After more than 50 years of visiting Vermont, Leonard Ahlfeld moved to Manchester in his later years to be closer to family. Spending time with his sons among the forested landscape, Leonard felt he truly became a Vermonter, and wanted to give back to the community where he felt at home.

Prior to his passing, Leonard established a designated fund at the Community Foundation, allowing him to direct the required minimum distribution (RMD) from his retirement account to charitable purposes. He was an avid listener of Vermont Public and wanted to support the station, as well as low- and moderate-income people living in the Manchester community. With guidance from his philanthropic advisor at VCF, Leonard designated his grantmaking to Vermont Public, the Manchester Community Library, and the Community Food Cupboard—organizations where he felt his contributions would have the greatest impact. 

By also leaving the balance of his retirement account upon his passing to his charitable fund, Leonard both eased the tax burden on his estate and ensured annual contributions to the causes he valued most, in perpetuity.

Feeding a Community

Thanks to donors like Leonard, the Community Food Cupboard in Manchester can keep pace with rising demand.

Before the pandemic, the Cupboard served 350–400 households experiencing food insecurity each year. Today, it serves that many every month.

“Everything changed,” said program manager Martha Carey. “We all go to the supermarket; wages have not changed at the same rate as groceries. It’s hitting a lot of people. And housing is really expensive. A lot of people are stretched just to pay their rent, and food is the thing they cut back on.”

The increase in need, combined with economic uncertainty, makes recurring gifts given in perpetuity, like the one from Leonard Ahlfeld, all the more important for organizational stability. “Knowing that we have donors that support our work and trust us to use their donation to support the community lets us face these changes with confidence and the ability to look ahead, instead of just keeping up.”

To advance its mission of a hunger-free community, the Food Cupboard has doubled down on outreach to seniors, New Americans, and other groups who may be experiencing food insecurity but don’t know how to access support. They’re also engaging more volunteers, partnering with local schools to rescue food that would otherwise be wasted, and purchasing more produce locally from area farms to support the region’s economy.

At a recent fundraising event in town, a half dozen individuals who were former patrons of the Food Cupboard stopped in to say hello and make a donation. “For me, that’s the best story,” said Martha. “It’s not forever for most people. It’s to get them through a tough time. People really appreciate that.”