The work to mitigate hunger issues was aided recently by a $38,977 grant from Shaw’s and Star Market’s Foundation Nourishing Neighbors Program that aims to help connect qualified individuals with existing federal meal programs such as SNAP, WIC, P-EBT, and free or reduced school nutrition programs.
This funding will allow Hunger Free Vermont (HFVT) to help more kids in Vermont access healthy food. HFVT trains and assists schools and daycares in increasing their average daily participation in the federal school, childcare, afterschool, and summer meals programs as well as empowering their staff to provide information about SNAP and WIC to the families they serve. HFVT’s partner agencies serving older Vermonters will also receive training on the benefits of participation in SNAP and be better prepared to help their clients apply. This investment will also further power Hunger Free Vermont to provide strong leadership and engagement at the state and federal levels to advocate for policies that support and grow strong and stable federal meal programs for everyone living in Vermont.
“We are truly fortunate to receive this investment from Shaw’s and Star Market’s Foundation Nourishing Neighbors to help Hunger Free Vermont work to end hunger across Vermont,” said Anore Horton, Executive Director at Hunger Free. “We’re grateful that Shaw’s and Star Market’s Foundation Nourishing Neighbors is partnering with us once more to help ensure all of us in Vermont have enough nutritious food to eat.”
Hunger Free Vermont’s mission is to end the injustice of hunger and malnutrition for all Vermonters. For 29 years we have focused on breaking the cycle of hunger and poverty for tens of thousands of children and families living in our state. Our work has successfully provided many thousands of us with the most consistent, dignified, and readily available opportunities to eat the healthy food we all require to stay well while we work to overcome economic challenges.
The goal of Star Market’s Foundation Nourishing Neighbors program is to ensure those who live in the communities served by Shaw’s have enough food to eat. And shoppers at all of the 19 Vermont stores can still support Hunger Free Vermont at checkout during the entire month of September. Donations made in September help fund Hunger Free Vermont’s work to increase the number of children who enjoy school breakfast throughout Vermont.
“We’re always looking for the best ways to fight hunger in the communities we serve. By partnering with top-notch organizations like Hunger Free Vermont we know we can make a difference in the lives of our neighbors who are facing food insecurity issues,” Rob Backus, President of Shaw’s “We appreciate the work of Hunger Free Vermont to help qualifying individuals in our neighborhoods connect with existing federal meal programs.”
Hunger Free Vermont is a statewide nonprofit organization that works with state agencies and community groups to develop sustainable hunger solutions. Since 1993 Hunger Free Vermont’s outreach programs and advocacy have substantially enhanced Vermont’s nutrition safety net and increased access to nutritious foods. www.hungerfreevt.org.
Shaw’s and Star Market is part of the Albertsons Companies family of stores. Shaw’s is one of the oldest continuously operated supermarkets in the United States with its roots dating to 1860. Star Market, a premier food retailer, has been serving Boston area customers since 1915. Throughout the five New England states, there are 150 Shaw’s and Star Market store locations employing approximately 19,000 associates. Shaw’s and Star Market are a division of Albertsons Companies. For more information about Shaw’s and Star Market, please visit www.shaws.com and www.starmarket.com or connect with us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/starmarket or http://www.facebook.com/Shaws.