Vermont Foodbank

THE VERMONT FOODBANK IS THE STATE'S ONLY FOODBANK AND AN INDEPENDENT NON-PROFIT THAT IS PART OF THE FEEDING AMERICA NETWORK. OUR MISSION IS TO GATHER AND SHARE QUALITY FOOD AND NURTURE PARTNERSHIPS SO THAT NO ONE IN VERMONT WILL GO HUNGRY. WE PROVIDE NOURISHING FOOD THROUGH A NETWORK OF MORE THAN 300 COMMUNITY PARTNERS - FOOD SHELVES, MEAL SITES, SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS, AND HOUSING SITES. FOOD INSECURITY HAS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY AS A RESULT OF THE PANDEMIC AND THE VERMONT FOODBANK HAS BEEN ON THE FRONT LINES, WORKING TO ENSURE THAT EVERYONE HAS THE FOOD THEY NEED.

IN FISCAL YEAR 2022, THE VERMONT FOODBANK DISTRIBUTED 12.5 MILLION POUNDS OF DONATED FOOD, PRODUCE, USDA FOODS, AND PURCHASED FOOD DIRECTLY TO INDIVIDUALS AND MORE THAN 220 NETWORK PARTNERS. OF THAT, 4 MILLION POUNDS WAS FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, AND A FULL 53% OF THE FOOD DISTRIBUTED WAS FRESH FOOD (PRODUCE, MEAT, AND DAIRY). THE VERMONT FOODBANK ALSO WORKED WITH MORE THAN 200 VERMONT FARMS TO GATHER AND SHARE MORE THAN 1.5 MILLION POUNDS OF LOCAL FOOD WORTH OVER $2.4 MILLION. DURING THE SAME PERIOD, THE FOODBANK FUNDED MORE THAN 340 GRANTS TOTALING MORE THAN $2.8M TO NETWORK AND COMMUNITY PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS. THESE GRANTS, WHICH TOUCHED EVERY COUNTY IN VERMONT, DEEPENED OUR IMPACT AND HELPED SOLVE TARGETED CHALLENGES TO FOOD ACCESS IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES (EXAMPLES INCLUDE INCREASING REFRIGERATION CAPACITY TO ENABLING PURCHASING FRESH PRODUCE FROM LOCAL, SMALL-SCALE FARMS). THE FOODBANK WORKED WITH MORE THAN 25 PARTNERS, HOSPITALS, AND SCHOOLS TO HOST FRESH FOOD DISTRIBUTION EVENTS, PRIMARILY DRIVE-THRU, ACROSS ALL VERMONT COUNTIES, DISTRIBUTING FRESH FOODS TO AN AVERAGE OF 7400 HOUSEHOLDS A MONTH. SOME LOCATIONS ARE SEEING THEIR HIGHEST DAILY ATTENDANCE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC AND AN 111% INCREASE FROM 2021 IN THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS SERVED PER MONTH. THE VERMONT FOODBANK CONTINUES TO SEE SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN EXPENSES OVER PRE-PANDEMIC BUDGETS. HOWEVER, INCREASES IN REVENUE ENABLED THE VERMONT FOODBANK TO CONFIDENTLY INCREASE ITS EXPENSES TO MEET A TREMENDOUS INCREASE IN FOOD INSECURITY IN VERMONT, BROUGHT ON BY THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC.RESEARCH BY THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT SHOWS THAT IN THE PAST YEAR 2 IN 5 PEOPLE IN VERMONT HAVE EXPERIENCED FOOD INSECURITY. THIS DATA SUPPORTS WHAT THE FOODBANK AND ITS PARTNERS HAVE BEEN SEEING IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE STATE - A SUSTAINED HIGH DEMAND FOR CHARITABLE FOOD. BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, THE RATE OF FOOD INSECURITY WAS DECREASING IN VERMONT. HOWEVER, IN 2019 FOOD INSECURITY RATES HAD BARELY RETURNED TO THE RATES WE SAW BEFORE THE GREAT RECESSION IN 2008. IT TOOK A DECADE FOR FOOD INSECURITY RATES IN VERMONT TO RECOVER TO PRE-RECESSION LEVELS. THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC REVERSED THE TRAJECTORY OF FOOD INSECURITY, AND IN 2020, WE SAW A STEEP INCREASE IN THE RATE OF FOOD INSECURITY IN VERMONT. WE ANTICIPATE IT WILL TAKE AT LEAST ANOTHER DECADE FOR VERMONT TO RECOVER TO PRE-PANDEMIC FOOD SECURITY RATES.DURING THE PANDEMIC, INCREASED FEDERAL AND STATE SUPPORTS INCLUDING FUNDING FOR FOOD BOXES, HIGHER SNAP BENEFITS, AND STIMULUS FUNDS SUPPORTED PEOPLE ACROSS THE STATE AND HELPED TO KEEP PEOPLE FED. AS THOSE BENEFITS AND SUPPORTS END, AND COSTS OF EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS INCREASE, WE HAVE SEEN FOOD INSECURITY INCREASE TO LEVELS THAT ARE EVEN HIGHER THAN THEY WERE AT THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC.REVENUE IN FISCAL YEAR 2022 EXCEEDED PROJECTIONS FOR A THIRD FISCAL YEAR IN A ROW, MAINLY THROUGH PRIVATE PHILANTHROPY AND A ONE-TIME, $6 MILLION ALLOCATION OF AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FUNDS VIA THE STATE OF VERMONT. THE VERMONT FOODBANK, THE STATE'S ONLY FOOD BANK, IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE IN THE STATE OF VERMONT. INCREASED REVENUE HAS ENABLED THE VERMONT FOODBANK TO: PURCHASE MORE FOOD TO MEET THE NEEDS OF NEIGHBORS, INCLUDING AN INCREASE IN LOCAL FOOD PURCHASES; INCREASE THE PERCENTAGE OF FRESH FOODS (FRUITS, VEGETABLES, DAIRY AND PROTEINS) BEING DISTRIBUTED STATE-WIDE; PROVIDE INCREASED, DIRECT FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO COMMUNITY PARTNERS, INCLUDING FOOD SHELVES, FARMS, AND FOOD ACCESS PROGRAMS (OFTEN SMALLER NON-PROFITS WITHOUT CAPACITY FOR FUNDRAISING AND/OR GRANT MANAGEMENT); CREATE NEW FOOD DISTRIBUTION MECHANISMS TO BOTH MEET INCREASED NEEDS AND DO SO SAFELY IN THE MIDST OF THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC; INVEST IN NEW IDEAS TO INCREASE FOOD ACCESS (HOPEFULLY REDUCING FUTURE NEED FOR LARGER-SCALE EMERGENCY RESPONSE); AND TO HAVE NECESSARY RESERVES TO CONTINUE TO SERVE AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF BOTH "NORMAL AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE CHARITABLE FOOD DISTRIBUTION/FOOD ACCESS IN THE STATE OF VERMONT.