Vermont Food Bank asks legislature for $2 million to expand 'Vermonters Feeding Vermonters' purchases from local farms

The Vermont Food Bank on Thursday asked the legislature to include $2,000,000 in the state budget to expand the Vermonters Feeding Vermonters program and to back a broader $5,000,000 request for statewide food-security work.

At a presentation to the Agriculture, Food Resiliency, & Forestry committee, Carrie Staylor, government and public affairs staff at the Vermont Food Bank, outlined the $5,000,000 package and said $2,000,000 of that is the line item the committee can act on for Vermonters Feeding Vermonters. "$5,000,000 in fiscal year 27," she told the committee, describing the total package and the program breakdown.

The request would fund two principal tracks. One track purchases food at scale from larger Vermont farms and wholesalers that can deliver by pallet load; the other provides grants to local partner organizations so they can buy smaller quantities directly from small farms and producers for distribution at food shelves, school pantries and mobile programs. Staylor described the approach as a…