by Halle Bloom
Vermont has many resources that connect to helping with hunger in our state as well as working with the wider community of the USA. You might not think that hunger in vermont is a problem, but it is. "36,000 Vermonters living in food insecure homes struggle with hunger, that's 5% of Vermonters"
Hunger Free Vermont is just one organization in South Burlington VT helping to decrease food Insecurity. Although Hunger Free Vermont is a non-profit and doesn't run any of there own food shelves or banks, but they work with many programs and strive to aware the public of food insecurity, they run classes on hands on cooking, nutrition, and getting healthier food on a budget. They also have a Hike For Hunger, a walk that raises awareness and raises money for making Vermont a healthier place, the 3Square challenge, and many other events to spread awareness. Hunger Free Vermont created 3SquaresVT (which was formerly Food Stamps) in 2000 to help to provide food to lower income families struggling with food insecurity. They now have over 100,000 participants using 3SquaresVT. Hunger Free Vermont also works strongly with schools to create free or low cost school lunches for lower income children. Hunger Free Vermont sets up Out-Of-School programs during summers and vacations to help insure that kids who’s main meals are at school can get them when school is out.
Working in our You Are What You Eat project we had the pleasure of being able to visit Hunger Free Vermont, we had a very information meet with Dorigen Keeney at hunger free. We discussed food insecurity in Vermont as well as the United States and their role as well as ours as students. There are many ways to access local foods, for example The Intervale.
The Intervale Food Hub is a non-profit working to offer year-round high quality food. They work directly with local farmers to create sustainable organic healthy and local food for our community and to sustain farming in Vermont. You can buy food directly from The Intervale, but they also donate to food shelves. They rely on volunteering and the community to keep their project going. We worked with them at Arethusa, one of the many farms they collaborate with. We helping gleaming (picking) kale that would be picked up by lower income family's as part of the low-income share program offered by The Intervale.
These programs as well as many others in Vermont and out work to provide food for our tables. They are a necessary resource to fight hunger and poverty, they also contribute to the local foods initiative and supporting healthy eating.
Food Economics
by Toni Kail
Recent National Surveys suggest that local food consumers have similar motives for buying local food. “The majority of respondents to a national study cited freshness (82 percent), support for the local economy (75 percent), and knowing the source of the product (58 percent)” as some of the top reasons for buying local food at “direct markets or in conventional grocery stores”. Two national studies were done and they found out that consumers with wide-range income and education levels were equally likely to buy local food. Yet, some other studies done found people who support local food buyers to be more educated in the subject, and found the people who supported buying local food earned an above-average income. Another study done found people who had environmental and good health-related attitudes and behaviors did not affect the actual food purchases.
Some motives for buying local food are perceived quality, The freshness of the local food, The support from the community towards the local economy and local farmers, The nutritional value, and The methods of raising the products, and the method’s effects on the Environment.
As companies grow, or work to maintain market share in a slowly growing domestic food economy, The mainstream distribution systems are changing all over the U.S. Over the past 9-10 years, there has been an influx of store types that are not normally seen in the food industry. More small specialty plants are beginning to handle locally produced food.
Farm to School programs are increasing the amount of local, and healthy food options within the schools. By doing so they are supporting local farms and other local businesses in the local economy.
With the growth of local food stores we can assume that consumers in that area are buying more local food, and that more of the money that consumers are using to buy food is staying in the local economy. That means that Local food companies are have a greater chance to have a positive impact on the local economy.
Resources:
http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/ap-administrative-publication/ap-036.aspx#.Ui82Z9KsiFw
http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps125302/ERR97.pdf
Recent National Surveys suggest that local food consumers have similar motives for buying local food. “The majority of respondents to a national study cited freshness (82 percent), support for the local economy (75 percent), and knowing the source of the product (58 percent)” as some of the top reasons for buying local food at “direct markets or in conventional grocery stores”. Two national studies were done and they found out that consumers with wide-range income and education levels were equally likely to buy local food. Yet, some other studies done found people who support local food buyers to be more educated in the subject, and found the people who supported buying local food earned an above-average income. Another study done found people who had environmental and good health-related attitudes and behaviors did not affect the actual food purchases.
Some motives for buying local food are perceived quality, The freshness of the local food, The support from the community towards the local economy and local farmers, The nutritional value, and The methods of raising the products, and the method’s effects on the Environment.
As companies grow, or work to maintain market share in a slowly growing domestic food economy, The mainstream distribution systems are changing all over the U.S. Over the past 9-10 years, there has been an influx of store types that are not normally seen in the food industry. More small specialty plants are beginning to handle locally produced food.
Farm to School programs are increasing the amount of local, and healthy food options within the schools. By doing so they are supporting local farms and other local businesses in the local economy.
With the growth of local food stores we can assume that consumers in that area are buying more local food, and that more of the money that consumers are using to buy food is staying in the local economy. That means that Local food companies are have a greater chance to have a positive impact on the local economy.
Resources:
http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/ap-administrative-publication/ap-036.aspx#.Ui82Z9KsiFw
http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps125302/ERR97.pdf
