Vermont Foodbank staff went to the Vermont State House on Hunger Awareness Day, Feb. 12th, to connect with legislators and to drive home the point that hunger exists in every community in Vermont.  More than 88,000 Vermonters live in poverty (2010).  In 2012, the Vermont Foodbank distributed more than 8 million pounds of food to its network partners around the state, but the need is still greater.  Sadly, 33% of the members of households served by the Vermont Foodbank are children under 18 years old.

At the State House, Rep. Michael Mrowicki, Putney, introduced Hunger Awareness Day, as well as Vermont Foodbank CEO John Sayles and Hunger Free Vermont Program Director Dorigen Keeney, on the floor of the House of Representatives.  Many legislators stopped by the Foodbank table throughout the day, including several new legislators, to learn about hunger in their communities and statewide.  We were also visited by Governor Peter Shumlin, Speaker of the House Shap Smith, and even Foodbank supporter and collaborator Hal Cohen, Executive Director of Central Vermont Community Action Council.

If you weren’t able to join us for Hunger Awareness Day, you can watch Rep. Michael Mrowicki introduce us on the floor of the House of Representatives here:

And Vermont Foodbank CEO John Sayles took a moment to thank Vermont legislators for their attention on Hunger Awareness Day, especially Rep. Mike Mrowicki, and he also spoke to the political will and necessity to end hunger in Vermont:

Your voice still matters in the fight against hunger in Vermont. Our legislators need to hear from each of us, to know that we care about hunger and that it exists in each and every community in Vermont. To locate a food shelf or meal site, visit our online agency locator.  To find out who your legislator are, visit the legislative directory.  You can also refer to our previous posts about Hunger Awareness Day for tips and resources about calling, e-mailing or visiting your representatives.

If you contact your legislators, please let us know how the exchange went! Contact Judy Stermer, Vermont Foodbank Director of Communications and Public Affairs, at jstermer@vtfoodbank.org or 1.802.477.4108.