Lawmakers hear calls to opt into SNAP restaurant-meals option and boost food-security funding

House Human Services Committee members heard testimony Tuesday asking the state to opt into the federal SNAP restaurant meals option and to provide several targeted budget increases to shore up Vermont's food safety net.

Anora Horton, executive director of Hunger Free Vermont, asked legislators to approve a slate of measures she said would make it easier for older Vermonters, people with disabilities and people experiencing homelessness to access hot meals, support local farms, and improve disaster preparedness. "We are also requesting, collectively $500,000 in base funding in the FY 26 budget to strengthen Vermont farm viability and address food security," Horton told the committee, adding the state should "pass legislation to instruct the state of Vermont to opt into the SNAP restaurant meals program and to appropriate $75,000 to cover restaurant startup costs" and $100,000 "for a staff position" at the Department for Children and Families to help restaurants participate.

The requests Horton presented included: (1) legislation to opt Vermont into the SNAP restaurant meals program plus $75,000 in startup funds for restaurants and $100,000 for a staff position at DCF; (2) $500,000 in base funding for two NOFA Vermont programs, Crop Cash Plus and FarmShare; (3) $5,000,000 in combined base and one-time funding for the Vermont Food Bank for disaster preparedness and to purchase and distribute additional food; and (4) $2,000,000 in base funding to support home-delivered meals operated by area agencies on aging.

Nut graf: Supporters said the combined proposals would reduce barriers to food for people who cannot shop or store food, strengthen farmers and farmers markets, and ensure rapid food distribution after disasters. Horton described the SNAP restaurant-meals option as a federal flexibility some states have adopted to let certain SNAP beneficiaries use benefits at participating restaurants. "That is a program that we are asking for the state of Vermont to opt into," she said.

Committee members heard personal accounts. Jerome Hazelwood, a resident who said he lives at the Pierre Motel and receives disability benefits, told the committee limited refrigeration and mobility make grocery shopping and storage difficult; he said being able to use benefits at restaurants "was the next best thing" when he could not cook or store food and asked legislators to support the opt-in and the appropriation requests. "It's less stressful for me physically, and that means fewer x rays, medications, and hospital visits," Hazelwood said.

Amy Scott, lead program manager for Brock Community Action, urged support for the Vermont Food Bankrequest for $5 million, citing disaster experience and rising need. Scott told the committee she runs "one of the most active food shelves in the state" and said Brock served about 75 to 80 people on a regular day and up to about 140 on some Fridays; she said Brock spent $55,000 with the Vermont Food Bank in 2024 and "we received 857,806 pounds of food." Scott said higher food prices and a return to pre-pandemic SNAP benefit levels have left local shelves "the barest that they've been in my experience." "We need to relieve some of the financial and emotional burden of food insecure families, seniors, and disabled residents of Vermont," she said.

Zoe Christiansen, an East Montpelier resident and SNAP recipient, also backed the Food Bank request and emphasized the programs' role in her own ability to eat and participate in community life. "Thanks to 3 Squares and Capstone Community Action, I've been able to eat three meals a day for the first time in my adult life," Christiansen said.

Horton provided program context: roughly 65,000 people (about 40,000 households) in Vermont receive 3 Squares Vermont benefits, she said, and the program channels about $13,000,000 in federal benefits into the state's food system each month. Horton estimated there are many Vermonters who are eligible but not enrolled and said the restaurant-meals option was created to serve the elderly, people with disabilities and people experiencing homelessness who face barriers to shopping and cooking.

Representative McGuire asked witnesses about local service volume and outreach to older Vermonters. Horton said outreach and the application process are barriers for many older people, and she recommended state-level simplification and use of discretionary months to prevent churn among people who lose benefits because of paperwork problems.

The committee did not vote on any of the requests during the hearing. Witnesses asked legislators to consider the proposals as budget and statutory decisions the committee can take during the session. The matters raised included both statutory action (opt-in to a federal SNAP option) and appropriations requests to support administration and program delivery.