Community Services
Help with food, health, housing and family needs, plus Bristol’s library, history, recreation and media groups. Most are independent nonprofits, not Town departments. Contact them directly with questions.
Jump to: Find help · Library · Historical Society · Recreation Club · Cemetery Association · NEAT · Housing · Local groups and links
Find help
In an emergency, call 911. For a mental health or suicide crisis, call or text 988.
Not sure where to start? Vermont 2-1-1 is free and confidential. Dial 2-1-1 or text your zip code to 898211 to find food, housing, health, child care and other help near you.
Bristol voters fund many of these groups each year at Town Meeting.
Food and basic needs
Have-A-Heart Food Shelf
Free food for the five towns, no proof of need · 3rd or 4th Friday, 5:00 to 6:00 pm · St. Ambrose basement, 11 School Street · Dates on Front Porch Forum · Allison Pouliot, ajp2329vt@gmail.com
To donate: give at checkout at Shaw’s (“Nourishing Neighbors”) or mail a check to Have-A-Heart Food Shelf, 11 School Street, Bristol, VT 05443. Volunteer-run 501(c)(3); 95% of donations go to food and essentials.
Food shelf and help with housing, utilities and medical costs · Middlebury · (802) 388-3608
John Graham Housing & Services
Emergency shelter and housing help · Vergennes · (802) 877-2677
Health and recovery
Counseling Service of Addison County
Mental health, substance use and developmental services · (802) 388-6751 · 24/7 emergency line (802) 388-7641
Free medical and dental care for uninsured and underinsured adults · Middlebury · (802) 388-0137
Addison County Home Health & Hospice
Nursing, therapy and hospice care at home · (802) 388-7259
Peer Recovery Center of Addison County
Free peer recovery support and groups, formerly Turning Point · Middlebury · (802) 388-4249
Older adults
Meals, care coordination and benefits help for older adults · Helpline 1-800-642-5119
Elderly Services (Project Independence)
Adult day program and caregiver support · Middlebury · (802) 388-3983
Volunteer work for adults 55 and older · (802) 388-7044
Children and families
Child care and early education · 45 Orchard Terrace, Bristol · (802) 453-5659
Addison County Parent Child Center
Child care, playgroups, home visits and parenting support · Middlebury · (802) 388-3171
Free monthly books by mail for children up to age 5 · (802) 758-2218
Free adult education, diploma, GED and English classes · Middlebury · (802) 388-4392
Safety and justice
Free, confidential support after domestic or sexual violence, formerly WomenSafe · 24/7 hotline 1-800-388-4205
Addison County Restorative Justice Services
Court diversion and restorative justice programs · Middlebury · (802) 388-3888
Getting around
Buses, the Tri-Town Shuttle and rides for seniors, people with disabilities and Medicaid trips · (802) 388-2287
Bus route serving Bristol
Town recreation
Programs, staff and contact · (802) 453-5885
Town parks and recreation programs
Run by the Recreation Department
Clay classes and studio time for all ages
Lawrence Memorial Library
Bristol’s public library at 40 North Street, reopening December 5, 2026 after its renovation. Hours, library cards, services, trustees and history are on the library’s page.
Bristol Historical Society
The Society discovers, collects and preserves the history of Bristol. Artifacts, photographs, books, documents, period clothing and quilts can be seen at its museum in Howden Hall. Donations of photographs, diaries, genealogies and artifacts with a Bristol history are welcome, and so is financial support.
| Museum | Howden Hall, 19 West Street |
| Meetings | 7:00 pm, third Thursday, May to October (changes in the Addison Independent) |
| Online | Bristol Historical Society on Facebook |
Officers and board
| Stephen Ayotte | President |
| Gerald Heffeman | Vice President |
| John Burbank | Secretary |
| Ted Lylis | Treasurer |
| Sylvia Coffin | Past President |
| Reg Dearborn | Executive member at large |
| Rick Desorda | Executive member at large |
History of the Society
The Society was formed on June 5, 1977 by Dorothy and Win Trudo, Howard and Anna Gladding, John and Elizabeth Hise, Barbara and John Kennedy, Leland and Nina Landon and others. Volunteers turned the old jail in the basement of Holley Hall into a museum, dedicated July 7, 1979. The museum moved to Howden Hall in August 1991.
Bristol Recreation Club
A nonprofit founded in 1921 that keeps outdoor recreation space open for everyone in Bristol. It owns the 10-acre Recreation Fields on Airport Drive and maintains the Bristol Trail Network. The fields have three ball diamonds, open fields, tennis and pickleball courts, a skating rink, a bike and skate park, horseshoe pits, a picnic pavilion, a concession stand with a full kitchen and the Grandstand, known as “Big Red.” Funding comes from grants, donations, member and user fees and a Town appropriation.
| Open | Daily, dawn to dusk |
| Location | 110 Airport Drive, Bristol |
| PO Box 411, Bristol, VT 05443 | |
| bristolrecclubvt@gmail.com |
Officers and board
| Troy Paradee | President |
| Porter Knight | Vice President |
| Jen Oxford | Secretary |
| Elizabeth Farr | Treasurer |
| Joel Bouvier | Trustee |
| Ron LaRose | Trustee |
| David Rosen | Trustee |
Bristol Cemetery Association
A nonprofit with a seven-member board that runs Greenwood Cemetery at the foot of Stoney Hill. Greenwood and St. Joseph are Bristol’s two active cemeteries. The Town maintains Meehan, Briggs Hill and Varney Cemeteries.
| Cost per grave | $500, including perpetual care (20% goes to the perpetual care fund) |
| Each grave | One full burial plus one or two cremations |
| Annual meeting | June |
| Contact | Donald Lathrop, President, (802) 453-3034 |
Notify the Association before any monument is placed, grave is dug or burial takes place. Lot owners may not dig for full burials. Lot owners or family may dig for cremation burials.
Officers and board
| Donald Lathrop | President |
| Martha Chesley | Vice President |
| Mike Brown | Treasurer |
| Reginald Dearborn | Secretary |
| Jim Rivers | Superintendent |
| Kevin Corkins | Director |
| David Weaver | Director |
Northeast Addison Television (NEAT)
Nonprofit public access TV for Bristol and the five-town area. NEAT records Town meetings and local events, keeps an archive of local productions and lends equipment and training, including movie camps, youth mentorships and podcast and show production. The studio is a drop-in space four days a week.
| Watch | Channel 16 (Comcast) and online |
| Studio | 25B Main Street, end of Artists Alley (PO Box 262) |
| Phone | (802) 453-8562 |
| neatbristol@gmail.com | |
| Staff | Mary Arbuckle, Executive Director; Shawn Kimball, Production and Youth Outreach |
Housing
Addison Housing Works (formerly Addison County Community Trust) is a nonprofit affordable housing trust in Vergennes. It develops, owns and manages rental apartments, mobile home parks, single-family homes and senior housing across Addison County. In Bristol it owns the Firehouse Apartments.
| Office | 272 Main Street, PO Box 156, Vergennes, VT 05491 |
| Phone | (802) 877-2626 |
Habitat for Humanity of Addison County
Builds and repairs affordable homes with volunteers and partner families · (802) 388-0400
John Graham Housing & Services
Emergency shelter and help finding housing · (802) 877-2677
Local groups and links
Bristol groups
Nonprofit ambulance service for the five towns since 1970 · 45 Monkton Road · For emergencies call 911 · Non-emergency (802) 453-2472 · info@bristolrescuevt.org
Downtown events, Bristol Bucks and visitor information · (802) 453-7378
Bristol’s 4th of July Committee
Bristol’s Fourth of July celebration · bristolvt4thofjuly@gmail.com
Bristol Town Band
Playing since 1870. Free concerts on the Town Green every Wednesday evening in summer.
Bristol Mentor Program
Matches Bristol Elementary students with vetted adult volunteers for an hour a week. Part of the MAUSD Mentor Program. To become a mentor, email maura.donnelly@mausd.org
Bristol Little League Baseball & Softball
Youth baseball and softball for the five towns
A community garden project
Regional groups
Addison County’s humane society: pet adoption and surrender · Middlebury · (802) 388-1100
Addison County River Watch Collaborative
Volunteers who test water quality in local rivers
Statewide roadside clean-up on Green Up Day, the first Saturday in May
The communications union district bringing fiber internet to Bristol and 19 other Addison County towns
Schools and state
Mount Abraham Unified School District
State agencies and services