Our Mission

Just Basics, Inc. confronts cycles of injustice by providing programs that increase awareness and access to basic resources needed for a resilient and vibrant community.

Emergency support

Just Basics addresses emergency food assistance by operating the Montpelier Food Pantry and a grocery delivery service. We also provide mutual aid to help people with emergency funds to cover basic human needs.

What we are doing

Collaborative support

We actively partner with local organizations and food justice programs to build sustainable, resilient, and equitable food systems for our community.

Business support

We strive to be dynamic and flexible to respond to the changing needs of our community. One way we achieve this is through Fiscal sponsorship.

Our vision

Just Basics, Inc. envisions a community where the root causes of poverty and vulnerability are confronted through unprejudiced and sustainable solutions with a person-focused approach.

Where we are going

We are seeking to create resiliency through developing evidence-based programs and collaborations that enable people to overcome the need for continued emergency assistance by obtaining the skills necessary to sustainably thrive.

As the number of our patrons increase so too does the costs associated with operating our nonprofit. So, we’re asking the hard questions and implementing pilot programs to understand how we can best meet the needs of our community through creativity and collaboration.

Average patrons per month by fiscal year

Meet the Team

Board of Directors

  • Steve is a retired educator who lives in Montpelier and volunteers at the Montpelier Food Pantry.

  • Maryann is a registered dietitian/nutritionist who has lived in Vermont and worked at the University of Vermont Medical Center for 25 years.  She has also been an avid veggie gardener for about 45 years, and has co-led hands-on gardening classes at UVMMC. 

    In recent years, she co-founded, with clinic social workers, a food pharmacy (a food pantry with a “food as medicine” focus) for food insecure kids and their families who are patients at the Children’s Specialty Center at UVMMC. The food pharmacy continues to grow and thrive through grants from various supporters, including the Vermont Food Bank. 

    Maryann lives in East Montpelier with her wife Donia. In addition to gardening, she loves other outdoor activities, such as kayaking and cross-country skiing, and of course making simple and delicious meals from all those garden veggies!

  • Item description

  • Tim is retired after 40 years employment with the State of Vermont Labor Relations Board, most of these years as Board Executive Director. He has been active in the community including many years as a coach, church leader, and running race director. He has been on the Just Basics Board of Directors for 12 years, including serving as Board President, Secretary and Treasurer, and is a Montpelier Food Pantry volunteer. He lives in Montpelier.

  • Eva is a self-employed homecare provider, artist, Food Pantry patron, and a Montpelier renter. Eva currently chairs the racial justice committee of the board.

  • Nancy is a retired educator and teacher educator who has lived in Vermont for over 50 years- mostly in the Randolph and Brookfield area. Since moving to Montpelier 10 years ago she has been involved in a number of community volunteer groups including the Community Lunch program, Just Basics, Washington  County Diversion Program, the cold weather overnight shelter program at UCM, the Guardian ad litem program and Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice. 

    She is deeply committed to community and related justice issues.

    Additionally, she is currently on the board of Capital City Concerts and The Bridge.