Vermonters Feeding Vermonters

Nearly 1 in 3 Vermont households has faced food insecurity since the pandemic began, and households with children are twice as likely to be facing hunger. Lack of healthy food during early childhood is linked to health problems, developmental impairments, social and behavioral problems, and challenges in school. Hunger is related to negative health outcomes resulting in higher health care costs for the state.

The Alliance supports the Vermont Foodbank’s request for a $500,000 state allocation to fund Vermonters Feeding Vermonters (VFV), a program to purchase locally grown, fresh food directly from Vermont farmers and producers to distribute to people facing hunger. This investment from the state would improve the health of adults and children in Vermont, provide financial security to local farmers, and strengthen the Vermont economy. This program can provide long-term benefits for Vermont and is especially critical right now as a key tool addressing the economic crisis brought on by the pandemic.

Continue reading for more information on this priority issue, including data and talking points, connections to the lead organization, and advocacy tools.

Data and Talking Points

• This innovative new program provides people in Vermont facing hunger with healthy, local food while supporting the state’s agricultural economy, an integral component of the Vermont way of life.
• 1 in 4 Vermonters turn to the Vermont Foodbank for help each year and it is our fundamental belief that everyone in Vermont deserves access to the fresh, local food that our state has in such abundance. 
• Vermonters Feeding Vermonters has direct benefits for Vermont families and farmers. Families see better health outcomes when they have access to and eat fresh, local produce, and farmers have more financial security when they have contracts ahead of time to purchase large quantities of their produce.
• Our economy benefits when we keep our food dollars in-state, rather than purchasing food elsewhere. $1 spent on local produce contributes an additional 60 cents to the local economy.
• Eating local food reduces our environmental footprint – produce is delivered within a 50-mile radius of where it is grown.

Resources and Advocacy Tools

• Vermonters Feeding Vermonters page on the Vermont Foodbank website
• Vermonters Feeding Vermonters Fact Sheet
• Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance 2021 Legislative Agenda
• Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance Issue Page – Vermonters Feeding Vermonters

Get Involved

• Complete this quick supporter form to tell your legislator that you want our neighbors facing hunger to have access to local, fresh food.
• To show support for VFV from your organization, scroll to the bottom of the page to add your name to the organization sign on letter.
• Sign up for campaign updates from the Vermont Foodbank.

Schedule an Advocacy Training

Schedule an Alliance training for a group of early childhood professionals, providers, parents, or employers interested in strengthening their advocacy skills or learning more about the issues on the Alliance’s Legislative Agenda. Be informed and ensure your voice is heard on issues impacting Vermont's young children and families!

To set up a training, email Matt Levin, Alliance Executive Director, at matt@vecaa.org.