Natural Disasters
July 2023 - VT Flood Response
Vermont, the Pennywise Foundation’s home-base, was devastated by historic and catastrophic flooding in July 2023.
Pennywise is honored to have been able to play a role in the response. We strengthened old partnerships and entered into exciting new ones to achieve our goal of maximizing the impact of every penny we contributed to relief efforts.
Pennywise supported the following organizations:
The Vermont Main Street Flood Recovery Fund
The Vermont Main Street Flood Recovery Fund raised money to provide grants to Vermont's small business owners impacted by the flooding. These Vermonters are vital to communities and desperately needed support to see them through this crisis. The Fund provided grants beginning at $2,500 per business, covering costs such as equipment replacement, supplies, and clean-up. This assistance was able to help small businesses bridge financial gaps until further support was available.
The Intervale Center
The Intervale Center is a Vermont non-profit that works to strengthen community food systems. The Center does so through its 360-acre farm, which is located along the Winooski River in Burlington, as well as by supporting farms across the state. The heavy rain and rising waters from the Winooski River on the worst days of the flooding inundated the Intervale. This critical organization needed funds to restore its own infrastructure, which they did while simultaneously channeling funds to other impacted farms and addressing increased food insecurity in the wake of the disaster.
The Vermont Flood Response and Recovery Fund
Immediately following the worst days of the flooding, the Vermont Community Foundation established the VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund to meet urgent needs and generate resources for essential and far-reaching recovery efforts. These efforts addressed the need to build back towns and villages, farms and families, watersheds, and homes. As a leading Vermont-focused non-profit, the Community Foundation was uniquely situated to coordinate giving efforts. They worked in close contact with the Governor’s office, state agency officials, other philanthropic groups, local leaders, and partners across the state.
July 2023 - Responding to Earthquake Survivors in Syria
Our partners at Alight began immediately to provide critical support for Syrians who were displaced from their homes by the massive earthquake that hit the region on February 6, 2023. Alight provided food, warm clothing and blankets, hygiene items, and heated, safe shelter for over 1,000 families in Aleppo, Syria. They also offered cash support to bridge families through the disaster and helped people make repairs to return to their homes.
June-October 2022 - Resources for Flood Survivors in Pakistan
Pennywise worked with Alight to play its role in alleviating the plight of flood victims in Pakistan. Through a large network of volunteers and partners, Alight provided relief support across four provinces where the response had been limited. Alight distributed food packets and collaborated with multiple organizations, sharing its experience and capacity to address various flood-related challenges.
August 2021 - Haiti Earthquake Emergency Response
Pennywise helped provide direct support through our friends at SOIL. Two local Haitian community leaders from the south took emergency supplies to the areas affected and assessed the needs of the people there. All of SOIL's relief efforts were conducted in partnership with trusted local organizations.
September 2017 - Anguilla Heritage Assessment Project
Hurricane Irma, a category 5 hurricane, made landfall on islands in the eastern Caribbean on September 6, 2017. The storm devastated the island of Anguilla, causing widespread damage to buildings and utilities infrastructure. Among those buildings damaged or destroyed were some of the oldest structures on the island, including churches and those associated with the island’s historic salt industry.
This project was led by the University of Vermont and included the Government of Anguilla, the Anguilla Archaeological and Historical Society, and the Pennywise Foundation. Together, project partners identified potential for cultural preservation work to support humanitarian relief efforts through job creation, clean-up, and rebuilding initiatives
