Senate committee hears requests to opt Vermont into SNAP restaurant meals program, restore farmer-market incentives and boost food-security funding

Senators on the Senate Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs committee heard testimony Feb. 6 from advocates, retailers and restaurateurs asking the state to expand and stabilize programs tied to 3 Squares Vermont (SNAP). Witnesses asked the Legislature to opt the state into the federal SNAP restaurant meals option and to fund several state-level food-security programs and emergency food capacity.

The request presented by Ivy Enoch of Hunger Free Vermont asked lawmakers “to pass legislation to instruct the state to opt into the SNAP restaurant meals program and appropriate $75,000 to cover restaurant start up costs and $100,000 for a staff position within DCF to administer the program.” Enoch also asked lawmakers to “support $500,000 in funding to strengthen Vermont farms and food security by sustaining two proven programs run by NOFA Vermont, and that’s Crop Cash Plus and FarmShare,” to provide “$5,000,000 in base and one‑time funding in the FY26 budget for the Vermont Food Bank” for disaster preparedness and distribution, and to include “an additional $2,000,000 in base general funding for home-delivered meals for older and disabled Vermonters.”

Why it matters: SNAP (known in Vermont as 3 Squares Vermont) provides monthly benefits used by roughly 65,000 people in the state, and program dollars move through local markets and farms, witnesses said. Enoch told the committee that SNAP “keeps about $13,000,000 in our state economy every single month,” and that the program reaches only about 40% of those estimated to be eligible, leaving gaps other programs would help fill.

Retail and market perspectives: Alan Reeds, director of public and government affairs at Hanover Co-op Food Stores, described retailer support for expanded options. “If you remember one thing from my comments and testimony today, please know that cooperatives like ours and independent retailers across the state have an unwavering commitment to serve their communities,” Reeds said, describing his co‑op’s Food for All program that discounts SNAP- and WIC‑eligible products and noting the co‑ops’ interest in participating if Vermont adopts the restaurant option.

Georgie Rubins, director of the Burlington Farmers Market, urged sustained funding for Crop Cash Plus, a program that matches SNAP dollars at farmers markets. Rubins said Crop Cash Plus had to be paused in 2024 “due to lack of funding,” and that consistent funding would help vendors who “attribute up to 30% of sales on any given market date to transactions paid with Crop Cash Plus.” She described customers’ reactions when matches were available and said the program “gives them funds to purchase not just fresh produce but also a range of grocery items to cover all of their dietary needs.”

Restaurant perspective: Trevor Sullivan, owner of the Burlington restaurant Pingala, recounted his restaurant’s participation in pandemic-era Everyone Eats vouchers and a continuing pay-it-forward voucher program his business runs. He said the end of the Everyone Eats program left “a huge hole in not only our financial model, but our hearts,” and urged lawmakers to consider restaurants’ role in expanding access. When asked about the SNAP restaurant meals option, witnesses noted that 11 other states have implemented the federal option for some SNAP participants (commonly older adults, people with disabilities, and people experiencing homelessness), and that the Department for Children and Families (DCF) is preparing a report on administrative implications.

Process and next steps: Committee members asked whether the proposed restaurant-meals legislation has been introduced in the Senate; the committee was not the bill’s assigned committee, and witnesses said they would follow up with bill status. Enoch told senators the department was tasked with producing a March report outlining how a rollout would work and the administrative responsibilities and burdens for DCF. Supporters suggested the item might be carried through Health and Welfare for incorporation, and noted the program’s intersection with economic-development goals for retailers and restaurants.

What was not decided: The committee did not take a formal vote on any of the funding requests during the hearing. No motions or committee actions were recorded in the transcript. Witnesses and senators discussed program design, vendor training at farmers markets, and funding amounts, but the transcript shows only testimony and questions, not legislative action.

Background and context: In Vermont, 3 Squares Vermont is administered by the Department for Children and Families Economic Services Division. Crop Cash and Crop Cash Plus are market-based incentive programs that match SNAP purchases at farmers markets (the testimony described a federal match plus a local cash-match requirement), and FarmShare is a related program run by NOFA Vermont. Witnesses emphasized that SNAP, while the state’s most effective anti-hunger program, does not reach everyone who is eligible and that complementary programs help address gaps.

Closing: Advocates, market managers, retailers and restaurateurs asked the Senate committee to support a package of administrative and program funding that they say would expand choices for SNAP participants, stabilize farmer income that depends on matched purchases, and strengthen emergency food infrastructure.