Hospital Leaders, Bankers and Students Work Together to Provide Supplies for Students in Need

Published: 30 September 2025 Jay, VT-For 90 years, health care leaders have met at the annual meeting of the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (VAHHS). In recent years, attendees have participated in community service projects to benefit Vermonters in the surrounding communities of where the meetings were held. Last week at Jay Peak, Vermont health care leaders joined representatives from Community National Bank and several students from North Country Career Center to purchase and sort food and personal items for the Career Center's personal care closet and community fridge. The idea for supporting the North Country Career Center project came from the VAHHS meeting's presenting sponsor, Community National Bank. Tracy Roberts, vice president and marketing director at the bank, said its partnership with the North Country Career Center project is one of many such initiatives at her organization. "Community National Bank actively looks for ways we can partner with local organizations to help our communities-especially if we learn of a need," she said. "We're fortunate that we have supportive community members like the staff and students at the career center who are willing to work with us. When VAHHS asked about service projects in this area, [the Career Center personal care closet and community fridge project] was the first thing I thought of. Young adults often can't visit a local food shelf and may get missed by other similar services. This is a way to provide supplies directly to them," she remarked. Students can visit the personal care closet to pick up free supplies like deodorant, feminine hygiene products, toothbrushes and toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash and more as needed. The closet launched in 2019 at the North Country Career Center and was the brainchild of human services instructor Heidi Santaw, who quickly pulled in her friend, work-based learning coordinator Andrea Carbine. "Fast-forward almost three years, a pandemic, and lots of reflection on the success of the personal care closet, and the idea of a community fridge came to life," Carbine said. "After watching food get wasted at our school and understanding the basic needs that our students face, I called on Heidi to help carry out this next phase of this initiative." The community fridge offers food collected through "No thank you" bins in the cafeteria daily, so fruit, milk, juice, and other food items that students discard can be redistributed to the community fridge, which is accessible to all. The fridge also benefits from donations and local partnerships. "Over the years, the community has remained an integral piece of the success of this initiative," Carbine stated. "We have had many local businesses, organizations, and community members who have supported these efforts, and we wouldn't be able to do it without their help. Our most recent partnership is with Salvation Farms, which provides vegetables gleaned from local farms," she noted. She said another recent addition to the fridge was the "holiday bags" that the team at VAHHS helped put together. She and Santaw started that project in 2023. "We typically give out between 15 to 25 food bags to students who request them prior to the weeks of vacation," she related. The bags contain food for students who might be hungry during breaks without the meals they usually get at school. Santaw explained that students from the career center stock and sort the items in the closet and the fridge. In addition to getting experience managing an operation that helps their community, students use the career center to explore options for after graduation. "We have five students with us here today to help with the VAHHS service project," she noted. "Three of them are currently exploring careers in health sciences; one is learning welding; and another is interested in human services." Kaitlyn Niles, a senior at North Country, participates in the health sciences program, where she has done clinical rotations in fields such as physical and occupational therapy, dentistry and veterinary sciences. "I heard I could get my licensed nursing assistant (LNA) certificate in high school, and that was very interesting to me," she said. She is still deciding whether to go to college right after high school to pursue becoming a registered nurse or to continue as an LNA for a while after she takes her test in the spring. Marley Wing, a junior interested in human services, said she really appreciates the career center's commitment to running the personal care closet and the fridge, both of which seem to be stigma-free for students. "It's really important to the students who need it, and it's a chance for us to give back to the community," she said. Carbine and Santaw say they plan for the career center to continue its food and personal care initiatives as long as they can find the funds to do so. If you are interested in donating to this worthwhile endeavor, you can reach out to Andrea Carbine at [email protected] or Heidi Santaw at [email protected]. Written by: Beth Esmond of Esmond Communications