Vermont Food Bank urges $5 million in FY27 funding to shore up SNAP supports and emergency response

At a Government Operations & Military Affairs committee hearing, John Sales, chief executive officer of the Vermont Food Bank, asked lawmakers to approve a $5 million appropriation for fiscal year 2027 to bolster food-security programs and build emergency response capacity.

"We're here today to ask for your support for the Vermont Food Bank's FY27 budget requests," Sales said, outlining a request that includes $1,000,000 for a ready-response fund, $2,000,000 for network partners and $2,000,000 for the Vermonters Feeding the Vermonters program administered by the Agency of Agriculture. He said SNAP (known in Vermont as 3SquaresVT) reaches about 64,000 Vermonters and injects roughly $12 million into the state each month — about $150 million a year — much of it spent locally.

The request came with appeals from frontline providers. "We really need well-laid plans. We need equipment. We need a backup generator," Stella James, executive director of the Hardwick Area Food Pantries, told the committee, describing three pantry sites, home delivery to isolated residents and the strain of consecutive floods and a severe freeze. James said local pantries acted as "the disaster relief for our visitors every day" and need funds to pre-purchase and store food for emergencies.

Denise Walson, a community pantry advocate from Concord, described the local reliance on Food Bank programs and the Vermont Feeding Vermont grant to supply fresh local produce and staples. Walson said Concord has about 1,669 residents and a poverty rate she cited as 16.9 percent; she recounted surviving the November 1, 2025 federal shutdown that temporarily halted SNAP payments and credited the state's emergency actions — including a one-time $250,000 allocation to the Vermont Food Bank — with averting short-term shortages.

Sales told the committee the Food Bank and partners serve about 70,000 people a month and distribute 14 million pounds of food annually through a network of roughly 217 partners and support for about 222 farms. He emphasized that while SNAP is highly effective, many people fall through gaps when benefits do not last the entire month, increasing demand on charitable providers.

Committee members thanked the witnesses and asked stakeholders to submit formal budget letters to the committee chair and vice chair to consolidate requests for the appropriations drafting process.

The committee did not vote on funding; members said the funding request will be considered during the upcoming budget process and that staff would consolidate input from stakeholders before appropriations drafting.