Guest Post: CVOEO’s Feeding Champlain Valley
Feeding Champlain Valley is expanding food access in Vermont
By Anna McMahon
Associate Director, Feeding Champlain Valley
In 1974, concerned citizens in Burlington, Vermont came together to try and address food insecurity, and thus began what was then called the Burlington Emergency Food Shelf. Over the last fifty years, this organization joined Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) and became one of the leading agencies addressing hunger in Vermont, with robust programs and services that offer critical nutrition assistance, including three Food Shelves, the Good Food Truck, Grocery Delivery, Meal Production, Food Rescue, Culinary Job Training, and an Online Market.
In June of 2024, we rebranded to become Feeding Champlain Valley, reflecting the program’s expanded service areas in Addison, Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle Counties, and our commitment to alleviating hunger across the region.
With this most recent financial support from the WaterWheel Foundation and the Phish fan community, Feeding Champlain Valley has been able to provide 16,000 meals for vulnerable Vermonters, including older adults, people with disabilities, New Americans, Veterans, and working families.
Below is a snapshot of some Feeding Champlain Valley programs and services that help with the overarching goal to increase food access throughout the Champlain Valley.
Visit www.feedingchamplainvalley.org to learn how you can get involved!
Groceries and Meals
Our Food Access Center houses our Burlington Food Shelf program, with a market that offers fresh meat, produce and perishable goods, along with shelf-stable foods and non-food items, including shampoo and feminine hygiene products.
CVOEO’s Community Resource Center is also housed within the Food Access Center and Feeding Champlain Valley provides breakfast and lunch meals each weekday. Meals are provided at the Food Access Center by staff and by culinary job training students from our Vermont Foodbank partnership program, Community Kitchen Academy.
In 2024, Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity’s two other food shelves, NorthWest Family Foods and Addison Community Action Food Shelf, became programs of Feeding Champlain Valley.
Healthy Roots Collaborative
In July of 2024, Healthy Roots Collaborative officially became part of Feeding Champlain Valley. Since 2019, Healthy Roots Collaborative has been housed under the Northwest Regional Planning Commission where programming has grown to include: local food distribution to 33 charitable food sites with local produce from 20 local farms, two food box programs, Northwest Farmacy CSA & Migrant Household Food Boxes, one-on-one Farm & Food Business Support, and regular gleaning field trips with local schools where students get the hands-on experience of planting, harvesting, and preparing crops for market. With plans to increase food access and business support initiatives in Grand Isle and Franklin Counties, Feeding Champlain Valley will work with Healthy Roots Collaborative to support current efforts while also developing new initiatives and infrastructure throughout the region.
Food Access Network Initiative and Online Market
We have learned that many people who are food insecure will not go to hunger relief agencies for a variety of reasons, including logistical barriers like a lack of transportation, childcare, or time, as well as the sense of shame and stigma attached to food shelves. In response, Feeding Champlain Valley launched the Food Access Network initiative with partnering organizations to support food insecure Vermonters who are not being served by traditional charitable food services in Chittenden County.
We created this network by establishing an online market where recipients can place grocery orders for pick up or delivery; this is a low barrier way for recipients to gain access to healthy, locally sourced, culturally relevant foods, including halal and goat meat from BIPOC-owned businesses, as well as beans, rice, and fresh produce. PantrySoft, the online platform we use, allows recipients to place orders for home deliveries or site deliveries at community-based locations like health and childcare centers, whatever best fits their needs.
In addition to enhancing the local food economy, the Food Access Network initiative has teamed up with clinicians and social workers at several health care providers such as UVM Medical Center, Community Health Centers, and Mountain Health. Patients who pre-screen as food insecure can order directly from our inventory, and food is then delivered by Feeding Champlain Valley advocates to clinics and homes.
Feeding Champlain Valley has worked diligently to provide healthy choices, while our staff are focused on dignity and customer service by improving the facilities within each of our food shelves, as well as at our Food Hubs in Colchester, Sheldon, and Middlebury. Our vision is to expand this work throughout the Champlain Valley and create a strong network of health care providers, growers, sister non-profit organizations and others that connect local food to all who need help. Working closely with the Vermont Foodbank and the other four Community Action Agencies in Vermont, we believe this model can be replicated statewide.