Summer 2025
Community Leaders
Nourish the Vision for a Food-Secure Vermont
Neighbors in Barre Advocate for Themselves and People Across Vermont Essentials and Treasures at the Winooski Necessity Store Local Voices Strengthen Food Access in Vermont Communities
vtfoodbank.org
Food security is all about community. Food becomes a meal when a little love is added. Vermont Foodbank provides food; family, friends, and neighbors add love. That’s why we listen deeply to our communities to help inform the “what, where, and when” of the food we distribute. It’s neighbors’ voices and expertise that drive our work and inform Vermont’s roadmap to food security by 2035.
In this issue of Kernels, you’ll read about community leaders and their visions for food security. Your Vermont Foodbank’s role is to support those visions—engaging people who are dedicated to seeing their neighbors thrive and
lifting community voices to shape policies and programs in ways that benefit us all. By pursuing food security, we unlock the human potential of everyone in Vermont. Your gift is a link in the chain that connects a child, older adult, or young family with nourishing food today, and with the energy to envision and contribute to Vermont’s future. Thank you.
Interested in learning more about Food Security in Vermont: Roadmap to 2035? Scan the code to read more online!
John Sayles CEO
Francis and Jerome both know what it’s like to be unhoused in Vermont without access to nourishing food. They’re sharing their experiences with state legislators and the public to support policy changes that address the root causes of hunger—so that all of us here in Vermont have what we need to thrive.
For Francis and Jerome, giving help comes naturally. While they each serve their local communities in different ways, last winter they both participated in advocacy training and testified at the State House in Montpelier as experts who have experienced homelessness and food insecurity. “It’s easier for me to help others,” says Francis. “I try letting others know who are in need and direct them to where and what is available in our community.”
Similarly for Jerome, advocacy has allowed him to shine a light away from himself and onto the thousands of people in Vermont, like him, who don’t have the basic resources they need to survive. He’s more comfortable sharing his lived experience when it’s for the benefit of others.
Thanks to collaboration with community members, partner organizations, and donors like you, Vermont Foodbank is working to change policies that have allowed food insecurity to persist. Francis and Jerome entered the State House back in February to share their
Together, we’re championing policy changes to create long-term, statewide food security—thanks to friends like you, Francis, and Jerome.
expertise about hunger and its root causes with lawmakers. Their testimony provided critical education for elected officials making decisions about policies with far-reaching impacts.
Keeping themselves nourished and sheltered is often an exhausting, demoralizing, and full-time struggle for Francis and Jerome. Simultaneously, they navigate the daily challenges of older age and disability. Francis shares that being “homeless and in need” is a mental strain as much as a physical one. “You feel like you’re fading away. And depression sets in. And you’re concerned about, you know, your health, your well-being, especially if you’re an older individual.”
In testimony, Francis shared about being unhoused and accessing housing, food, and health resources that he wishes were more available to people in similar situations:
“To keep it simple, I’m just really hopeful for more knowledge for those in need who I run into— who I am advocating for—to reach out to places
Mr. Patrice is the district coordinator of community wellness and belonging for the Winooski School District. His office and the school Necessity Store are in the well-lit atrium near the school entrance and cafeteria. The Necessity Store welcomes students, faculty, and community members to get essential items, similar to a food shelf. The goal, Mr. Patrice says, is “to make sure that our students can prioritize education.”
Spend a few minutes in the lobby of the Winooski School, and you are bound to hear a student call out, “Mr. Patrice! Can I come see you later?”
Three years ago, when Mr. Patrice started the school Necessity Store, he worked with students to identify the items they wanted and needed. He prioritized building relationships with students and addressing the stigma associated with shopping there: “Some students, at the beginning, they felt like ‘ohh I’m too cool to come to the store, you know, but you have to build a relationship with the students. You say, ‘Okay, listen. I went through the same thing too and it’s okay to take food home. There’s nothing wrong with that. You shouldn’t be ashamed of that.’ I work with the students on what they want to see in the store. This is just like any regular store.
Basically, I buy things that our students would like to take home.
“Kids love to come in, which is great. It’s a safe space for them... It’s open to the community as well—families, they come once a month. Some of our faculty as well.”
The store’s shelves and cooler offer shelf-stable goods, produce, and dairy items. Perishable food comes primarily through Vermont Foodbank’s Vermonters Feeding Vermonters program—supported by donors like you. Mr. Patrice says this grant funding from the Foodbank is one of his favorite things about the partnership. It enables him to purchase local products and support local producers. He gets weekly deliveries of “eggs, milk, maple syrup, I have potatoes, beans,
Patrice uses funds donated by community members to shop at local stores: “I get Nepalese food, African food, I get American food—we want to make sure we diversify the food so the kids have different variety.”
A separate section is filled with bins of socks, shelves of boots, a hat rack, coats, and hygiene items like soap and shampoo. These goods are mostly donated by the local community.
“It has really, really, helped many, many families. Kids say, ‘Mr. Patrice? We really depend on this pantry. My mom tells me every day to make sure I stop at this store every time you are open. Every time you have eggs to make sure I stop there.’ It makes a difference.
“Apple cider is very popular right now. As soon as you see apple cider out there, you will see, I’m telling you, 30 to 40 kids lined up. It’s great to see that kids are excited to come to grab food. I want to make sure everybody gets a piece of it.
It’s just a beautiful, beautiful thing. We have a lot of newcomers that come to the country. And they literally have nothing and it’s nice to have that extra support.”
Mr. Patrice leans into relationships and listening. As a role model and trusted adult, students seek him out to share their challenges and receive support. He has developed a deep understanding of the many needs and strengths across the Winooski community, and employs that understanding to co-create solutions. With help from the community and friends like you, he provides essentials like rice and soap, treasures like apple cider and prom dresses, and the reassurance that there will always be something at the store for students to bring home.
Back in the atrium, an elementary student approaches Mr. Patrice and asks what time he can come visit. Later, when the store opens, students will browse “for things that they can take home for the weekend—tuna or potatoes or mac and cheese. I tell them there’s more stuff coming on Monday, so come back on Monday.”
We all play a role in ending hunger in Vermont. Thank you for helping make sure kids and families have enough of the food they know and love.
Across Vermont, community members are helping lead food security efforts, identifying local solutions that you help support.
Marian and Paul Joseph (Marian’s oldest child) live in Addison County. They like to fish and go to Port Henry to watch the trains. They also participate in community conversations hosted by Vermont Foodbank, where people who have experience with food insecurity help co-create food access strategies in their communities.
Marian’s divorce in 2014 left Marian and Paul Joseph scrambling. They started visiting the food shelves in their area (stocked with nourishing food thanks to donors like you), where they get some of their favorites like fish, milk, and fresh tomatoes.
“It’s not just about the food. It’s about the feeling of support,” Marian explains. That feeling of support is why Marian and Paul Joseph work with the Foodbank as community consultants to strengthen food access in their part of the state.
During collaborative community conversations, the Foodbank listens to and learns from people about regional food access needs. Participants are compensated for their expertise and supported with transit vouchers and childcare to make it easier to be present and contribute to the conversations.
In Vergennes, a group of neighbors met for four two-hour conversations followed by a meal
together. Each conversation had a specific focus, from relationship building to food access barriers to joint visioning.
“There’s a great sense of feeling good not only here in your belly but here in your heart,” Marian says, when asked why helping end hunger is important. “I know when Paul and I come home from our meetings with [the Foodbank], just being there talking with people…our whole attitude changes.
“Because usually you wake up every morning and it’s the same, same, same. Then you go to your refrigerator and…sometimes it’s just skimping…. Because it is a toss between putting fuel in your house or driving. So, the more people that you meet you feel so wicked supported. I mean mentally. It just gives you a lift up.”
As a result of the Vergennes conversations, community consultants identified projects and
utilized Foodbank funding to implement them. Among those: fresh produce food shares, meal kits for busy families, and food resources for migrant farmworkers. After participating, Marian became a leader for community conversations in Bristol, completed advocacy training, and represented Vermont at the Feeding America Elevating Voices Power Summit in Washington D.C. as an antihunger advocate with lived experience of food insecurity.
Centering community voice is one way Vermont Foodbank is addressing the root causes of food insecurity. Neighbors experiencing hunger know best the realities of food insecurity, and elevating this expertise creates opportunities for more effective food access solutions. Thanks to your support, we’re able to continue exploring how to end hunger in Vermont for good, while providing the food people need today in the ways that work best for them.
Over the years, many donors have informed us of their intention to include a gift in their wills to Vermont Foodbank. Ending hunger takes generations. You can join these supporters and make sure help is always available by including the Foodbank in your will or estate plan. For more information, contact Lindsey Harty at 802-279-1650 or lharty@vtfoodbank.org.
Continued From Page 3
such as Capstone and other food banks; and for medical and health [centers] to have their doors open for people who are in need instead of being homeless and out in the cold, as they are still doing out there. And I would like to say that the help that I’ve had, I couldn’t be here today without.”
Jerome focused his testimony on his limited access to cooking and food storage options as a motel resident, and on how his health circumstances have further restricted what food he’s able to prepare:
“One thing that seemed to be of help was the [COVID-19] meals program that allowed me to purchase hot, restaurant prepared food at various dining establishments. The time that I saved was phenomenal, and my diet was a bit more diverse.… It’s less stressful for me physically, and that means fewer x-rays, medications, and hospital visits in general.”
Neighbors like Jerome and Francis are helping end hunger in Vermont by sharing their stories and expertise both here and in places like the legislature, where decisions about public policy for food security and housing are made. It’s your support that helps ensure neighbors are able to engage and advocate for themselves and their communities. Perhaps Francis states it best in saying: “It’s just changed my life being part of this system of us trying to help those in need. Nobody should be going hungry.”
If you’re inspired to share your story, please visit vtfoodbank.org/shareyourstory.
Uncertainty has felt constant over the past five years. Right now, increased costs, as well as disruptions in state and federal resources, are putting more people at risk of hunger.
We can’t know much for sure in this quickly shifting environment, but we do know that together—with your support—we are connecting tens of thousands of people in Vermont with nourishing food and services each month, at a time when it’s especially urgent.
Here are some of the ways Vermont Foodbank is showing up:
• We are carefully stewarding and investing our resources to help make sure everyone in Vermont can access nourishing food when they need it.
• We are joining a strong chorus of advocates, here in Vermont and across the nation, to help protect food security for all of us.
• We are continuing to invest in purchasing local food from Vermont farms; building partnerships for better statewide food access; working with neighbors to listen, respond, and care for one another; and supporting individuals and households in accessing important food security benefits like 3SquaresVT.
Vermont Foodbank has experienced reductions in food and funding from the federal government. However, our food sourcing is diverse and the strength of our network and community makes us resilient in this moment.
You can make sure the Foodbank is well stocked and ready to help through each challenge that emerges.
If you’re able, please consider making a $50 gift today to help ensure food is available to all who need it. Right now is an especially critical time.
Even in the face of food and funding cuts, one thing is certain: Vermont Foodbank is here, and together with partners, neighbors, and your support, we’ll continue to gather and share nourishing food with neighbors who need it today, while supporting the changes necessary to create long-lasting food security for us all.
If you or someone you know could use help accessing food, please be in touch. Our contact information is below, and our website is available in many languages spoken in Vermont.