Editor’s note: This op-ed is by Marissa Parisi, executive director of Hunger Free Vermont, and Carlen Finn, executive director of Voices for Vermont’s Children.
As summer winds down and with fall and winter around the corner, life is about to get harder for many Vermonters who will struggle to pay all the extra costs that come with our long winter and keep food on the table at the same time. The 2012 Farm Bill is being debated right now in Congress and there is a proposal in the House that would cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), locally known as 3SquaresVT (Food Stamps) by $16.5 billion over the next 10 years. Cuts like this would mean that tens of thousands of Vermonters would lose eligibility and benefits and, as a result, hunger and poverty would increase in Vermont as well as all over the country.
As an economic support, 3SquaresVT provides financial stability to families who are able to reallocate money they would have spent on food to pay for other essential needs.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation recently released its state-by-state study on the wellbeing of America’s children, the 2012 KIDS COUNT Data Book. According to 2010 data in this report, 17 percent of Vermont’s children were poor — a 13 percent increase from 2005. In addition, the rate of children whose parents lack secure employment rose to 31 percent. The recession continues to take a toll on Vermont children and families. Poverty severely limits the ability of families to provide essential developmental building blocks that allow children to prosper and thrive.
As an economic support, 3SquaresVT provides financial stability to families who are able to reallocate money they would have spent on food to pay for other essential needs. In fact, Vermont ranks second in the nation for 3SquaresVT’s ability to lift families out of poverty. This program is designed to decrease hunger and is proven to improve health outcomes, especially for vulnerable populations such as children. Indeed, 90 percent of all 3SquaresVT money that comes into Vermont goes to families with children, seniors, and people with disabilities.
In the wake of the recession, many families are struggling in or on the edges of poverty and hunger. Vermont’s public policies, particularly around 3SquaresVT, are critical to the 97,000 Vermonters who currently participate in the program. But Vermonters also need the support of the federal government. As Vermonters, we call on Congress to pass a Farm Bill that will protect 3SquaresVT from cuts. In fact, we call on Congress to pass a Farm Bill that will strengthen supplemental nutrition benefits so that all Vermonters can feed their families in times of need.
