 Okay. We are live. Okay. So this morning I had expected to spend a little bit more time on everyone eats. One of just to be clear one of my goals is I really think this is a brilliant idea and it seems to be working out well and I was hoping to see if we could some certainly extended through the fiscal year that seems to have been accomplished. And I also as we go forward in the budget for FY 22, I'm hoping there's some way to fund it even further. So with that, I'm going to turn it over to Gary Holloway and why don't you bring us up to date on the program and it's financing and what it looks like for the future and what the administration's position is at this point on the continuation of the program. Absolutely. Thank you, Senator. Thank you all so much for having me this morning. Jean Hamilton. Gary Holloway downtown program manager with the Department of Housing Community Development, the Agency of Commerce. I'll be brief, provide an overview of kind of where we are with the program financially and I'll let Jean speak to any other specifics and happy to answer any questions you have I know we're tight on time this morning. As you know we've been running the everyone needs program since August in all 14 counties across the state. We initially had a $5 million appropriation which went to $6.4 million in 2020. And we've been able to get an additional $2.6 million to keep the program running January and February. The good news we received at the end of December was a favorable determination from FEMA for eligibility for that 75% funding reimbursement which was which was great news. We did we did a small request initially because a little faster process to get a determination back. The last request we put in was for all of the expenditures that we had in 2020 and we are waiting any day on a determination of the reimbursement of those funds at the 75% rate. One of the challenges we had just from a program programmatic standpoint is just making sure that we have the cash flow that we need but we've been able to work work that out with you know with the administration just to be able to kind of get the funding in place so we can keep the program moving forward. Once we get the FEMA reimbursement back we can actually continue to do those requests and roll money back into the program so that we can run it with our intention through the end of June. One other piece of news that we just heard in the last week or two. The president actually provided further direction and is allowing us to utilize will not us is allowing FEMA to reimburse emergency feeding programs at 100%. So that means that everyone eats going all the way back to the beginning of the pandemic is able to recoup any eligible FEMA costs at 100% all the way through, I believe it's September of 2021. And that's not only the emergency feeding program there's a number of other programs that are eligible under FEMA that would also qualify so it's a great news for the state because we have a number of programs that we're getting to reimburse by and we can get that money back and repurpose it for other other other things. So maybe I'll pause there. Thank you one. Thank you for that one question I would have is that is great news. I don't know if you can quantify the number but is it the intent of the administration or is it too early to repurpose those dollars to continue the program beyond. Yeah, is as far as the game plan we have with the administration the intent is to continue funding the program at the current level through June 30. And we have not quite frankly we haven't had a programmatic conversation, nor have we requested any additional beyond that. I'll let Gene speak a little bit more but it's, it's a really complicated program that takes hundreds of volunteers, you know, hundreds of staff, hundreds of restaurants and farmers, and it may very well be that to operate a program like this. The way that it's currently operating is not sustainable from from a multiple from multiple levels. But we are having some conversations about how can what can we learn from this program to be able to kind of take the local food system to be able to support restaurants to be able to feed people. To be able to work with our partners that have just been terrific from the, from the food sector from people who are providing meals to those in need who really have the structure in place right the food banks. And the shelters and whatnot that have these systems in place to be able to get food to people who who need to and so we're trying to get folks signed on to those state programs. Three squares Vermont, these programs that are really designed to, to get people assistance. This is this is supplementing those programs and really helping in so many ways from a food insecurity as well as an economic recovery standpoint. Well, I mean like this, I guess, going forward, you know, we'd like to support the tweaks to the improvements to the program we like the win win win kind of situation or at least I do and you know, if it means one time general funds. In my mind that's something to be considered but it seems like it's even more preferable if some of these repurposed federal dollars can be put into this beyond June for June 35. I don't see people. So, if anybody wants to, patient has a question but Gary is you're giving us a big picture of this if you could just give us how many meals have been served so far because it's just incredible number. Jean you have that number keeps changing by the week and so you have probably a better indication of where we're at right now. Yeah, I you know what actually is easiest for me to report on is would you just identify yourself for the record. Yes, I am Jean Hamilton and I serve as the statewide coordinator for everyone eats and I'm that project and I am based out of the southeast Vermont Community Action Agency, SEVCA. So, you know, it's easiest for me to report is that from the program start in August through the end of December, we distributed about 530,000 meals and at this point, hubs came back online, you know, starting the week of January 18, but we've been sort of filtering back in so some started the 18 some started the 25th, but we're we're back up to our operating level of about 40,000 meals a week. So if I could, Senator Shratt can reflect a little bit on your question about post June 30. Yes. So, you know, one thing I just want to highlight as we think about the future is how incredibly adaptable this program has been you know the legislation that funded it was written in July. Programs up and running by the first week of August, the community hubs and the partner organizations have been incredibly flexible and incredibly responsive. We, you know, thought the program that the CARES Act funding was ending on December 18 they think it was and then it got to the extended to December 30. You know, if we had any funding after that we found out in early January that we might have funding on January 18 and programs came back online really rapidly on January 18 to because that funding became available. And, you know, it's been a real game of okay now there's FEMA funding oh there's CARES funding it's been very turbulent, but the communities have been really responsive and so, you know, we have a ton of enthusiasm between the community hub organizations and also our steering committee to think about what what could happen after June 30. And, you know, I just want to highlight that this program has been created by a steering committee that's met weekly since July. And that includes John sales from the food bank, Faye Conti from hunger free Vermont, you know Ellen killer from farm to plant network staff like Gary from a CCD. We also have reps from agency of human services and agency of agriculture, Vermont fresh network Vermont independent restaurant collision. We have a very powerful steering committee that is really exploring. What are the lasting impacts of this program what have we learned from this program that can inform other existing programs, but also what can we potentially build that's something new post June 30. And, you know, some of the biggest lesson of course is oh my gosh when you tie economic development to poverty relief. The critical things happen in community. People feel pride, they feel dignity, they feel so proud to be able to help their neighbors while they're asking for help and there is just, there's no way we can ever unsee how much better that is then, you know, having to go through the stigma and shame of feeling like you're asking for a handout. So that's a big lesson learned. I think we're also really seeing across our steering committee, the value of prepared meals and that prepared meals will are really an essential part of how we think about food security in the future there are just too many people who don't cannot make food for themselves. So at the same time that you all and we all are thinking about like what can we do with this incredible thing that we've created on the fly. You know, there are also groups like World Central Kitchen, who have been doing this work internationally for a number of years, and of course have been very active in, you know, through this COVID pandemic, and World Central in partnership with, you know, now Vice President Harris and other legislators last year proposed the Feed Act, which actually explicitly talks about engaging restaurants as part of emergency feeding. And so, you know, so our committee is really excited to keep thinking about what, what does this program look like beyond June 30 and beyond COVID. And so I hope, you know, you'll, you'll stay engaged with us on that conversation, because it really just has been so beneficial. Well, that's perfect. I think we want to stay engaged, at least this, at least I do, and I think members of this committee do. Can you like, Well, well, many members of this committee, many members of this committee have actually helped hand out all those meals. I mean, I don't know how many of us have, but I assume most of us have because it's been a big community effort. My only concern is volunteer, overwhelming volunteer time because any program that depends on volunteers to do this. I think, I think to go to Gary's point, I think that's the one challenge in this. So can you, can you Jean, like at the today is the 11th. Can you like at the end of the month, send us just a memo of an update. Committee, you should know one of the things Nathan and reaching out to do more is asked for like additional tasks from us and one of the things I've asked him to do is to keep track of requests that committee members make during testimony of witnesses. I find frequently, they go unfulfilled. And so he's going to like, you may get a note from him. Soon a reminder say the committee asked for this by certain day, so it can keep stuff flowing and we don't forget about our requests but I think we're on the same page here and it'd be great to know how your meetings are going. Senator Rom. Chair. Well, first of all, I couldn't help but but think when Jean was talking it. If you haven't read there's a great Harvard business case review of Doug Roush opening the daily table in the Boston area Doug Roush was the general manager of Trader Joe's in their major expansion. He just wanted to open like a lower budget Trader Joe's outside of Boston and Roxbury and other areas that are have a high concentration of people on food on food stamps. And he wanted to create a market where people's food stamps lasted the whole month. And he was about to open and realized nobody was going to come to his discount Trader Joe's, because they didn't have time to take the food off the shelf and prepare it at home, and he actually brought in a guy who's from the Bronx but learned how to bring food and create gourmet prepared food in Vermont at the Gleanery. And he brought him in, they did 75% prepared food much more like a whole foods which people who have all the time in the world still want prepared food. And they completely redid their model and they're incredibly successful now and much greater concentration of prepared food. I cannot say enough good things about this program and really kind of wanted to look past June 30. So I don't want to get ahead of myself but I wanted to ask Gary and Jean, you know, is this something where it can be really well integrated into three squares and you know, being able to say, you know, your, your three squares program benefit. Here's your hundred dollars for everyone eats. So that you know it's not a separate program it's not downloading something different it's, everyone should have the right to prepared food and maybe once in a while to take their family to a restaurant. And I just think we should build build that into our permanent program so I was hoping that's where you were going anyway. I'll take a stab and then Gary, definitely jump in the sort of paths that we've started to outline that we could see this program going forward, you know, one clear path is as identified with the feed act is is sort of transforming emergency feeding in future crises and moving away from a reliance on MREs and actually using and employing the food and food prep infrastructure we have in our community so using that decentralized infrastructure I think that's a big takeaway and feels like pretty doable as an outcome of this pandemic. Another is like you're saying Senator Ram about of integrating prepared meals into snap, and there is definitely some advocacy about around that on the national level. You know, it feels a little early for that but the way things move in this COVID time like it could just happen. It's a great idea and you know and certainly one of the benefits of snap is you just use your card in the normal marketplace. There's no stigma or reduce stigma. And that would be really great if people could just visit their local restaurants and get the food that would really serve them. So those are sort of the two programs that we've imagined but you know at a more grassroots level or sort of organizational level, you know, partners at the food bank and food shelves and everybody who's touched this program is thinking like oh how can we implement aspects of this and integrate aspects of this into our current programming. And what we've seen Capstone do is really, I mean what we've seen every hub do is really powerful but if there's time some time for us to bring some of our hubs in, or maybe I'll try to put that in the report is just some some examples of how different hubs are thinking about integrating this in a more long term way. Thanks so much. We're going to have to move on. I guess I have one final question. You're doing pretty well statewide at this point. So if you push this forward together maybe an easy lift but it'll be a lot easier if you have supporters all throughout the state in every county and it's operational, not disproportionately around the state but sort of equally around the state. I'll leave you with that I assume you make good progress on that. But we do need to move on at this point. Good work. Thank you guys. That's great. Thank you for the support. We love this program. Thanks for everyone involved. It's truly remarkable how much people stepped in and led this program. Thanks. Bye.