Vermont Business Magazine On Saturday, July 4, 2026, Hot Air Balloon Pilots Joe Doerer and Hélène Viens inflated Joe’s Hot Air Balloon Dream Chaser to offer free tethered rides to people visiting Gardner Memorial Park in Newport, VT. The tethered balloon rides were an attraction that Newport Parks and Recreation Director Michael Brown and Joe Doerer planned to enhance the celebration for the Fourth of July and America’s 250th birthday. Over 100 passengers participated in a tethered ride.
In addition to offering a unique and fun experience, Joe and Hélène were hoping to find a way to deliver a bigger benefit for the community. Joe approached Community National Bank (CNB) to see if they would be willing to sponsor these free rides, not by paying Joe and Hélène for their efforts, but by donating money to Newport’s NEKCA Food Shelf. CNB was happy to support this generous initiative and committed to donating $2,500.00 to the food shelf.
Joe commented, “Food insecurity is one of the most critical issues facing society today, and it’s extremely important to ensure our community members have resources where they can obtain healthy and nutritious food for themselves and their families.
The Newport NEKCA Food Shelf is an invaluable resource for our community located at 70 Main St. in Newport. This facility is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 12:00 PM until 3:00 PM. They offer nutritious options including meat, dairy products, fresh produce, bread and baked goods along with canned and dry goods. They have established partnerships with many of the local stores and other businesses to accept grocery items on a regular basis.
In addition to food, the NEKCA Food Shelf stocks and receives donations of personal hygiene products like shampoo and deodorant as well as cleaning supplies.
Donations of non-perishable food items, hygiene products and cleaning supplies are always needed and are greatly appreciated. Donations can be delivered to NEKCA during regular business hours Monday-Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Please do not leave donations outside the doors during non-business hours. To learn more about other ways to donate visit https://nekcavt.org/donate/.
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Vermont Business Magazine