Food Security

Sustainable food systems on the table at UVM conference

VCF Staff — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 16:14:00 +0000

articipants at a conference on sustainable agriculture in Burlington last Thursday were adamant about the need for change. University of Vermont Interim President John Bramley set the scene for the “Necessary [r]evolution for Sustainable Food Systems” conference.

“Our rural communities are disappearing, our farmers grow old with no prospects for retirement, and their sons and daughters have abandoned the farms and rural communities. Our nation is obese, and we’re dying of diseases related to poor diet and lack of exercise. Most people have no idea where their food comes from or where it’s produced,” he said.

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The cost of eating green: It's not as much as you think

VCF Staff — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 19:14:00 +0000

Vermonters go to extraordinary lengths to see that their less-fortunate neighbors share in the bounty of farm-fresh food. Many of those transactions are invisible to the rest of us.

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Fixing A Broken Food System: UVM to Host Food Systems Summit

VCF Staff — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:29:11 +0000

Many experts say that our broken food system is creating economic, environmental, health, and societal problems, resulting in a threatened agricutural landscape which challenges the sustainable production of food. To address these pressing issues, the University of Vermont will host its first-ever Food Systems Summit during the summer of 2012.

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Brattleboro's summer food program in jeopardy

VCF Staff — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:16:00 +0000

The Brattleboro Housing Authority is not going to able to host the summer food program this year, and now state and local anti-hunger advocates are scrambling to find a new group to run the popular program. BHA Executive Director Chris Hart said the organization has been so overwhelmed with rebuilding after Tropical Storm Irene, that they simply do not have the staffing available to run the program this year.

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Local chefs, caterers and a restaurateur look at what 2012 will bring to our plates

VCF Staff — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:44:43 +0000

Vermonters are known as trend-setters in farm-to-table eating from local producers. They're proud of their agrarian roots and what their farmers produce in a short growing season. Some community leaders share their predictions for 2012. Among them, that localvorism will be refined, and re-defined.

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Vermont Foodbank launches "Nothing can End Hunger in Vermont" campaign

VCF Staff — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:25:29 +0000

The Vermont Foodbank asks the public to do “Nothing” about hunger. Breaking away from traditional appeals, the Foodbank’s “Nothing” campaign evokes the desolation of hunger and offers something to do about it. Cans of “Nothing” – 14,000 empty cans with slots for collections – will be sold for $2.99 each at all Vermont Hannaford Supermarkets. Proceeds from the sale of each can benefit the Foodbank and help provide nourishing meals for Vermonters.

Barre Town Passes Food Sovereignty Measure

VCF Staff — Mon, 23 May 2011 19:04:58 +0000

The urbanesque Barre Town may seem an unlikely epicenter for a "food sovereignty" movement, but at last week's town meeting, residents quietly threw down the gauntlet for agricultural self-determination.

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Vt. food stamp use rises

VCF Staff — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:53:08 +0000

Vermont continues to show improvement in its participation rate for the federal food stamp program, but advocates say it might be hard to sustain that growth in the face of cutbacks and an increasing need.

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Meals On Wheels Provides Link For Seniors, Volunteers

VCF Staff — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:12:16 +0000

Some people don't have family to share the holidays with. And many elderly and disabled Vermonters are isolated by frailty, illness or the weather. It's these people that Meals on Wheels caters to. And as VPR's Nina Keck reports the people who make and deliver those meals say it's a vital service that gives both ways.

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Vermont Public Television looks at hunger in Vermont

VCF Staff — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:52:38 +0000

Vermont was been ranked the sixth hungriest state in the country in a federal government report last year. Twelve percent of households struggle to get enough food on the table and one in 20 Vermonters is labeled “severely hungry.” At the same time, many Vermonters face hard choices between buying food and heating their homes. Vermont Public Television’s monthly “Public Square” program, airing Thursday, Dec. 16, at 8 p.m., will look at these problems.

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