Quick Hunger Council Meeting Pics and Quotes

These pictures are from my iPhone so sorry about the quality. We had a great meeting with the Chittenden County Hunger Council yesterday. The hunger council model brings together community leaders three times a year to learn about hunger and share their ideas for solutions to the problem. Then VTCECH puts those solutions in to action! Here are my two favorite quotes from yesterday:

"Will you be my taste tester?" -Peter Carmoli sharing a strategy to encourage senior participation in Meals on Wheels

"You can feed someone for one year for the cost of one day in the hospital."

Heard in High Places

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack and me!

VTCECH Board Vice-Chair/Hunger Council Chair, Fran Stoddard with Marcelle Leahy

CVCAC Executive Director, Hal Cohen, Secretary Vilsack, and Senator Sanders

Secretary Vilsack and Burlington Schools Food Service Director, Doug Davis

Congressman Welch, Senator Leahy, Secretary Vilsack, and Senator Sanders

On Saturday, Vermont’s anti-hunger leaders had the opportunity to meet with United States Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack and Vermont’s Congressional delegation at Senator Leahy’s office in Burlington. In our discussions, two key themes emerged:

1. Vermont has unique and special partnerships between the advocate community and the state administrators of the federal nutrition programs. We look for innovative solutions together with a shared vision for a hunger free world.
2. The federal nutrition programs need to be simpler and easier to use so more low-income families can access them.

I believe that the concerns of our communities were heard and taken seriously by the Secretary, Senator Leahy, Senator Sanders, and Congressman Welch. Senator Leahy said he will be working with Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) on proposed legislation that would lower the “area eligibility” test from 50% to 40%. This legislation would make it possible for an additional 67 towns in VT to operate “open” summer programs where all children in the town could access free meals in the summer. I was also delighted to hear about new initiatives such as Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food and other pilot programs for rural states.

This was an extraordinary opportunity to represent the needs of Vermonters to Secretary Vilsack who is dedicated to making sure everyone in our country has access to healthy and nutritious food. I’m also very thankful to our Senators and Congressman for actively supporting meaningful change to the federal nutrition programs in the upcoming Child Nutrition Reauthorization. I look forward to our future work together to meet President Obama’s goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015.

Edibles and Friends

I just wanted to thank our friends Bob Reese & Alison Hooper at Vermont Butter & Cheese for donating the proceeds of Saturday's cookbook sales to the Campaign. A cheerful crowd gathered at Mirabelle's in downtown Burlington for an evening of fabulous food and conversation. Andrew Silva & Alison Lane from Mirabelle's cooked up a beautiful spread using recipes from In a Cheesemaker's Kitchen. If you haven't bought a copy yet I highly recommend it! Alison Lane's recipe for chevre and smoked salmon scones is wonderful!

I'm also so grateful to our friend Deborah Shapiro at Edible Green Mountains. This is another publication you must get your hands on. If you love good food and want to transform the way our community shops for, cooks, eats and relates to food-this is for you! Plus, there is the most beautiful Cooking for Life ad on the back of the winter edition.

Thank you to all of our friends who are committed to good food and assuring access to food and nutrition for all!

Hunger Awareness Day

February 11th is Hunger Awareness Day at the Vermont State House. Each year the Campaign calls on Vermont's legislators to support the important policies and nutrition programs that feed our citizens. We will be in the State House cafeteria from 7-11 a.m. with our partners from the Vermont Foodbank, the School Nutrition Association, and Vermont FEED. Please join us if you're in Montpelier that day. For more information check out our website. Below are some photos from last year's event!

Governor Douglas with his school breakfast

Legislators sign on to our bills and get information on hunger

Carol Brill, Long-time food service director from St. Johnsbury,
hands out school breakfasts with her grandaughters