At United Way of Addison County, we love to introduce our community to exciting non-profits. Please welcome New Community Project!
Launched in 2015, New Community Project’s (NCP) Vermont program based in Starksboro brings NCP’s mission to the New England region. They are supported by neighbors, community members, and a growing list of volunteers and supporters from area schools, colleges, and organizations throughout the area. NCP, the parent organization founded in 2003, has had a Sustainable Living Center in Harrisonburg, VA since 2006, with the Vermont site being only the second in the country. NCP is committed to the creation of sustainable systems that care for the earth, empowering people most marginalized and impoverished, educating and inspiring, and building the foundation for a peaceful human community.
The center demonstrates and experiments in permaculture design, organic gardening, energy conservation, appropriate technology, water conservation and reuse, and landscape regeneration. Some site features include:
- Fruit and nut tree crop
- No-till regenerative agriculture
- Berry Patches
- Wood heating and cooking
- Annual and perennial gardens
- Bicycle transportation
- Maple syrup production
- Chickens, Ducks, and Rabbits
- Composting
During the past year, NCP has worked tirelessly to create and adapt its programs and services to safely aid the community. According to recent data from 211 Vermont, their requests for food assistance nearly doubled in Addison County from 2019 to 2020. NCP’s busy Food Share Program jumped right in to help! They moved to a curbside pickup and delivery model to ensure the safety of their volunteers and clients, as well as providing proper PPE for their volunteers. There was also a concerted effort to expand their gardens, 
build a greenhouse and update their facilities in order to keep up with the increased demand they are facing. Additionally, they gave their volunteers gas cards to defray the cost of their deliveries and hired a local resident who was furloughed from their job to help with the expanded duties. In addition to the Food Share Program, NCP operated a Community Woodbank to provide short-term emergency heating assistance to residents in need. All of these efforts combined to an incredible outpouring of support for Addison County residents from NCP.
If you have any questions about NCP, please visit their website at www.newcommunityproject.info/starksboro or reach out to NCP Coordinator Pete Antos-Ketcham at 802-434-2333 or antosketchamncp@gmail.com. United Way of Addison County is thrilled to welcome NCP to our community and introduce them to you as they continue to make an incredible difference.
