WESTMINSTER — Vermont Everyone Eats (VEE), the innovative, statewide, $49 million pandemic relief program that increased food security, economic stabilization, and agricultural resilience within a single initiative, recently released an economic report showing that the program also stimulated significant lasting economic impact in Vermont.
Between August 2020 and March 2023, nearly four million meals were produced by Vermont restaurants and distributed statewide to local meal recipients negatively affected by the pandemic. Meals were made by more than 320 Vermont restaurants using ingredients from more than 270 Vermont farmers and food producers, and were distributed to individuals in need through local community hubs.
Funded by FEMA and the Vermont Legislature, VEE's dual investment in both food security and the local food economy resulted in a $78 million increase in local spending by restaurants and farms outside of income received through the program.
Participating restaurants were paid $10 per meal, bringing $39 million in total revenue to restaurants statewide. VEE restaurants were required to use a minimum of 10% ingredients purchased from Vermont farms and food producers.
Actual local purchasing for program meals averaged 36% statewide, which provided more than $7.4 million in agricultural revenue, primarily to small businesses.
Research by agricultural economists Elizabeth Schuster of Sustanable Economies Consulting and Michelle Klieger of Helianth Partners showed that VEE income stabilized participating businesses, enabling VEE restaurants and farms to make additional investments in equipment and infrastructure to support the viability of their businesses for years to come.
According to Schuster, “(1)Vermont Everyone Eats was by definition a full economic development program that also had astounding local food security benefits. This program model is a game changer. It is a paradigm shift that compels us to think about food security and the local food economy in Vermont in new ways.”
The full Vermont Everyone Eats Economic Impact Report can be found at vteveryoneats.org.
“This program required unprecedented cross-sector collaboration and innovation,” said Housing and Community Development Commissioner Josh Hanford. “These results show what can be achieved when people work together in times of crisis. We hope lessons learned along the way can be leveraged effectively in future initiatives.”
Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA), which served as fiscal and administrative agent for VEE, is developing a comprehensive tool kit that will serve as a resource for future emergency and nonemergency projects related to food security, economic development, and agricultural resilience. The tool kit will include a documentary produced by Vermont filmmaker Corey Hendrickson for release later in 2023.
“We are committed to ensuring that the lessons learned from this program are preserved and carried forward to inform and benefit future initiatives in Vermont and beyond,” said SEVCA Interim Executive Director Kathleen Devlin. “SEVCA has gained a tremendous amount of insight and experience through administering the VEE program, and we look forward to applying what we have learned to our local programming while continuing to collaborate with others statewide,”
Those currently in need of food assistance can find information at HungerFreeVT.org and VTFoodbank.org.