Vermonters will soon be able to buy ‘Vermont Strong’ license plates — and socks

Vermonters will be able to order this year’s “Vermont Strong” flood recovery license plates as soon as Monday, Gov. Phil Scott announced at a press conference Wednesday.

The highly anticipated special plates will be $35 each, Scott said, with the proceeds benefiting the state’s recovery from this summer’s catastrophic flooding. Similar to plates issued after Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, the license plate is emblazoned with the slogan, “We are Vermont Strong.”

Along with license plates, Vermonters can also order a special edition pair of socks from beloved local manufacturer Darn Tough. Unveiled at Wednesday’s press conference, the limited edition socks are black with an emerald green heel and toe, featuring the same “Vermont Strong” logo as the plates.

According to Darn Tough’s Brand and Community Marketing Manager Courtney Laggner, the socks will cost $35 per pair, proceeds from which will benefit the state’s flood recovery. Vermonters can only purchase the socks with a license plate, totaling $70 per set.

Half of the proceeds from the license plates and socks will benefit the Vermont Community Foundation, a statewide nonprofit which has already played a major role in organizing flood recovery efforts at the state and local levels, Scott said.

Dan Smith, the Vermont Community Foundation’s president and CEO, told reporters on Wednesday that the nonprofit has already received more than 6,000 individual gifts from across the country to its flood recovery fund. Those donations have amounted to $6.1 million, $2.2 million of which “has already gone out the door,” Smith said.

“If you take one thing away, just know — as we all know — that Vermonters really step up for each other in a crisis,” Smith said.

The other half of the plate and socks proceeds will benefit the state’s emergency grant program for businesses, which launched nearly one month ago with a $20 million allocation from the state. Unlike emergency loans from the Small Business Administration, the grant program aims to offer businesses an interest-free lifeline to recover from the floods.

As of Wednesday, the state has received 505 applications from flood-damaged businesses for grant dollars, according to Secretary of Commerce and Community Development Lindsay Kurrle. In those applications, there is roughly $134 million total physical damages reported, and $108 million in net physical damages.

Last week, checks began heading out the door to approved businesses, totaling more than $397,000 paid out so far, with an average award of nearly $14,000, Kurrle said. The emergency grants are aimed to help cover net physical losses after insurance, loans, separate grants, donations and other aid are taken into account, so as not to duplicate aid. Applications are still open, Kurrle said.

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VTDigger's political reporter. More by Sarah Mearhoff