The training was led by Herb Will, Director of Nutrition, NEK Council on Aging; registered dietitian Alicia Armstrong RDN LD CDCES; and former New England Culinary Institute Chef Joey Buttendorf. Also in attendance was Annie Hutchinson, State Unit on Aging Operations Team Leader for the Vermont Department of Aging and Independent Living (DAIL).

“Food as Medicine” has become an established nationwide goal with passage of the Dignity in Aging Act of 2019 which revised the Older Americans Act (OAA) to expand health promotion and disease prevention,” said Will. “Enacted in 2020, this revision included the phrase, “person-centered” and called for the equitable adjustment of meals for cultural considerations and preferences along with medically-tailored meals.” 

"The Scoop" is our monthly nutrition and wellness newsletter. The March 2024 issue highlights an article from Registered Dietitian Alicia Armstrong RDN LD CDCES about National Nutrition Month, tips on the benefits of chair yoga and stretching, a delicious kale and white bean soup, and more. The April 2024 issue features viewing and safety tips for the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8th!

HomeShare Vermont has been matching people who have room in their home with those seeking an affordable place to live for the past 42 years. And the organization has expanded into the NEK in Craftsbury, Greensboro and Hardwick.

Homeshare guests can contribute to rent and utilities and/or provide help with household tasks, such as cooking, yardwork, housekeeping, snow removal, pet care or running errands. HomeShare Vermont conducts background and reference checks and then helps create compatible matches.

To learn more, call (802) 863-5625, visit www.HomeShareVermont.org or email [email protected].  

NEK Community Partners, Vermonters, their families & caregivers are invited to join us at this exciting, first-time event to help normalize and prepare for healthy aging. We are reducing the stigma around seeking and obtaining access to answers and resources for end-of-life experiences and needs. Meet with vendors and obtain information. Discover tools and resources to assist in learning, planning, and preparing. The public is welcome. Free beverages and snacks will be provided.

End-of-Life Resource Fair

Friday May 17th, 2024

10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

United Baptist Church

932 US Route 5

Waterford, VT



Potential subjects: Aging at Home & Assisted Living, Advanced Directives & Living Wills, Legal Services Spiritual Care Funeral, Cremation & Burial Information, Medication Management, Palliative & Hospice Care, and Caregiver Support.

The fair is presented through a partnership with NVRH and the NEK Council on Aging. We wish to thank Community National Bank for their corporate sponsorship.

Our FREE monthly Medicare Bootcamp classes are held monthly online (via Microsoft Teams). Call Andrea Labor to register at (802) 748-5182. The class is free but a donation is always appreciated.

Help us to meet our goal to raise $45,000 for our Annual Fund--we are half-way there! Your donation is tax deductible and helps to provide the resources where state and federal funding fall short. Use the button below to make a secure gift online today. Thank you!

Thank you to Community National Bank for serving as the key sponsor of the End of Life Fair to be held on May

Thank you NVRH for your grant to host the medically-tailored meals training for the NEK senior meal site staff.

Thank you to Market 32 by Price Chopper for their donation to support the NEKCOA Fuel Fund.

With the support of a Creative Aging Grant from the Vermont Arts Council, the NEKCOA sponsored a five-week, circus-themed creative movements class at the Brighton Recreation Center in Island Pond. Thank you to our ringmistress and class instructor Marci Diamond (pictured right), for leading the fun. Pictured are participants and family members celebrating the last "Showtime" class that highlighted skills learned over the five-week class period.

For a complete list of our wellness classes, use the link below. To register for classes, please contact Emily Sanderson (802) 751-0431 or [email protected].

Congratulations to John Rogers III and Rachel Casey, who celebrated Mardi Gras at the Danville Senior Action Center and got married the next day (Valentine's Day)! They are now John and Rachel Rogers III! They have been faithfully setting up the dining room for two days a week, for the past year.

Thank you to Nancy, Karen, and Linda who volunteer for the Burke Senior Meal Site.

Cheers to our friends at the Gilman Senior Center for their support of home delivered and congregate meals. They will soon be celebrating their one-year anniversary of reopening the center.

We continue to welcome those who wish to support their community by serving as a volunteer for the NEKCOA. Our team of volunteers, over 400 strong, provides support with meal site set up, service, and home-delivered meals delivery at 14 partner meal sites throughout the NEK. Volunteers also lead wellness classes, plow and shovel driveways, deliver groceries, pick up prescriptions, provide transportation to medical appointments and so much more. We will work with your schedule to find the right role for you. Call Emily Sanderson (802) 751-0431 or email [email protected] to discover your opportunity to change someone's life.

Pictured above are our friends at the West Barnet Meal Site who help to feed congregate and home-delivered meals to area friends and neighbors every Wednesday and Friday.

We will be highlighting May as Older Americans Month by drawing attention to resources that help older adults to engage and stay connected. Our Wellness Programs, Telefriend Program, Home Delivered and Congregate Meals, Tech for Today Program, Caregiver Support, and Options and Case Management Programs are a few examples of how the NEKCOA works to offer person-centered support to maintain meaningful relationships.

Staff from the NEKCOA St. Johnsbury office celebrate Wear Red Day. Pictured (l-r) are Andrea, Melinda, Mel, Kim, Megan, Herb, and Kendra.