Dan Noyes
Democratic Candidate for Vermont House of Representatives in the Lamoille-2 District
What do you believe is the role of state government, if any, in ensuring that everyone living in Vermont has the food they need to thrive?
We have to make sure people have access to food, from children to older Vermonters.
What would be your policy priorities to move Vermont toward food security for all?
Throughout my time in the Legislature, I have made supporting older Vermonters a priority, with a particular focus on strengthening Meals on Wheels and home-delivered nutrition programs. We have secured increases in General Fund appropriations and leveraged Medicaid matching funds to maximize the state's investment, but our work is far from finished.
The actual cost of preparing and delivering a meal is approximately $12, yet current reimbursement rates cover only about half of that amount. This funding gap places unnecessary strain on the community organizations that provide these essential services.
I will continue to advocate for policies and investments that ensure older Vermonters have reliable access to nutritious meals and that the agencies delivering these services have the stable, sustainable funding necessary to meet the growing needs of our aging population.
What do you believe are the root causes of hunger, and what should the state do to address those underlying factors?
Older Vermonters living on fixed incomes are hit hardest by inflation, rising health care costs, property taxes, rent, and utility bills all seem to increase every month, whether or not Social Security keeps pace. Property taxes and rent are the biggest pressures on low income Vermonter's budgets, and school fundings and health care costs are the single largest driver of those bills,
How would you help strengthen the state’s agriculture and food economy to ensure Vermont farms can continue to grow the food we all need?
We need to find a better balance between environmental protection and farmers ability to farm their land. Telling a farmer that land they have farmed for years is now classified as wetland and off limits is not conducive to making a living farming. We need to do better.