The Hungry in Vermont are Even Hungrier: 9.6 Percent of Vermont Residents Struggling with Hunger
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—Urgent
November 15, 2007
Contact:
Douglas O’Brien, Vermont Foodbank (802) 477-4108
Robert Dostis, Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger (802) 865-0255
The Hungry in Vermont are Even Hungrier:
9.6 Percent of Vermont Residents Struggling with Hunger
More Vermonters are facing empty cupboards as winter approaches. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) annual report released yesterday 9.6 percent of Vermont’s households are struggling with hunger or “food insecurity." Food insecurity is the USDA term describing households that lack consistent access to nutritious foods.
“The USDA report confirms what food shelves and pantries around Vermont have been reporting for months—namely that hunger is on the rise in our state,” says Douglas O’ Brien, CEO of the Vermont Foodbank. “The new data shows that Vermont has the 35th highest rate of food insecurity in the nation and the 19th highest rate of food insecurity with hunger. This is not acceptable in Vermont. We can do better,” stated O’Brien.
Congress is in the midst of the Farm Bill reauthorization, which includes funding for the Food Stamp Program and other nutrition assistance initiatives. The Vermont Foodbank and the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger have joined advocates from around the nation in calling on Congress to strengthen these programs by improving access and increasing the adequacy of benefits to keep pace with the cost of living. Both O’Brien and Robert Dostis, Executive Director of the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger, emphasized that “Our United States senators have an opportunity now to use their influence to move the Farm Bill past the log jam in the senate, to passage.”
According to the USDA’s 2004-2006 data, 4.3 percent of Vermont’s households are considered to have “very low food security”. People that fall into this category experience more severe problems with hunger and are frequently cutting back or skipping meals. The number of Vermont households affected by this most severe form of hunger has shown a significant annual increase; more than doubling since the 2000-2002 report, when 2% of Vermont households were in this category.
In response to the most recent data, Dostis stated that, “The increase in severe hunger in Vermont is not surprising given dramatic rise in food and fuel costs. Choices that families will have to make this winter will be heartbreaking. We know that more children will go hungry.” Dostis added that “The dual challenge ahead is to both strengthen the federal nutrition programs and to work with communities to ensure every aspect of the nutrition safety net is in place. We know that no one program can do it all—and that to protect families from hunger, we need a comprehensive array of programs and resources from school, child care and summer meals to food stamps, nutrition education and charitable food.”
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About the Vermont Foodbank
Located in Barre, the Vermont Foodbank is the states largest hunger relief organization, serving a network of 270 partners, consisting of food shelves, food pantries, senior centers, shelters and after-school programs, that assist 66,000 Vermonters each year. In 2006, the Vermont Foodbank distributed nearly 6.5 million pounds of food to its Network Partners around the state. The Foodbank is a member of America's Second Harvest – The Nation's Food Bank Network (A2HN), the country’s largest charitable hunger-relief organization. For additional information about the Vermont Foodbank, facts on hunger and poverty, and recent articles on the issue, please visit us on the web at www.vtfoodbank.org
The Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger is a statewide nonprofit organization that combats hunger through advocacy, education, and technical assistance. Since 1993, VTCECH has been providing communities with the tools to create and sustain local programs that feed children in need. Information on VTCECH, hunger in Vermont, and federal nutrition programs is available at www.vtnohunger.org, or for information about the Food Stamp Program—including eligibility guidelines and a printable application—visit www.vermontfoodhelp.com.
