The Vermont Food Bank told an unnamed legislative committee that its Vermonters Feeding Vermonters program has purchased $507,000 in Vermont-grown produce from 17 farms since July 1 and plans to seek additional state funding to expand purchases.

"Between July 1 and October 6, we spent $507,000 on local produce, and that's been distributed," said John Sales, CEO of the Vermont Food Bank. Sales told the committee the purchases totaled about 327,176 pounds of food.

The program was created by legislation passed last year; the Food Bank said the state appropriated $500,000 and that the grant agreement with the Agency of Agriculture set reporting milestones tied to additional drawdowns. Sales said an interim report is due no later than Feb. 23 and a final report no later than Aug. 31, with $200,000 unlocked after the interim report and the remaining $100,000 at final reporting to reach the $500,000 appropriation.

Sales said the Food Bank immediately drew down the initial $200,000 and has spent close to $900,000 on the program when including the Food Bank's internal budget and purchase contracts, with roughly $400,000 more under contract.

To reach the Food Bank's originally planned $2 million for the program this fiscal year, Sales said the organization will pursue a budget adjustment request for an additional $1.5 million. "We have a clear path to being able to spend that much money," he said, adding that the Food Bank would invoice across the remaining fiscal months if the Legislature approves the increase.

The Food Bank also outlined an FY27 request of $5 million that would allocate $2 million to Vermonters Feeding Vermonters, $2 million to support the local network (including refrigeration and capital needs), and $1 million to a responsive readiness program to better integrate with emergency management.

Committee members asked for detail on emergency funds distributed in November; Sales said the Food Bank received $250,000 and distributed the funds immediately to food shelves. On pricing, a legislator asked how the Food Bank agreed prices with farms; Sales said the nonprofit negotiates fair wholesale prices using market comparables and does not use its nonprofit status to undercut farmers.

Sales listed several example vendors and farms the Food Bank purchased from, including Champlain Orchards; Deep Root Organic Cooperative; Evening Song Farm; Harlow Farm; Intervale Center; Jericho Settlers Farm; Maple Meadow Farm; and Miller (milk/cream). He said the Food Bank intentionally purchases across regions and farm types and provides opportunities for smaller farms to participate through partner organizations that can handle smaller orders.

The Food Bank asked to return with a fuller update and additional partners to discuss the broader food security roadmap; committee staff agreed to coordinate a follow-up meeting in the coming weeks. The committee recessed for lunch and planned a brief afternoon session before returning to floor activity.