Wednesday, December 14, 2011

The Heat Fund Recipe Rides Again!

My friend Daryl Pillsbury is a tenacious do-gooder. He's far from rich and used to be our State Legislator. Some years ago he and a nurse, Richard Davis, saw a need for help with heating fuel. Vermont is normally a cold place in winter and with the cost of every fuel- oil, wood, electricity- zooming, they founded the Windham County Heat Fund. It's an emergency service. If you run out, or even get so low that you're buying a gallon at a time at a gas station (people do it) they get on the horn and get you some fuel. But it takes money. A lot of money.

They have fundraisers and some local businesses help, but there's always more need than money. Daryl also appears on our friend Steve West's radio show every month and chats up his projects. Since I'm a cook and want to help, I started cooking and offering the recipe to anyone who makes any donation. Daryl picks up the food on the way to the station and they eat it on air while talking about the Heat Fund. It works. Last year we got a $100 donation for a single recipe. But we're good with sending every recipe ever used for any size donation.

Today's recipe is from Strider, sweet potatoes with black bean chili. There have been Swedish meatballs, NYC- style knishes, cranberry crunch pie, Riva's Q-Bossy, classic meatloaf, chili (with my late brother's award-winning spice mix recipe) and scones. If you'd like to get some tried and true recipes and help out a worthy cause, send a check of any amount to

The Windham County Heat Fund
 679 Weatherhead Hollow Road
Guilford, VT 05301.
And include a note that you'd like the recipes. We'll get them out to you pronto.
And yes, it's tax deductible!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

A perfect example of doing good with what you have.

Austan said...

If we all do a little, it adds up to a lot. We all do better when we all do better.

CarrieBoo said...

What an excellent idea. Once again, I am quite impressed with the citizens of Vermont.

Austan said...

I'd never live in any other state. People here are real humans.