Lt. Governor Zuckerman Elevates Community Collaboration to Address Food Insecurity, Support Local Restaurants and Farmers, and Boost Vermont’s Economy
PRESS RELEASE: July 13, 2020
Lt. Governor Zuckerman Elevates Community Collaboration to Address Food Insecurity, Support Local Restaurants and Farmers, and Boost Vermont’s Economy
BURLINGTON: This morning, Lt. Governor David Zuckerman held a press conference to acknowledge the success of a restaurant, farmer, non-profit, and legislative collaborative effort that resulted in the allocation of $5 million in CARES funds to support food-insecure Vermonters as well as local business around the state. The allocation was part of the Activate Local Foods to Feed Vermonters initiative.
“We are here to share an example of what happens when multiple stakeholders come together with challenges, ideas and a commitment to their communities and our state,” said Lt. Governor Zuckerman. “What began as a local mutual aid effort quickly grew into a model to be replicated around the state. The $5 million dollar targeted allocation has the capacity to provide 18,500 meals a week through the end of this year to food insecure Vermonters around the state and to support our local restaurants and restaurant workers, farmers and food production industry.”
Lt. Governor Zuckerman was joined by Representative Jean O’Sullivan, Representative Matt Birong, and Michael Cyr, of Skinny Pancake.
Representative O’Sullivan, vice chair of the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development, who played a leading role in garnering support for this initiative stated:
“This program addresses three sectors in need of support; farmers, restaurants and 70,000 unemployed Vermonters.” She continued, “Modeled on The Skinny Pancake's ShiftMeals and World Central Kitchen, this program, known as Everyone Eats, addresses them all by providing a structure for Vermonter to help Vermonters. I'm so proud to have led this effort and secured funding for this important initiative.”
Representative Matt Birong, also owner of 3Squares and committed to locally sourced food, was instrumental in making the connection between the restaurant industry, local farms, and food insecure Vermonters.
“First and foremost, this program will provide meals to those in need during these uncertain times,” said Rep. Birong. “This multifaceted approach will also give vital support to local agriculture, foodservice operators, and those they employ.”
Everyone Eats is modeled after ShiftMeals, which was launched from The Skinny Pancake, a locally owned restaurant group with 10 Vermont locations. Since March, ShiftMeals has distributed 50,000 meals in 5 counties.
“We’re so proud of Vermont’s leadership in allocating $5 million to support restaurants in feeding their neighbors especially in times of crisis,” said Michael Cyr, Skinny Pancake’s Communication Director. “This program will not only help feed Vermonters, but also provides some much needed revenue for our local restaurant community, valuable investments considering how important restaurants are as employers and local economic engines.”
The $5 million CARES funding is to expand on the two pilot projects. Of that, $180,000 has been designated for administrative costs with the remainder going directly to restaurants participating in the program who will use the funds to retain staff, purchase ingredients, and sustain their businesses. The program aims to identify five larger restaurants to fulfill 60% of meals and 40 smaller restaurants to fulfill meals through a hub and spoke model.
“The beauty of this program is it gets funds circulating in multiple ways in our Vermont economy,” said Lt. Governor Zuckerman. “Restaurants can use the funds to pay staff, who are Vermonters and will spend the dollars locally. Or they can use the funds to purchase local food, which allows Vermont farmers to retain employees. This is the type of multiplier effect we need right now.”
In addition to partnering with restaurants and local food producers, Everyone Eats is partnering with local non-profits such as the Vermont Food Bank and Hunger Free Vermont to identify those who are food insecure and understand how best to meet that need. Food insecurity has risen dramatically as a result of COVID-19 and is expected to continue to climb as we move into the fall and winter.
###