Marian and Paul Joseph (Marian’s oldest child) live in Addison County. They like to fish and go to Port Henry to watch the trains. They also participate in community conversations hosted by Vermont Foodbank, where people who have experience with food insecurity help co-create food access strategies in their communities.
Marian’s divorce in 2014 left Marian and Paul Joseph scrambling. They started visiting the food shelves in their area (stocked with nourishing food thanks to donors like you), where they get some of their favorites like fish, milk, and fresh tomatoes.
“It’s not just about the food. It’s about the feeling of support,” Marian explains. That feeling of support is why Marian and Paul Joseph work with the Foodbank as community consultants to strengthen food access in their part of the state.
During collaborative community conversations, the Foodbank listens to and learns from people about regional food access needs. Participants are compensated for their expertise and supported with transit vouchers and childcare to make it easier to be present and contribute to the conversations.
In Vergennes, a group of neighbors met for four two-hour conversations followed by a meal together. Each conversation had a specific focus, from relationship building to food access barriers to joint visioning.
“There’s a great sense of feeling good not only here in your belly but here in your heart,” Marian says, when asked why helping end hunger is important. “I know when Paul and I come home from our meetings with [the Foodbank], just being there talking with people…our whole attitude changes.
“Because usually you wake up every morning and it’s the same, same, same. Then you go to your refrigerator and…sometimes it’s just skimping….Because it is a toss between putting fuel in your house or driving. So, the more people that you meet you feel so wicked supported. I mean mentally. It just gives you a lift up.”
As a result of the Vergennes conversations, community consultants identified projects and utilized Foodbank funding to implement them. Among those: fresh produce food shares, meal kits for busy families, and food resources for migrant farmworkers. After participating, Marian became a leader for community conversations in Bristol, completed advocacy training, and represented Vermont at the Feeding America Elevating Voices Power Summit in Washington D.C. as an anti-hunger advocate with lived experience of food insecurity.
Centering community voice is one way Vermont Foodbank is addressing the root causes of food insecurity. Neighbors experiencing hunger know best the realities of food insecurity, and elevating this expertise creates opportunities for more effective food access solutions. Thanks to your support, we’re able to continue exploring how to end hunger in Vermont for good, while providing the food people need today in the ways that work best for them.
Welcome back! I’m happy to announce that our fall edition of Kernels is now available. Since the last issue of Kernels, your Foodank has been leveraging all the food and funds we steward on your behalf.
When life took an unexpected turn for a mom in northern Vermont, she got in touch with the Foodbank to help provide her family with nourishing food. With the one-on-one assistance available to help connect her with the food resources that work best for her whole family, she can keep feeding her kids quality food while investing in her community.
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