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The home for VPR's coverage of health and health industry issues affecting the state of Vermont.

Hunger Relief Organizations Call For Immediate Funding To Meet Rising Food Insecurity

A person in a mask sits behind a table with boxes of food on it.
Matthew Smith
/
VPR
A Winooski Food Shelf volunteer maintains social distance while helping a client select fresh food. Organizations fighting hunger in Vermont anticipate rising food insecurity as the coronavirus pandemic continues amid an economic recession.

Vermont Foodbank CEO John Sayles, along with other groups fighting food insecurity in the state, made a plea to state lawmakers in early June: Give us additional funds immediately in order to address a growing food crisis in Vermont this summer. 

We talk with Sayles about rising food insecurity in Vermont as the coronavirus pandemic continues amid an economic recession.

Sayles and leaders of other food security groups in Vermont penned a letter to state legislators on June 5, asking for $38 million from the federal CARES Act for hunger relief efforts. The request includes a $20 million increase for the state's 3SquaresVT program through SNAP, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program formerly known as food stamps.

With federal unemployment benefits set to end and Vermonters in need likely to have exhausted their savings, Sayles warned food insecurity will likely rise in the coming months or, at best, remain at current high levels.

Our guest is:

Broadcast live on Thursday, June 11, 2020 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

Bob Kinzel has been covering the Vermont Statehouse since 1981 — longer than any continuously serving member of the Legislature. With his wealth of institutional knowledge, he answers your questions on our series, "Ask Bob."
Matt Smith worked for Vermont Public from 2017 to 2023 as managing editor and senior producer of Vermont Edition.
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