How Vermont can end childhood hunger by 2035

Children get served a meal at a Vermont school in 2022.

Two thirds of Vermont children are at risk of hunger. 

That’s the finding in a new report from Hunger Free Vermont, The Vermont Foodbank, and Feeding Champlain Valley that outlines a plan to end childhood hunger in the state by 2035.

We envision a future where every child—and every family raising children—is food secure. For many children in Vermont, food security is out of reach, putting their development and future at risk. 

In 2025, approximately 79,000 Vermont children, or ⅔ of all kids in the state, were at risk of hunger because they live in households not able to afford all their basic needs. Of these children, more than 40,000 (approximately ⅓) live in households over the income limit to qualify for 3SquaresVT, and approximately 14,000 also do not qualify for Dr. Dynasaur, Vermont’s expanded Medicaid program for children. 

This means our strategies must include the critical work of connecting children and families to these essential federal programs, and they must also go beyond them. As the cost of many fundamental basic needs have increased in the state and nationwide, incomes are not keeping pace, and the number of families and kids at risk of hunger is rising. 

However, clear and sustained government intervention in Vermont is addressing these costs and other barriers to food access for families, and laying foundations that we can build on. 

In direct response to the Vermont Food Security Roadmap to 2035, the authors of this report collaborated with more than 100 key stakeholders to identify 14 strategies to create a food secure future for all Vermont’s children. Together, we can create a future where kids have the food they need to live, learn, and play, and families are free from stress about adequately nourishing their children.

We look forward to sharing updates about the progress of the strategies outlined in the report and how you can engage with the strategic plan.

If you have any questions or ideas about how you can support the strategic plan, you can reach out to Keely Agan, child nutrition policy lead, at kagan@hungerfreevt.org.