BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Demand at local food shelves grows amid uncertainty for Vermonters receiving federal food benefits. Some throughout the state are reporting single-day records of people trying to put food on the table.
Following a two-hour shift at Aunt Dot’s Place in Essex on Thursday morning, some of the shelves look bare. While they expect the shelves to be stocked again by the next shift this weekend, they say it is getting harder to meet the demand.
“With the increased demand, it all goes away,” said Kaki McGeary.
Kaki McGeary is the Executive Director at Aunt Dot’s Place. She says items like meats, fruits, and vegetables are scarce as more people turn to them for help.
“It is a big effort to purchase enough food and secure enough donations to meet that demand and make sure that our shelves are fully stocked,” said McGeary.
In the last couple of months, they have had to set limits on the number of items people can take and warn of increased wait times. And they are not alone; others like Feeding Champlain Valley are seeing that too.
“We are really trying to balance how much we have on hand and how much we are expecting in the days and weeks to come,” said Anna McMahon from Feeding Champlain Valley.
This week, Vermont earmarked $6.3 million in tax dollars to extend food benefits under 3SquaresVT, a program that roughly 65,000 people here rely on.
“Food shelves were never intended to replace grocery stores. That is what we are seeing right now,” said Carrie Stahler from Vermont Foodbank.
The Vermont Food Bank says in the last week, several of their community partners set one-day records for the number of households served.
“They are having to limit who is able to come to their food shelf, they are having to limit their food shelf hours, they are having to limit geographically. Maybe in the past they have served all towns in their region, and now they are only serving two or three,” said Stahler.
But amid the uncertainty, food shelves remain committed to helping those who need it.
“We are often one emergency away from needing a food shelf. You have major car bills, or you have been in an accident, and your medical bills go up. Just come; that is why we are here,” said Sue Miyamoto from Aunt Dot’s Place.
The Foodbank anticipates that those receiving 3SquaresVT benefits will see half of what they would typically get by November 7th.
