This story was originally published in the Rutland Herald on March 27, 2025
At 9:30 a.m. last Saturday morning, instead of sleeping in on their day off, a group of local high school and college students were doing taxes.
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program at BROC provides free tax preparation to families and individuals who make $67,000 per year or less, as well as people with disabilities, and limited English-speaking taxpayers.
Sherrie Pomainville, county supervisor for community services and outreach, has been with BROC for 20 years. She said the volunteers take a series of IRS tests to become certified, and the program is possible, in large part, thanks to student volunteers.
“They’ve been a huge asset to us,” she said.
Local residents Alice Cain and her daughter Charlene Vaughn sat with Vermont State University Castleton senior Cindy Patnode, an accounting student who graduates in May and volunteers with BROC to offer free tax filing assistance.
“It’s been amazing,” Patnode said about the program. “The people who come in as clients, you’re really helping people who need it.”
“Mom’s been coming here for years,” Vaughn said.
“I had some folks who couldn’t read,” Patnode said. “I left crying. It’s not just taxes, it’s changing their life — to get a refund, that money (can) change everything. You’re not dealing with million-dollar business owners, it’s folks who actually need help.”
After a student prepares a return, a partner reviews it and passes it to a supervisor for review before it gets e-filed.
“So multiple eyes are on it,” Pomainville said. “That’s part of the VITA requirements.”
They currently have 24 volunteers — 13 from Mount St. Joseph Academy, nine from VTSU, and two Berkshire Bank non-students. Together, they have already filed 250 tax returns this season.
