Addressing the Loneliness Epidemic: A former church and a village store may pave the way.

Social connection is a fundamental human need. It is as essential to life as food, water, and shelter. Throughout humanity's evolution, our survival, especially through hard times, has depended on our ability to rely on one another. Even in this modern era, we human beings are biologically wired for social connection. This is in spite of modern technology that allows us to live without engaging with others, such as food delivery, automation, and remote entertainment. Even with all this we cannot escape our biological need to connect.

Nevertheless it is somewhat shocking to realize that we are in the midst of an epidemic of loneliness. A study in 2022 revealed that only 39% of US adults felt very connected to others, a telling indicator of the rise in loneliness. Recent surveys indicate that about half of US adults experience loneliness, with higher proportions among young adults.

Loneliness doesn't just make you blue, it makes you sick.  The implication for mortality is that being lonely is equivalent to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. There are higher risks of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death associated with being lonely.

Indeed, large population studies have documented that, among initially healthy people tracked over time, the more socially connected subjects lived longer, while those who experienced social deficits, including isolation, loneliness, and poor-quality relationships, were more likely to die earlier, regardless of the cause of death.

The antidote to loneliness is, of course, a culture of connection. Yet we see in Thetford that connection has eroded over the decades. Every village within Thetford once had a store (or two) where people could meet and greet. In addition, every village had its own schoolhouse and church. The presence of these public-facing facilities in the neighborhood or within a short ride from peoples' homes created the foundation of village social life. People pitched in together to hold church and harvest suppers and other village celebrations like Old Home Day. And children were frequently allowed to run "wild" around the villages, because everyone knew who they were and watchful neighbors kept their eyes on things. 

The advent of television, automobiles, and malls spelled the slow demise of this way of life. TV meant that neighbors spent less time hanging out together and were no longer available to watch the kids. Family life moved indoors with the TV as its focus, and TV dinners surged in popularity. Automobiles and malls meant people didn't shop locally and didn't meet neighbors because they traversed the village in the isolation of their cars. Local stores struggled and often died. 

If we are to reverse the tide of loneliness we could start with our daily life. Access to facilities strongly influences social connection, like having places where we can meet informally. In Thetford Center village that place used to be the Village Store with its small post office. People crossed paths en route to their mail boxes or while picking up groceries and would pause to chat and drink coffee from styrofoam cups. The store is now closed and the post office is gone.

Next to the store stands an empty red-brick church donated to the town, now known as the Timothy Frost building. Beside that is Town Hall, Thetford’s seat of government. Across busy Rt 113 is the Thetford Center Community Association building, formerly the village schoolhouse. The TCCA, run by a private non-profit, is still active as a place to hold classes or to rent for functions like parties and weddings. Beside it to the north is the village green that occasionally hosts events but seems deserted most of the time. 

Can this hub be revitalized to draw people together? 

That was the question posed by Didi Pershouse of the Thetford Planning Commission. In the spring of this year, Didi led a series of public gatherings to stimulate discussion about what residents liked about Thetford and what they might like to see improved. The discussions then developed to focus more narrowly on what role the T. Frost building could play in changing the village from a place that people merely drive through en route to the interstate to a place where they stop, get out of their cars, and meet each other.

Many ideas were put forward for converting the T. Frost into an attraction that would serve the community as well as passers-by. Social spaces like a pub, restaurant, or coffee house were popular notions, in line with a survey commissioned by the selectboard several years ago. What they had in common was a space that would be open most days (even nights) where people could drop in informally, get some kind of refreshment, and meet other people, neighbors and strangers alike.

Getting from this broad sketch to something a bit more concrete was catalysed by the participation of Curt Sherrer, who arrived in Thetford some five years ago. It turns out that Curt had founded and run a very successful cidery, where he made and sold hard cider out of an antique red-brick mill in Maryland. He had also encouraged art shows and music performances at the cidery. After giving over this business to his son, he had moved around in search of another place where excellent apples thrive. He found that place in Vermont, and the T. Frost building piqued his interest as well as reminding him of his former mill building. 

A preliminary idea would be to sell cider and other refreshments in the T. Frost vestibule, while enlarging the stage in the chapel to accommodate a variety of music performances. Providing folding chairs and removing the pews would allow flexible use of the space for any number of community uses (e.g. a place to sit and chat or eat, winter market, children' s clothing exchange, maker space, art exhibits etc.)

Another business that expressed interest was Beltane Coffee, a local coffee roaster operating in Vershire. Future public discussions are in the works and may bring forth more people with concrete ideas and skills.

Meanwhile the Village Store next door has gone on the market. A trio of residents is looking at reviving it as a grocery store but with the addition of a kitchen that would serve hot food and coffee, and with some amount of seating. 

This looks like a possible scenario for village center revitalization, with three buildings, the TCCA, the T. Frost, and the Village Store offering complementary services and attractions.

Of course, there are many hurdles, finance being the biggest. The Planning Commission has explored what it will cost to stabilize and bring the T. Frost building up to a mercantile standard. Another caveat is that, due to fire code restrictions, the T. Frost building cannot accommodate more than 50 people at a time in its current state. Upgrades like a rear fire exit and possibly sprinklers would be necessary to comply with codes for larger gatherings.

The plan is to raise as much money as possible through grants and private fundraising. The Village Store also proposes to rely on private funds. 

If we are serious about combating the loneliness epidemic, we will need more opportunities like these! According to the Surgeon General's 2023 report on "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation,": 

"Fostering greater (social) connection requires widespread individual and institutional action. It demands our sustained investment, effort, and focus. But it will be worth it, because when we take these critical steps, we are choosing better lives, to create a better world for all.

Such a world, where we recognize that relationships are just as essential to our well-being as the air we breathe and the food we eat, is a world where everyone is healthier, physically and mentally. It is a world where we respect and value one another (as a consequence of mutual understanding through social interaction) where we look out for one another, and where we create opportunities to uplift one another."