MSAC and Community Services  Updates

Harris Webster's Walking Guide Now Available by Donation
Longtime Montpelier resident and MSAC member, Harris Webster, who you may know from his popular "Walks with Harris" and "Weekend Walking" series has authored a walking guide of Montpelier! Ten copies of "Travel Walking and Awe Walking in the City of Montpelier" are now available by a suggested donation of $5 at the MSAC office. This guide containing about 200 Designated Locations within the City as well as approximately 300 'Sites and Sights' - building, gardens, wooded trails, etc. expands on Harris' approach to walking in Montpelier - inviting readers to explore the "outdoor museum of Montpelier" and gain a deeper appreciation for and awareness of the beauty, details and art often overlooked and taken for granted.

MSAC Indoor Meals Tentative during COVID-19
Based on COVID-19 numbers rising in our community and region in recent weeks, we decided to cancel our planned indoors FEAST Together lunch on Tuesday, October 27 and distribute the planned meal outside and hot for To-Go. Going forward, we are scheduling one tentative indoor meal per month and will decide on a case-by-case basis whether to proceed or not. While we know that socialization in person is important, our community's safety is a high priority, and unmasked dining seems an unnecessary risk at this time. We continue to offer FEAST To Go and FEAST at Home, and look for our special November events around Thanksgiving including a delivered meal on Wednesday, 11/25. Please let Sarah or Janna know if you have questions about our COVID safety and FEAST meals.

Norma Misses MSAC Members! 
As many of you know, Norma Maurice, our Office Manager, has been on medical leave in recent weeks while undergoing cancer treatments. She looks forward to coming back when she is able. If anyone would like to send Norma a card, which helps cheer her up, her address is available by contacting Harry in the office and she is allowing us to share it!

Reader's Choice and Life Long Qi Gong Drop-ins Returning in December!
We are still working on scheduling details but are pleased to announce that Nancy Schulz will be resuming these two popular drop-in groups again in December in person at MSAC. Stay tuned for details and plan to RSVP each week in advance as there are space limits on these distanced activities.  

Village Update
As part of MSAC’s initial foray into implementing a Village Model for the community, AmeriCorps member and Aging in Place Coordinator, Andrew Gribbin spent some gorgeous fall days helping perform outdoor chores for local residents. From raking leaves to stacking wood to moving patio furniture, Andrew and MSAC are pleased to have been able to accommodate all the requests that have come in thus far. If any other Montpelier resident is in need of squeezing in some last minute outdoor chores, this pilot project is here to help! Please contact Andrew at 262-6287 or msac-americorps@montpelier-vt.org to discuss the details of your request.

Interested in learning more? Join the members of the Montpelier Village Working Group and representatives from MSAC to learn more about the panned creation of a Village for the community. What is a Village and why is one being planned for our community? What steps have occurred to dat to make this a reality? What is happening now and how can you get involved to help shape its continued formation? Please join us on December 8th at 6 pm over Zoom to learn the answers to these questions and more! To RSVP and receive the link, email Andrew at msac-americorps@montpelier-vt.org or call 262-6287.

Andrew is Available to Help with Your Technology Questions! 
Are you struggling with Zoom, Google documents, Facebook, Email, or other technology issues? Our wonderful new AmeriCorps member, Andrew, may be able to help! Please email him at msac-americorps@montpelier-vt.org and include: your name, the best way to reach you, the type of device you are using, the program or application you are using, and a description of your problem or question. You may also reach Andrew by calling 262-6287.

Reminder to send in class payments if Harry has contacted you! 
Thank you to all who have submitted your Fall Class Fees payments to Harry. If you still haven't, we hope to hear from you soon! For Winter quarter, class payments will be due at time of registration, as we have usually done in the past.

Older Announcements:

MSAC Village Offering Raking, Wood stacking and other Outdoor Chore Help this Fall and Recruiting Volunteers
 Have any leaves that need to be raked, wood that needs stacking, or a garden to be put to bed? If you’re a Montpelier resident, let MSAC know! As part of an initiative to create a Village model here in Montpelier, we are pleased to announce the offering of assistance with outdoor chores in the month of October! If you – or your Montpelier friends, family, or neighbors – need any assistance with an outdoor to-do list, we are here to help. Contact AmeriCorps member Andrew Gribbin at 262-6287 or at msac-americorps@montpelier-vt.org to learn more about this new initiative and to register for the services today. We hope to see you – socially distanced – in your yard soon! Additionally, we are looking for volunteers who would be willing to lend their time in support of this project. Please contact Andrew Gribbin to learn more about ways to assist or to register as a volunteer.

sunflower 2020: Call for Submissions to MSAC's online literary magazine
Details can be found here: https://www.montpelier-vt.org/867/Literary-Magazine

Reminder: Health Screenings and Reservations Only
Just a reminder to everyone that our building is still closed to the public EXCEPT during scheduled activities and events. At those times, only people who are registered for classes, foot clinics or other scheduled activities are able to come, and everyone will be subject to our health screening. If you've been exposed to anyone with Covid in the past 14 days or have any of the symptoms, please stay at home. All who enter the building are asked to wear a face covering, stay 6+ feet apart, and practice hand sanitizing/washing. Thank you in advance for your cooperation as we work to prevent virus transmission and follow state guidance.

Health Screening and Out of State travel restrictions for entering MSAC facility
As a reminder, due to COVID-19 safety guidelines, we can not allow anyone to enter our facility who has had or been in contact with a confirmed case of the virus in the past 14 days, or anyone with COVID-19 symptoms in the past 24 hours. Check the VT Dept. of Health website for the latest information at: https://www.healthvermont.gov/response/coronavirus-covid-19.  Further, if you have traveled outside of Vermont in the past two weeks, please check the State of Vermont's site for the most up-to-date guidelines on which counties are deemed "yellow" and "red" risk areas and thus also require quarantining upon return. https://accd.vermont.gov/covid-19/restart/cross-state-travel

Memorial Website for Jessica Sanderson
The family of Jessica Sanderson has created a beautiful memorial website for her, and they asked us to share it. On the site, you can read her obituary, share memories, and learn how the family asked that in lieu of donations, donations be made in her memory to support MSAC's FEAST program. Click here to navigate to the site.