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Vermont Food Bank asks lawmakers for $5 million; outlines rise in purchased food and emergency needs
Summary
Vermont Food Bank leaders described operations, rising demand and a shift toward purchased and locally sourced food. The bank asked for a $5 million appropriation to support emergency readiness, food purchases (including purchases from Vermont farms) and continued local contracting.
John Sayles, CEO of the Vermont Food Bank, and Carrie Stiller, government and public affairs manager, briefed the Senate Agriculture Committee on the food bank’s statewide operations and a $5 million legislative request to support food purchase, distribution and emergency readiness.
“We cover all 14 counties. We're the only food bank in Vermont,” Sayles said, summarizing the organization’s statewide network and logistics. He said the food bank operates three distribution centers (Barre, Rutland and Brattleboro), supports roughly 215 partner sites and distributed about 14.5 million pounds of food in the most recent year — up from about 10–11 million pounds pre-pandemic and down from a COVID peak near 20 million pounds.
Stiller and Sayles outlined program details: the food bank runs USDA commodity programs (including TEFAP and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, CSFP), a SNAP-assistance helpline, the Veggie Van Go produce distributions and school backpack programs. Sayles said donated food supplies about 60% of distributed food, USDA programs account for 15–20%, and the balance is purchased food. A marked trend is rising purchases from Vermont farms: roughly $2.4 million in purchases from Vermont producers in the most recent fiscal year, compared with under $200,000 prior to the pandemic.
Stiller described operational pressure from weather and other emergencies and asked the legislature to provide an appropriation for general operating continuity and emergency responsiveness. “At this point . . . we are actually operating at our maximum capacity,” she said, requesting $1.75 million for emergency-readiness funding routed through Vermont Emergency Management plus additional funds for food purchases and distribution to sustain local procurement and partner support.
Committee members asked for program details, including eligibility thresholds for federal programs and how purchased-food choices balance price and quality. Sayles said Vermont-grown food is often higher quality but costs more than food sourced from larger suppliers in Quebec or other markets; the food bank is balancing quality and cost as overall purchases increase.
The food bank emphasized the role of SNAP (3 Squares Vermont) and said about 69,000 individuals rely on SNAP each month. Stiller noted that many people who use food bank distributions are not enrolled in SNAP and that benefits and eligibility thresholds can be a barrier for some households. The organization said it will continue advocacy and client-assistance work to help households enroll in benefits.
No vote was taken. Food bank leaders said they will continue to meet with legislators and explained the budget request details during subsequent committee briefings and appropriations discussions.
