For Immediate Release
June 5, 2025
Contact:
Carrie Stahler, Vermont Foodbank, cstahler@vtfoodbank.org, 802-793-4923

Montpelier, Vermont – Vermont Foodbank applauds the work of the legislature and Governor Phil Scott for the passage and signing of bill H.167, into law on May 27th creating Act 34 of 2025 to establish a Vermonters Feeding Vermonters grant program at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets.  With food and economic insecurity increasing in recent years, this government commitment will help ensure access to fresh, local food for neighbors experiencing food insecurity, and support to Vermont farms, at a time when federal funding is uncertain.

Vermonters Feeding Vermonters, a program of Vermont Foodbank, works with more than 300 farms of all sizes to provide local food from Vermont farms to neighbors across Vermont. The Foodbank purchases directly from farms and provides funding to partner food shelves and meal sites to purchase from local farmstands, farmer’s markets, and CSA shares. This program has already invested more than $9.5 million in Vermont’s agricultural economy and distributed 5.75 million pounds of fresh, local food since the program began.

“This program is about investing Vermont dollars in the future of our state, together, as well as addressing food insecurity. Since 2018 Vermonters Feeding Vermonters has purchased nutritious, locally grown food from Vermont farms and helped that food get to neighbors across the state who access food through Vermont Foodbank and our partners. Act 34 codifies our partnership with the State of Vermont to ensure this program will continue to support a more resilient and sustainable agricultural economy, while feeding our neighbors,” said John Sayles, CEO of Vermont Foodbank.

“Our Food Shelf participants simply appreciate the opportunity to have fresh local food. They know about proper nutrition. A single mother of 3 children shared, ‘When I come and can select fresh foods from local farms, I feel like I am nourishing my children, not simply feeding them,’” shared the South Burlington Food Shelf, a Vermont Foodbank network partner.

Since 2021, the State of Vermont has allocated funds to support the work of Vermont Foodbank. Each year, a portion of the state allocated funds support Vermonters Feeding Vermonters. In 2024, Vermont Foodbank was able to use $700,000 of their $1.3 million state appropriation to support the program. In its FY26 budget, the State appropriated $500,000 to support continued investment in Vermonters Feeding Vermonters. The passage and implementation of Act 34 and FY26 budget allocation signify an ongoing investment in local food to increase food access for neighbors who may struggle with food insecurity.

Bill sponsor, Representative Esme Cole (Windsor 6) offered support ahead of the bill’s passage and shared, “Vermonters Feeding Vermonters has a proven track record. This program keeps our dollars in-state, while reducing barriers for Vermonters’ access to fresh, local foods. Everyone deserves access to nutritious local, Vermont-grown food. We are lucky to have so many remarkable food producers in Vermont. It’s time to connect the dots.”

Representative Cole continued, “As policymakers, I believe that it is our job to help create market factors that support farms of all sizes, including small farms, and our food system. If we don’t act, we will continue to see the consolidation and erasure of the small farms that bring so much value to our state. Vermonters Feeding Vermonters is an important step in the right direction, offering a “quadruple-win” by supporting our local economy, producers, consumers, and the environment.”

In her testimony before the Senate Agriculture Committee, House bill reporter Representative Michelle Bos-Lun shared ways this program meets the needs of people in Vermont, as well as the goals set forth by several plans commissioned by the legislature to create pathways to food and farm security.

“The Vermonters Feeding Vermonters program empowers the Vermont Foodbank in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Markets to contract with Vermont farm producers to make their products available to people who otherwise would have limited or no access to these products. Vermonters Feeding Vermonters aligns with long term goals for farm and food stability in Vermont including the Vermont Food Security Roadmap to 2035, and also the Vermont Agriculture & Food System Strategic Plan to 2030,” offered Representative Bos-Lun.

In advocating for this bill to the Senate Agriculture Committee, Ryan Fitzbeauchamp of Evening Song Farm in Rutland County offered, “The Vermonters Feeding Vermonters program is an incredible asset for our farm: a good percentage of our farm’s wholesale outlets go towards small organizations that purchase our produce through this program: senior centers, food shelves, BROC, Rutland County Parent Child Center, the Salvation Army.  It’s allowed us to grow more crops we’re good at, and it is an excellent outlet for any unforeseen overproduction on our farm: this program really tightens up the economic viability of our farm’s operation.  When we deliver to these sites, the staff and recipients are always so grateful to be getting beautiful Vermont grown produce.  We’ve seen firsthand how this program strengthens the viability of local farms and knits together our communities.”

Vermont Foodbank distributes food to all 14 counties in Vermont through a network of 300 community partners. They serve an average of 70,000 people across Vermont each month. In 2024, Vermont Foodbank distributed 14.5 million pounds of food statewide.