The CVRAN Fall Fundraiser Is Underway!
Thank you for being a part of the CVRAN family.
We wish we were sending a traditional fundraising letter, explaining our ongoing work and typical needs. Instead, thanks to the increasingly hostile national landscape, we are in full mobilization mode. Every resource, partnership, and ounce of staff capacity is being stretched to sustain critical support for refugee and asylum seeker families in Central Vermont. The stakes are higher than ever, and so is our commitment.
In October, we’re grappling with a devastating blow: the abrupt loss of SNAP benefits for refugees and asylees. Families who were already navigating impossible choices are now facing empty cupboards and rising fear. We are working to fill this gap, but the scale of need is staggering. We estimate that Central Vermont refugee families are going to collectively lose close to $9,000/month in food assistance. Even amid this benefit loss, “closed borders,” and ICE crackdowns, we are still being contacted by new Vermonters wishing to move to or stay in Central Vermont with our assistance.
Many of our increased costs are due to the cruel removal of traditional support systems including food assistance, medical coverage, and organizations designed to welcome newcomers. Asylum seekers continue to be ineligible for supports such as Medicaid, SNAP, and Section 8. It now costs at least $750 per person to follow the asylum process before you are even authorized to earn an income in this country. In other words, the cost to remain in legal standing and to work towards permanent residency has always been high and this administration is making it astronomical.
We have set our fundraising target at $150,000. CVRAN will be paying more to support our families, as they pay more to support themselves. More cuts will follow and more challenges will arise. Like you, we struggle to stay optimistic and to shake off the bad news we hear daily. And yet, we have witnessed weddings, new homes and jobs, thrilling summer camp experiences, new driver’s licenses, a high school graduation, and many more mundane and exceptional events. Many of our families are managing to thrive in this inhospitable climate: working, learning, and supporting themselves and each other. Sharing this joy is the antidote to despair.
We invite you to join us for both the hardship and the hope. Please, volunteer if you have time and donate what you can. Community is our path forward. Every act of involvement strengthens the future we’re building together.
From the CVRAN Fundraising Committee:
Steve Dale, Drex Godfrey, Kelly McCracken, Eilis O’Herlihy, Juan Vistro, and Ali Zenie
Click Here To Donate On Line – THANK YOU!
There are many ways to donate to CVRAN. You may mail a check to CVRAN, PO Box 910, Montpelier VT 05601. You might become a monthly sustaining donor. CVRAN also accepts donations of stock. Please see our donation page for more information.
CVRAN’s year in numbers:
– 246 volunteers, contributing over 500 hours of service per week
– 22 children received scholarships to attend summer camp
– 10 new adults and 4 children (seven households) welcomed so far in 2025
– 4 new units for asylum seekers in the Randall Apartments, our partnership with Downstreet Housing
– 4 cars purchased using Car Fund matching grants
– 3 weddings
– 2 asylum approvals
– 2 households received Green Cards
– 1 office and gathering space in the Bethany United Church in downtown Montpelier
CVRAN is speaking out about SNAP cuts for Afghan families! (See Some Immigrants Who Assisted US Military Are Being Denied Food Stamps….VT Digger.)