This fundraiser is to help Betty Burton and her husband, John Sundman avoid losing their home to foreclosure. Betty has been helping Islanders facing food insecurity for 30 years; now she needs the community to assist her.

Betty was the long-time chair of the Vineyard Committee on Hunger, the founding coordinator of the Serving Hands free food distribution program, and creator and for 15 years the coordinator of the Family-to-Family holiday meals program. Betty along with Noli Taylor and I helped create the Martha's Vineyard Food Equity coalition. She has been a tireless advocate for access to healthy food, with dignity, for all. When I arrived on Martha's Vineyard Betty was a welcoming guide and inspiration. She was never paid for any of this work and over the years, she and John donated significant resources and time to eliminating hunger on our Island.

How did they get into this crisis? Betty and John have long cared for a severely disabled son who has had life threatening medical issues over the past couple of years. Betty herself has had a string of very significant medical challenges over the last five years and is currently facing a new one. John has had to become the primary caregiver for both, resulting in a loss of his income. They have done their best to pay medical bills, maintain their home and provide care for their son. As a result, they are in arrears on their mortgage payments and are facing foreclosure.

My goal is to help them get through this short-term crisis while they work on a longer-term solution to their financial situation. I am confident that there is a path to stability if our community can help them retain their home and only major asset. I am working with Betty and John on several potential solutions but I need your help to get them through this immediate danger and the overwhelming stress of foreclosure looming over them.

Please join me in helping a couple who have given so much to our Island community. Thank you, Rebecca Haag