Community group launches campaign for safety measures at Bridgeport farmers market
Willimantic, CT (05/22/2020) — The Bridgeport Farmers Market Collaborative is seeking broad support from the community to raise $11,750 for safety measures for farmers market patrons and vendors in the age of COVID-19. The fundraising deadline is June 21. Donations will be matched, dollar for dollar, by the Sustainable CT Community Match Fund, raising a total of $23,500 for the project.
"With this project I'd like the community of Bridgeport to know that our markets can and will make an impact on food security during this time of need," said Lezli Albelo, project leader. "We will carry our mission on our shoulders."
Sustainable CT is an initiative of the Institute for Sustainable Energy (ISE) at Eastern Connecticut State University meant to assist communities in becoming more resilient and sustainable. The Community Match Fund provides a dollar-for-dollar match to donations, doubling local investment in projects. Sustainable CT is funded by the Hampshire Foundation, Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation and Connecticut Green Bank.
To learn more about the project and to donate, visit https://ioby.org/project/buy-local-support-our-farmers-during-covid-19
About Sustainable CT and the Community Match Fund
The Sustainable CT Community Match Fund is an innovative funding resource that provides a dollar-for-dollar match to all donations raised from the community, doubling local investment. The program is helping to bring projects across the state to life by providing fast, accessible funding as well as fundraising coaching and support to residents and organizations with great ideas to make their communities more sustainable.
Anyone in a Sustainable CT-registered municipality is eligible to receive this funding, meaning that schools, nonprofits, community groups and individual residents can all propose projects and access the matching funds.
To start a Community Match Fund project, visit www.ioby.org/sustainablect or contact Sustainable CT's Abe Hilding-Salorio at hildingsalorioa@easternct.edu or 860-465-0256.
"Through the Community Match Fund, we aim to put residents at the forefront of creating positive, impactful change," said Hilding-Salorio, community outreach manager for Sustainable CT. "Match Fund projects are community led and community funded, demonstrating the power of people working together to make change in their communities."
Sustainable CT, an initiative by the Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University, provides a roadmap of sustainability best practices for towns, technical assistance, funding and recognition through certification. Forty-seven towns and cities across Connecticut have earned the prestigious Sustainable CT certification, demonstrating accomplishments in nine impact categories including inclusive and equitable communities, cleaner transportation, vibrant arts and culture, natural resource stewardship and affordable housing. Sustainable CT is funded by the Hampshire Foundation, Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation and Connecticut Green Bank. Find more information at www.sustainablect.org.
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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving 5,000 students annually at its Willimantic campus and satellite locations. In addition to attracting students from 162 of Connecticut's 169 towns, Eastern also draws students from 34 other states and 19 countries. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 65 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal art foundation grounded in an array of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 30 public universities in the North Region by U.S. News and World Report in its 2019 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 10 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.
Eastern Connecticut State University
Michael Rouleau, (860) 465-0172, rouleaum@easternct.edu; Edward Osborn, (860) 465-5043, osborne@easternct.eduShare this Story
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