With many people out of work and struggling with the economic impacts of COVID-19, food distributions around Vermont are still serving visitors at record levels. Because of you, free, fresh food is available for neighbors who need it, all year long.
“I had been at a food shelf but it’s such a small scale there, and you’re really getting to know each person and family on an individual level, whereas the VeggieVanGos (VVG) are just incredible, the number of families that show up and are receiving food.”
Jenevra is a program coordinator at the Foodbank. On any given day she can be found directing traffic, handling logistics, and greeting visitors at the VVG fresh food distributions that occur from the Upper Valley to the Northeast Kingdom. Because of the pandemic, these open-air, walk-through distributions have shifted to a drive-through model where visitors can pick up a variety of fresh produce, dairy, and meat. The stories she hears and the people she meets, Jenevra says, make the job both difficult and deeply gratifying.
“At [one] VVG we have a woman who comes and picks up every single time. She usually gets for six or seven families. She just does it for those families, it’s not even for her,” Jenevra says. “People want to help, it’s amazing. I’ve been very inspired …”
The flip-side to that, she says, is hearing the stories of people who are out of work, or older Vermonters unable to leave their homes. And then there are the sheer numbers.
“[Another VVG] gets 500-600 families, regularly,” Jenevra says, of the distribution that takes place in a small Central Vermont town. “And if you conceptualize, or think of what that looks like in a community, that’s an incredible number of people.”
Thanks to your help, thousands of neighbors facing hunger during the pandemic are able to have fresh, nourishing food in their pantries and refrigerators. And as Jenevra sees it, your help also brings out smiles in these difficult times.
“At [a recent] distribution we had milk, and I told a family… a couple, what we had that day and I said, ‘We have milk,’ and they said, ‘Oh you have milk!’ And then we both started jumping up and down and getting really excited,” shares Jenevra. “People are so thankful, and so happy, they say, ‘Thank you for being out here, thank you for being here.’”
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For Bethel Area Food Shelf, a local partnership that redirects fresh groceries to neighbors facing hunger has helped address rising community need. Now, they’re thinking creatively toward long-term food security.
Having been on the receiving end of help himself over the years, Michael, the cook at Mustard Seed in St. Johnsbury is giving back by making sure his neighbors have a nourishing meal and a warm place to chat.
Bob and Barb are Vermont farmers with a passion for growing and sharing one staple, nutrient-dense crop with their community: potatoes. They also partner with Vermont Foodbank to make sure their local potatoes are available to neighbors experiencing hunger.
