You should feel good about the impact you have as a philanthropist — donating, volunteering, and advocating for our Vermont neighbors and their food needs. But the Vermont Foodbank also develops partnerships beyond food that help our neighbors fulfill their desire to contribute to our shared community. An exciting new project called Collaborating for Clients [...]
We'd like you to meet Kate. Kate represents the thousands of Vermont children who struggle with hunger. This year, the Vermont Foodbank will provide 8 million pounds of food to as many as 86,000 Vermonters, 34% of whom are children under the age of 18. According to USDA, 1 in 5 Vermont children are hungry. [...]
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters employees receive 52 hours of CAFE time. CAFE stands for Community Action For Employees and allows employees to volunteer during their normal work hours, getting paid their normal wages. A culture of volunteerism permeates the company and we're glad to partner with them for the BackPack Program. The featured employees in [...]
On a windy day in April, we spoke with Barb Pitfido, BackPack Site Coordinator at JFK Elementary School in Winooski, about what the BackPack Program means to kids on the weekends and vacations. We even caught the Sodexo team in action. Sodexo staff at UVM pack the Winooski school backpacks and deliver them to JFK. [...]
On Friday, we visited Barre Town Middle and Elementary School. We spoke with Carolyn Appleton and six amazing fifth graders who participate in the BackPack Program. Watch their videos to learn how BackPack benefits their school and learning environment, as well as what foods in the BackPacks are their favorite! We're also still in the [...]
Many Vermont kids rely on school breakfasts, free or reduced lunches and after-school programming for their meals during the week. On the weekends and during vacations, though, a food insecure household may have to stretch its resources even farther with kids at home all day. The Vermont Foodbank BackPack Program helps alleviate childhood hunger during [...]
