Groton Town Focus

(An Ongoing Collection of Articles about People, Events and History)

2008

Current Articles:

· Fred Grant: Groton’s Million Mile Man

· Dick Peters: A man of kindness and generosity

· A Labor of love makes a sight to behold on Lake Groton...

· First Baptist Church of Groton welcomes new Pastor

· Groton 'Social Night' a huge success!

· Upper Valley Grill and General Store

· Groton native helps fight hunger in Sudan

· Town Focus and Newsletter Archives

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· Fred Grant: Groton’s Million Mile Man

By Trish Griswold

Reprinted with permission from “The Bridge Weekly” November 20th, 2008 edition

GROTON – In July of 1972, Fred

Fred Grant and Roseanne, his two-year-old Pomeranian and occasional cross-road companion, display the “Caterpillar Million Miler Club” award Fred recently received from Milton CAT in Richmond, VT. Fred joins an elite group of truckers who have logged a minimum of 1,000,000 miles on an original CAT truck engine. TBWS/Trish Griswold

Grant ventured cross-country to Indianapolis, IN, in his 1988 Freightliner tractor trailer fully loaded with stockade fencing. Up till then, Fred had never traveled outside New England and rarely left the comforts of home. However, much has changed in the past thirty-six years.

Fred has seen some of the most incredible sights the United States has to offer and has become well-known as part of an informal network of truck drivers who befriend one another on the road and in truck stops throughout New England. What’s more is this veteran trucker was recently inducted into Caterpillar’s (CAT’s) prestigious “Million Miler Club” for having logged a minimum of 1,000,000 miles on an original CAT truck engine.

“I thought the world ended in White River Junction, but I found out it didn’t,” Fred chortles, reflecting on the excitement of his first run. “I’d never been anywhere in my life, and everything seemed so big.”

Now, after two or three days of “sitting around at home,” Fred is anxious to get back on the road. He has trucked building materials, such as lumber, landscaping blocks, cement blocks and roofing materials, to forty-eight different states and four provinces in Canada. He’s driven semis for P.M.I. Lumber Transfer, Cushman Lumber, Dacato Brothers and other reputable companies throughout New England. Since becoming affiliated with Tim MacArthur, owner of Sunbird Transportation in Walpole, MA, nearly fifteen years ago, Fred primarily transports cargo to Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, Maine and New Hampshire. He also hauls lumber on his own authority for R.C.P. Transit, Inc.

“Every day is different depending on whether or not I can get unloaded, but I usually work ten hours a day on average…Monday through Friday my home away from home is this truck,” Fred says, gesturing toward his freshly washed and pristinely waxed 1999 Freightliner tractor trailer.

On the weekends, Fred rises bright and early, traveling a short distance to his 1026 sq. ft. garage located on Route 302 just outside Groton Village. He spends most of his time puttering around the garage, changing the oil in his truck, greasing the running gear, etc.

According to George Taylor, General Manager for Milton CAT’s PSNA On-Highway Engine Department, Fred’s attention to detail has most likely contributed to the longevity of his original 550 horsepower 3406E CAT truck engine. Fred is so meticulous that when he takes his truck to be serviced, the only technician he asks for is a man named Paul. “I don’t know his last name,” Fred admits, “but he’s done all the work [on my truck], and he’s done it right…We always joke that he can wear his tuxedo because he won’t get dirty fixing this truck.”

On occasion, Fred takes a break from his truck maintenance work to visit with some of “the Groton boys” who stop by for a visit. However, Fred has always been hard-pressed to sit still for long. He often chitchats from atop an adjustable ladder as he painstakingly polishes the exterior (and interior) of the truck. “It’s funny,” Fred remarks, “I had a hard time sitting still in school, but I can sit in my truck for hours. It’s because I’m going somewhere…I have a mission.”

Interestingly, Fred has always had a passion for trucks. He grew up in Vershire, where he spent most of his time on his uncle’s dairy farm. “I liked working on the farm,” Fred chuckles, but unlike a tractor trailer, “you can’t shut [the cows] off.”

Million Mile Engine – To date Fred Fred Grant has logged an astounding 1,470,000 miles on this original 550 horsepower 3406E CAT truck engine housed underneath the hood of his 1999 Freightliner tractor trailer. TBWS/Trish Griswold

Instead, Fred was drawn to various trucks and farm tractors. “There’s something about trucks…For some reason, I just liked them.” But as Fred soon learned, it takes more than enthusiasm to beget success in the trucking industry. The solitude of the open road and being away from family for days on end can be especially taxing. “I was all by myself and a long way from home,” Fred remembers. “It really took some getting used to.”

Fred thanks his wife, Mary, for helping him overcome these hurdles. “You have to work so hard in this business to make something of it,” Fred says, “and I feel I’ve made it, but I owe an awful lot to my wife. She’s been so supportive. She does all the paperwork and takes care of things at home. If something breaks, she fixes it or finds someone who can. And, if something [on my truck] breaks and I’m hundreds of miles away from home and need money, she takes care of it. She may complain that she’s not gonna keep footin’ the bills for this truck, but she always does.”

In fact, Fred had the saying “just another load” specially painted on the back of his tractor trailer bunk. “If something breaks down,” Fred teases, “I tell her it’s just another load I have to haul to pay the bill.”

So what advice does a seasoned trucker like Fred have for young men and women interested in pursuing truck driving as a profession? “It’s not for everyone,” he insists, “so try it. You’ll never know until you do.”

As for Fred, he’s nearing retirement age but says he has no intention of giving up trucking. “I don’t plan on ever retiring, just slowing down a little…I’d like to work in the summers and take the winters off, so as long as I can keep truckin’, I’ll keep truckin’.”

· Dick Peters: A man of kindness and generosity

By Trish Griswold

Reprinted with permission from “The Bridge Weekly” September 25th, 2008 edition

GROTON – “He’d give you the shirt off his back” is an idiom often used to characterize one’s kindness and generosity, and for many years, these words have been used to describe long-time Groton resident Dick Peters.

Dick was born in Lancaster, NH, but grew up in the St. Johnsbury area. He attended the Arlington School and North Hall for elementary and junior high school respectively. Though Dick had “never been up close to an airplane” and had actually signed recruitment paperwork enlisting him in the Army Reserve, he joined the United States Air Force immediately following his 1957 high school graduation from Lyndon Institute.

Dick completed Air Craft Engineer School and was shipped to the Azores, where it rained almost every day. “Monsoon season was really bad, but even on a good day, it would rain at least ten or fifteen minutes.” The second half of Dick’s 4-year enlistment were spent at Holloman Air Force Base, where he “got pretty well dried out in the New Mexico sun” before returning home to Vermont in June of 1961.

Dick then chose to take a 1-year sabbatical to enjoy his personal freedoms. “Somebody had been telling me what to do ever since I was old enough to know what not to do,” Dick chortles. “I didn’t owe anybody a nickel, I didn’t have any girlfriends, and I said, ‘I think, Richard, you’d be smart to take about a year off.’” During this time, Dick stayed in an old deer camp in the woods and spent much of his time hunting and fishing.

The following year Dick began working for a Connecticut-based company testing fuel cells for the Apollo Project. Though he liked his co-workers and employer(s), Dick longed to be rid of the fast-paced urban lifestyle. He returned home to St. Johnsbury, where he gained employment as an assembler and machinist at the Fairbanks-Morse Company.

After just a few weeks on the job, Dick was uncertain about his longevity with the scale manufacturing company, but “two weeks ended up turning into eighteen years.” During this time, Dick met his soon-to-be wife, Wanda (Hamlett), through mutual friends, and following a 3-year courtship, the couple married in January of 1964.

Dick’s vision had always been to own a farm or small store, but “things just never seemed to work out.” He and a friend had attempted to purchase a farm once, and though the bank would have loaned start-up money to each of them independently, “they didn’t believe in partnerships.”

But Dick’s luck soon changed. His brother-in-law, Larry Hamlett, offered him Groton General, a small mom-and-pop store located on Main Street. In February of 1980, the store had sustained significant fire and water damage, and according to Dick, Larry was not interested in rebuilding the establishment.

“’You ought to have this store,’ Larry said. ‘It needs a lot of work, but I think you could make a go of it.’” Shortly thereafter, Dick and Wanda traded their home in Walden for the store. Dick quit his job, and he and his family relocated to Groton. For more than twenty years, the Peters family owned and operated Groton General before selling to the Gilman Housing Trust five years ago. “I never regretted a day I was in the store. I had finally found something I was happy doing.”

Dick recalls that each morning, he and a group of four or five locals would open the store together. “Bill Randall made the coffee, Milt Lamberton unlocked the doors, Merle Dailey got the fire going, and Harry Oliver got everything else squared away.”

Well-known as a practical jokester with a rather unique sense of humor, Dick is viewed by many as being friendly and outgoing. However, he also recognizes that he can be “stubborn as a mule” when he wants to be. “I’ve never done anything that caused anyone any grief, though.” Every trick he’s played and every comment he’s made has been done with a kind heart and all in good fun.

“I’ve known Dick for about thirty years,” Milt says. “He’s a good person, a good grandfather, and he’s well-liked in the community…He tells it the way it is. And even though some people don’t like it, he’s still going to tell it the way it is.”

Milt goes on to say that he misses the Groton General Store -- especially Dick’s famous story-telling, which he believes to be roughly 90% true. “Dick is quite a guy. I can’t come up with the words to describe him.”

Since his retirement, Dick has spent much of his time giving back to the friends who frequented his store for so many years. He helped Ted Nelson on his sheep farm for roughly six months. He also checks in on friends and neighbors who are patients at local hospitals, visits others living in the community and stops by the Upper Valley Grill each morning.

“I’m very happy living in Groton. I’ve had a lot of fun and met a lot of nice people that I’ve learned to care a lot about,” Dick says. “The good people I’ve met, you couldn’t put in a fleet of buses…and as much as talking to anybody or doing anything, I enjoy spending time with my family -- especially my children and grandchildren. I’m thankful they all live close enough by so that I can see them almost every day; that’s all that matters to me.”

· A Labor of love makes a sight to behold on Lake Groton...

By Peter Kimball

Reprinted with permission from “The Bridge Weekly” September 11th, 2008 edition

Barbara Edson of Groton cares for the boxes of flowers at her lakefront home on Lake Groton. She says she has no idea why, but her flowers are the best ever this year after over 40 years of planting and caring for them. All summer, Barbara “waters the plants like crazy”; uses a liquid bloom booster every two weeks and she deadheads the plants faithfully throughout the season. For those who travel the waters by Barbara’s home, it is a sight to behold.

GROTON- By all accounts, Barbara Edson of Groton has boxes of beautiful flowers each year hanging in front of the home she shares with her husband of 44 years, Dean on the shore of Lake Groton. The "Camp", as she calls it, sits within feet of the lake giving a commanding view of the water and the mountains in the Groton State Forest. This year, after over 40 years of routine planting, Barbara says the flowers "are her best ever". "I have no idea why," she says modestly.

Of course, it might help the care she gives them. In late May, it takes her a couple of days to mix the organic soil she uses. She credits the beautiful starter plants she buys at the Cabot Greenhouse and Nursery in Cabot, VT and The Rustic Hut in South Ryegate. The flowers include: Spikes, Thunbergia, Geraniums, Single and double petunias, Licorice, Dusty Miller, Bacopa, and Marigolds.

The hardest part is in the beginning, " Barbara says. "The plants are put into the boxes the last week in May and I go by the full moon. We are bound to get a frost when the full moon falls the last of May. I've lost a few boxes that way," she says.

To now solve that problem, Dean's job for a couple of weeks, beginning the last of May into the first couple weeks of June, is to take down the boxes and load them with the newly growing flower plants onto the trailer. He hauls the trailer with his 4-wheeler to the garage for overnight protection and, of course, he brings them back the next morning.

All summer, Barbara says she "waters the plants like crazy" and uses a liquid bloom booster every two weeks and she deadheads the plants faithfully throughout the season.

Dean and Barbara Edson spent much of their married life living in Hanover, NH where Dean was an administrator at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. They lived at Lake Groton in the summer months and Dean commuted to work at the hospital. Since 1998, when Dean retired from his work at the hospital, the couple has lived year round at Lake Groton. Dean says they also love snowmobiling in the winter. "Bonneville Salt Flats (Lake Groton) is right out my garage door," he says.

Dean's grandfather Dean W. Edson, the founder of DW Edson Printers in Montpelier, VT built the original camp in 1911 and local contactor, Nathan Puffer of Groton Timberworks of Vermont built a large addition several years ago.

At fall frost time the flowers are removed. "There is no organic soil whatsoever left in the planter boxes, when the flowers are thrown out in the fall. It's all roots," Barbara says. She says it is so much fun to care for the flowers which many gets enjoyment from. "Unfortunately, the season is so short," she says. TBWS/Peter Kimball

· Peaches growing in Groton! You've got to be kidding.

By H. Paul Berlejung

Reprinted with permission from “The Bridge Weekly” September 4th, 2008 edition

(L-R) Mark Simakaski, John Munson, and Georgina Page watch Chris Hall make yarn on his spinning wheel at the Groton Growers Market recently. TBWS/ Paul Berlejung

Groton - Peaches do grow in Groton. You might think I'm kidding but I'm not.

If you want to buy some peaches grown right here, come to the Groton Growers Market on Saturday. Emily Manchester brings the peaches her mother and her husband, Ginny and Bob Jennings, grow on the west side of Groton. Ginny and Emily also bake artisan breads with the profit going to the market.

The peaches are just as sweet and tasty as those you get from down in Georgia, they're just not as big. Then again, they haven't been shipped a thousand miles either. And when you buy some of the Jennings-Manchester peaches you know they were picked that morning, not last week as those from Georgia.

Emily, who also is the co-organizer of the market, also reports the market has three new vendors: Mark Simakaski and Nichole Wolfgang are selling honey that their bees produce on their property in West Groton; Georgina Page, who lives on Goodfellow Road, now sells her home-grown blueberries and fresh baked goods; and, John Munson, of Ryegate, who sells garlic, onions, and maple syrup.

The market is open from 10:00 - 2:00 at Veterans Memorial Park in Groton village.

· First Baptist Church of Groton welcomes new Pastor

By H. Paul Berlejung

Reprinted with permission from “The Bridge Weekly” September 4th, 2008 edition

GROTON - Saying that "God's leading" him, Reverend Dennis Walton arrived in Groton on August 7 as the new Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Groton. The church is an autonomous Independent Baptist Church and has about 50-60 regular attendees.

A native of Coatesville, PA, Pastor Walton attended Lancaster Bible College for his education. Both of Pastor Walton's previous churches were in New York State. The churches, however, were far apart in distance and culture. His first church was in metropolitan Queens, New York City. He spent eight years there building the congregation. His next church was in more rural western New York where he spent the next fifteen and one-half years. Asked why he left that church after such a long time Walton said that it was just the right time to leave.

Left to right in photo: Stephen, Abigail, Nathan, Reverend Dennis Walton, John, and Mrs. Cheryl Walton.

Because he had been misled by some, Walton said "I was under the impression that all New Englanders were on the cold and standoffish side. However, I've found it not to be so with Vermonters." Often seen taking brisk walks along route 302 in Groton, Walton says that many people wave and say 'hello' to him.

Cheryl Walton is from a suburb of Philadelphia, PA, and also graduated from Lancaster Bible College. They met there, and have been married for 22 years. Mrs. Walton will certainly have her hands full here as she will be home schooling their three youngest children. She did the same with their two oldest children, as well. Stephen (19) attends Davis College ('Practical Bible College') in Johnson City, NY. Matthew (18) attends Boston Bible College. Abigail (14) is starting the 9th grade; John (11) is entering the 6th grade; while Nathan (8) will be a 3rd grader.

They are already taking part in the community: Cheryl has been to the 'Groton Growers Market' and both attended the Groton Town Picnic and Social on August 21. They love to garden but won't have one this year - not enough time here to start one. That's why they are thankful that some parishioners have brought them locally grown produce. Avid cross country skiers they'll be right at home here once the snow starts to fly.

Reverend Walton, his wife, and the three children who are still at home, live in the parsonage next to the church in Groton village.

Groton First Baptist Church's Sunday School is at 9:45 am, Worship Service at 11:00 am, Bible Study on Sundays at 6:00pm, with a Prayer Meeting on Wednesdays at 6:30pm.

· Groton 'Social Night' a huge success!

By H. Paul Berlejung

Reprinted with permission from “The Bridge Weekly” August 24th, 2008 edition

Groton - Well over 100 men, women and children were in attendance at Groton's 'Social Night' held August 21st at Veterans Memorial Park in Groton village. The evening saw three events: the rededication of the newly refurbished children's park; an ice cream social/town picnic; and the last of the 'Music In The Park' series for 2008.

Debra Tinkham, Selectboard member and a driving force behind both the ice cream social and 'Music In The Park' spent part of the evening scooping and serving ice cream for those in attendance. With a dozen kids playing in the playground and at least a hundred adults listening to some good music, and all eating ice cream, Tinkham must have been thinking how great it is to live in Groton.

The ice cream was supplied by the law firm of Deborah Bucknam & Associates, LLC, a St. Johnsbury law firm with an office in Groton. Their Groton based attorney, Mary McLeod, helped Tinkham scoop the ice cream.

Local favorite 'Buddy The Clown' was also there for the children. Originally there for the children, Buddy said, however, that he entertained almost as many adults as he did children. Chalk for the kid to use for drawing on the basketball court was also supplied by the Bucknam law firm. Lots of adults took part in the chalk drawing too.

Music was supplied by Brian Emerson & Friends. The 'Music In The Park' series featured local and nearby musical talent in addition to one group from New York City.

To see pictures of this event, click here.

· Upper Valley Grill and General Store: Groton’s family room

By Trish Griswold

Reprinted with permission from “The Bridge Weekly” February 4th, 2008 edition

The Upper Valley Grill and General Store offers just about everything, including: deli and grocery items, freshly-made pizzas, hunting and fishing licenses, big game reporting, gasoline, propane tanks, ice and firewood. From waiting on customers and cooking on the grill to working the cash register and selling lottery tickets, Kelly Gaffney, Carrie Emerson, and Bill Kane (L-R) are adept in all areas of the business. Other employees (not pictured) who help manage the store are Nikki Bruleigh and Sara Dennis.

David Darling (L), formerly of Bradford, VT, his wife, Celeste Darling (center), and their friend, John Lawrence, all of Brookfield, CT, have been vacationing in Groton for two to three weeks a year for the past 18 years. Partial to the Upper Valley Grill’s flavorsome ham and cheese omelet, David says, “We eat every breakfast here.” In fact, the trio has never eaten breakfast anywhere else while vacationing on Lake Groton.

With several bodies of water just minutes away, fishing licenses and supplies are popular items at the Upper Valley Grill and General Store this time of year. Five-year-old Collin Punderson (L) explains that he and his grandfather, Peter Baker, bought these mud worms and sinkers hoping they might reel in a sizeable bass during a family fishing expedition at Ricker’s Pond.

Confident that he will win this week’s estimated $43 million jackpot, Allen Gandin (R) purchases this Powerball ticket from Bill Kane. Allen is one of several regulars who stop by almost every day for a cup of coffee and the morning’s paper.

Lynnette Shufelt (L) is a former Upper Valley Grill employee who stops by for a fresh cup of coffee and friendly “hello” whenever she has the chance. Seated with Lynnette is Sally Russin.

GROTON – Located on Route 302 west headed into Groton Village is a hand-painted sign that reads: “Welcome to Groton. Where a small town is like a large family.” And at the heart of this “large family” lies the Upper Valley Grill and General Store, a family room of sorts -- a place where friends and neighbors can go to enjoy good food and great conversation.

Built by Alice and Lorimer Puffer in 1950, the Upper Valley Grill, formerly known as “Puffer’s Lunch,” has been a fixture in the Groton community for nearly 60 years. The building has changed hands several times in the past six decades, but the business’s current owners, Bill Kane and his brother, Chris, have been proprietors of the establishment since 1990.

From a very young age, Bill worked at beaches, amusements parks and ski areas, and has managed concession stands in New York and throughout New England, but it was his “ultimate goal” to eventually run his own business. He was certain that he knew what type of business he wanted to be involved with but “had no idea” where it might be located. Bill admits that he never expected to settle in the small town of Groton, VT, nor could he have anticipated “it to be this good.” His intentions had always been to return home to Holyoke, MA, “once things were up and running.”

Eighteen years have since past, and Bill has become part of this small town’s large family. Whether he’s pouring a cup of coffee, stocking shelves, fixing the hinges on the front door or selling a gallon of milk, Bill appreciates the opportunity to chit-chat with his customers.

A sports enthusiast, Bill is fond of golf, football and baseball -- namely the Boston Red Sox -- a passion that has earned him a great deal of goading over the years. In fact, he and several of his customers, who just happen to be New York Yankees fans, are notorious for wagering a cup of coffee or a piece of homemade apple pie on a particularly competitive game or series.

Perhaps this camaraderie is why Bill gives so freely back to the community he now calls home. He hires teenagers who live in Groton and its surrounding towns to help out during his busiest seasons and takes great pride in watching them learn and grow. Bill also provides funding for a Men’s League Softball Team and donates food for the Annual Groton Fall Foliage Festival.

During the winter months, Bill and his team of helpers deliver groceries, free-of-charge, to elderly living in the Groton area. In addition, the Upper Valley Grill is sponsoring an American Red Cross Blood Drive slated for July 29th at the Groton Community Building as well as the 5th Annual Bob O’Grady Greater Groton Pond Invitational Golf Tournament to be held at the St. Johnsbury Country Club on August 4th. All proceeds will benefit a local charity.

“Being an outsider coming in to the small town of Groton, knowing nobody and becoming part of the community family,” Kane says, makes being able to give back to the community especially rewarding.

When asked how long the Upper Valley Grill and General Store will continue to be Groton’s family room, Kane says, “With the way the economy is going, I don’t know what it will bring. But I will be here, I can tell you that, because no matter what, the community needs it. The hours may drop, things may change, help may change, but…it’s a place where the community can go and get what they need.”

When Sue Murray’s family visited from Lexington, KY, last week, she made certain that their itinerary included a trip to the Upper Valley Grill and General Store. “You haven’t truly been to Groton until you’ve visited the Upper Valley Grill,” Sue says. “It’s a Groton staple.” Pictured (L-R) are: Anthony Combs, Elizabeth Combs, Sara Torchia, Olivia Torchia, Sue Murray and Hanna Torchia.

The Upper Valley Grill and General Store is open from 6 AM to 9 PM Monday through Saturday and 7 AM to 8 PM on Sundays.

· Buzzy Eastman

Reprinted with permission from “The Bridge Weekly” February 4th, 2008 edition

Buck-A-Roos Assistant Trailmaster, Buzzy Eastman of Groton on the Club's groomer tractor, which he uses to groom the 56 miles of trails in Groton and Ryegate. Eastman started grooming the trails in 1980 with his good friend, the late Ralph Hatch. "Ralph would have loved this rig," he says. Eastman also says the club deals with "great landowners". "Our landowners are topnotch," he says. Eastman is busy year round working the trails with the landowners, securing and clearing the trails during the off-season. "My wife, Betty says, this is my golf," he chuckles. TBWS/Peter Kimball

· Groton native helps fight hunger in Sudan

by Amanda Neubelt

Reprinted with permission from the Journal Opinion November 28, 2007 edition

GROTON—Every year, five million children die worldwide from malnutrition. That’s one child every six seconds. One native Vermonter, Joshua “Barney” Smith, has dedicated himself to changing that statistic through his work with the international nonprofit organization Action Against Hunger (AAH).

Joshua “Barney” Smith rides in an Action Against Hunger vehicle while on relief work in southern Sudan. Smith is a Groton native and BMU graduate.

Photo courtesy of blazejmikula, acf-sudan

Smith is a Groton native, and he attended Blue Mountain Union before he went on to graduate from Webster University in St. Louis. He completed his degree in Fine Arts, but found himself working in Niger after he joined the Peace Corps.

In 2006, he changed paths and began working in Pakistan, the Philippines, and then the Sudan where he remains with AAH. Despite all that he has taken on, he plans to graduate next year with a master’s degree in international education from the School for International Training located in southern Vermont. It was the Brattleboro school that led Smith to AAH and into war-torn Sudan.

Civil war first broke out in the arid African nation 21 years ago and has since left, according to some estimates, some two million dead and another four million displaced. Sudan has gained notoriety for its chronic political instability, cultural clashes, low levels of economic progress, fierce competition between herders and farmers, drought, desertification and overpopulation. Three of the five most severe famines during the 20th century occurred in Sudan.

Having one of the highest malnutrition rates in the world, Sudan was just the place Smith wanted to help make a change.

“I really love helping people and making a difference, and by working with AAH,” he said by email in an interview with the Journal Opinion. “I can help create greater security for the world’s most vulnerable peoples. I feel good at the end of every day knowing I’m doing something positive for those in need.”

AAH’s mission is to save lives by eliminating hunger and preventing, detecting, and treating those impacted by malnutrition, especially during and after emergencies created by conflict, war, and natural disasters. AAH distributes food and sets up Therapeutic Feeding Centers, which are critical to serving those who are severely malnourished.

The organization conducts random surveys to measure the levels of malnutrition in villagers and determine the areas of highest need. In addition to providing food security, they also educate people on proper nutrition, health care, water, and sanitation.

“Most other international nonprofit organizations care about numbers,” Smith said. “I can honestly say that AAH makes sure that we put faces and names to those we help and we want to know how they are doing. And absolutely everywhere I go, the people we work with appreciate the humanity and caring we give them.”

When it comes to malnutrition, the most vulnerable are children under the age of five, followed by pregnant and nursing women and then the elderly. A product that has begun to make a change, according to Smith, is a ready-to-use therapeutic food called “Plumpy-nut” that AAH distributes at their feeding centers.

“The stuff is amazing and we have saved many lives in our TFCs from it,” said Smith.

Plumpy-nut is an energy-dense, fortified peanut spread that is full of protein, vitamins, minerals, and calories. It boosts energy, immune system and muscle functions as well as increases weight. Mothers can feed their child the three-ounce ready-to-eat, no contamination packet from home without having to worry about adding water or traveling to a feeding center.

After a month of treatment that costs a total of $20, children have gained an average of two pounds per week. Results like this make Smith excited to know that he has contributed to making an impact.

“I know the work I’m doing is not going to save [everyone], but in my entire life and career working with AAH helping to save lives, if I only help one person, make one life better, my entire experience will be worth it,” said Smith.

He credits his ability to get things done to his “good ol’ Yankee ingenuity.” And despite being so far away from home, the apples, the cheddar cheese and maple syrup, Smith believes it is easy for him to find a little bit of Vermont in everyone he meets.

“You would be amazed at how much we Vermonters have in common with the rest of the world,” said Smith. “Our dry Vermont sense of humor can be found in the Sahara desert among the Tuareg tribes. The pride we have of our land can be shared with the Phatan of northern Pakistan. The ability to bring a hot meal to a sick neighbor can be found in the Philippines and the sincere enjoyment of sharing a laugh with a total stranger (whether he be a leaf peeper or a UN worker) can be found in southern Sudan.”

For more information about Action Against Hunger’s Sudan program, visit www.aah-usa.org or www.projectpeanutbutter.org.