Date: October 27, 2009

Hunger Council Finds Hope Despite Rising Poverty in Vermont

Written by Dorigen Keeney, Director of Public Policy and Research
at the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger

A group of community leaders and concerned citizens shared stories last week of how the actions of citizens and organizations are helping to reduce hunger in Chittenden County despite rising rates of poverty and job loss. The Hunger Council of Chittenden County, convened three years ago by the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger in partnership with Northfield Savings Bank, is working to create strategies and take action to combat hunger in the county. The group has been successful in increasing access to nutrition programs that feed children, seniors, and other vulnerable populations.

Sister Irene Duchesneau, member of the Council and Chair of the Fanny Allen Foundation, was concerned about the elderly because they can be isolated and hard to reach for nutrition programs. She declared that, “We’ll find a way to get food and resources to them - we’re not going to give up on this.” Members of the Council would like to make 3SquaresVT (the new name for the Food Stamp program in Vermont) easier for seniors to use by shortening and simplifying the application, automatically enrolling seniors through other programs such as SSI, and having seniors spread the word to their peers. The program is bringing $1.7 million dollars per year into Chittenden County to feed low income households, almost double the amount last year.

The Council also discussed improving nutrition and access to food for very young children. Elizabeth Meyer, Executive Director of Child Care Resource, brought attention to the dedication of individuals to help each other in difficult times and spoke about a child care provider who would be taking complete care of a child whose single mother was being deployed to Afghanistan. Elizabeth also described how her organization is now assisting child care centers in Chittenden County provide meals and snacks to all children. Currently, very few Vermont child care centers provide meals, but rather ask parents to provide the food. “This can be a hardship for low-income families,” pointed out Linda Berlin, Extension Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Science at UVM, “The parents may be going without food in order to pack those meals.” The group discussed how quality meals served family-style in child care centers and homes is also an important opportunity for children to learn good eating habits and social skills.

Marsha Faryniarz, Vice President for Child and Youth Programs at the Greater Burlington YMCA, shared that the YMCA do not offer meals because of barriers like the length of the application, the amount of paperwork required by the program, and low reimbursement rates.  The YMCA is the largest child care provider in the state of Vermont. The Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger is working with the Department of Education to reduce the paperwork required to join the program and is assisting centers to sign up. Increasing access to meals in child care is important to reach President Obama’s  goal of ending childhood hunger of 2015.

Vermont currently ranks 49th among the states for center participation. Marissa Parisi, Executive Director of the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger noted, “If the YMCA, the largest childcare provider in the area, would be willing to reconsider the program now that many of the barriers have been addressed, other centers in the state could benefit from their leadership.” Ms. Parisi also noted that “increasing access to nutrition programs is critical to buffer the effect of the recession and make sure Vermonters have access to food.”

In Chittenden County, all public schools provide both breakfast and lunch, although some private schools have not yet joined the program. Doug Davis, Food Service Director for Burlington Schools, shared his Superintendent’s concern that access to food is a critical issue should the schools close due to an escalating flu pandemic. Many children throughout Vermont depend on school lunch and breakfast for most of their nutrition.  

Food pantries and soup kitchens are experiencing a 30-40% increase in need over this time last year. Rabbi Glazier reported on the extensive work that members of the Temple Sinai do to provide food and support to anti-hunger efforts. The congregation collected 1.2 tons of food during the recent holidays for local emergency food sites. In addition, members of the Temple are volunteering to deliver meals on wheels to homebound seniors.

The Hunger Council of Chittenden County will meet three times during the coming year to examine hunger in the county and to strategize ways to improve food access.  For information on the Council and food programs in the County, contact Dorigen Keeney at Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger at 802-865-0255 or .

PRESS CONTACT: Dorigen Keeney, Director of Public Policy and Research at the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger at 802-865-0255 or .

About the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger: The Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger is a statewide nonprofit organization that works with state agencies and community groups to develop sustainable hunger solutions. Since 1993 the Campaign’s outreach programs have substantially enhanced Vermont’s nutrition safety net and increased access to nutritious foods.

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