 This is Dennis McMahon and welcome to Positively Vermont and my guest today is John Sales the CEO of the Vermont food bank and John has been a guest on Positively Vermont in the past But considering the situation that everyone's going through with the virus I thought it'd be a good idea to get John back to explain What the Vermont food bank is doing and more importantly what we do in Positively Vermont how our viewers can help so let me begin John by Telling us asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself Your background and what your role is at the Vermont food bank Sure Dennis. I'm the CEO at the food bank. I've been with the food bank for 11 years now Before that I moved to Vermont in 1999 and worked for the state for almost 10 years doing Utility regulation at the Department of Public Service and then at the Agency of Natural Resources where I was last the deputy secretary and I got this great opportunity to To start a second another phase of my life at the food bank and continue to serve Ramonters And in a really profound way. So I'm very happy to be here Great and did you describe what the food bank? Consists of how it the scope and the size and what its mission is sure Thanks the the Vermont food bank is we like to say we're the only food bank in Vermont Normal times, you know about a hundred and fifty thousand almost one in four Vermonters through a network of independent organizations that are food shelves and meal sites Senior centers homeless shelters after school programs all across the state and those we call them network partners There's about two hundred and fifteen or two hundred and twenty in addition to that the food bank does direct distribution through our veggie van go program and to senior housing sites across the state so veggie van go is a Like a free farmers market that we do at schools and hospitals either Every other week or once a month again all over the state the food bank's been around since the mid-80s and You know unfortunately has seen the need either continue steady or grow during that time But we're really proud of the work that we've done to to fill that gap for Vermonters that really can't afford enough food for their themselves and their households And you said that one in four in the population have a need Struggle with hunger. Can you describe how that works? Are we talking about working for? Are we talking about what kind of types of demographics are we dealing with? Yeah, really, it's it's anyone who can't afford to put enough Healthy food on the table and it's every one from you know Folks who are really struggling who may be homeless maybe have mental health or addiction issues Really all the way up to to families who both mom and dad are working But you know three or four kids or are single moms You know, we know that that At least half of the people that we're serving And probably more now things are different Have somebody working full-time in the home. So it really is runs the gamut in vermont We have a website which it's vtfoodbank.org. Is that it? That's right. Okay, because I want to make sure we get that in there because there's lots of information there, too Exactly and I know this in that website. It says what you do a gather food share food nurture people How does that work? Yeah, the the food bank is you know in some ways to our Our network partners were a support organization, but also a source of food So we get food from a number of sources last year. It was about 12 million pounds Starting in march. We've we're running at 70% or more over that so I think this year is going to be You know a record breaker but So we source that food it comes from donations from the grocery industry and food manufacturers and distributors Both in vermont and across the country through our national organization feeding america We run Two federal food programs We're a little less than a third of our food comes into that and we can't get enough donated or Food from the the government and so we have to purchase a lot of food, too And that's probably about 20 of the food that the food bank distributes A lot of food also comes from our local farmers Lots of really any farm of any size pretty much Either donates to the vermont food bank directly or to one of our network partners the food shelves and meal sites In their local communities. We we love to support our local farmers and the food bank also purchases Pretty large quantities of food from local farmers. In fact this year We had We had dedicated some additional funds to purchasing local food and now with the coronavirus We've gotten some support from the state to really ramp that up So we're we're excited to support our local farmers and make sure that That folks who who are having trouble affording food for their family now are are getting some of that local food also That's great. Well, actually what we'd like to focus on now is in fact your website Says right on the top ensuring all are fed during the coronavirus And can you tell tell us how this first thought had to impact your operation? It's impacting today. Yeah, it's turned things completely upside down the way I've I've been describing it is As we're rebuilding our total business model on the fly You know starting in mid-march when it became apparent that this was going to hit and hit us hard The first thing the food bank did was just start ordering food um, you know, the lead time to get uh truckloads of food delivered Is is weeks and sometimes several months and so we knew we had to get orders in and we did that immediately Um and continue to do that throughout this Um, and and then we had to figure out Immediately, you know, our whole system is based on choice on people being able to go to a food shelf or a meal site or come to a veggie van go to to To get together As people and share food and we can't do that anymore Everything had to become distanced and everything needs to be Safe Obviously, so we've everything shifted to grab and go so pre-packing instead of going to a food shelf for the veggie van go and shopping for what you might want Bags of food are put together and then hand it out either into cars or A lot of food shelves like set out on the porch people can come and grab them And it's a it's a very very different way very more much more intensive way to distribute food But on the other side, we also had to be very careful about volunteers So we couldn't just put out the call for You know dozens or or hundreds of new volunteers We have to make sure again that the volunteers that are working either at distribution sites or at our three distribution centers in Barry Rutland or Brattleboro Are safe and have the personal protective equipment that they need So it's really it's a shift that's still taking place As we figure things out and in addition, you know tens of thousands of people in vermont lost their jobs And and frankly it was weeks if not months before a lot of people were getting unemployment benefits And the food bank needed to be there immediately to make sure that people have food on the table And you know, we can talk about all the things we did to to make sure and are still doing to make sure that that's happening obviously Has the need the population that you had been serving that's gone up Because of the layoffs and because of all the other like senior centers not having nutrition programs available People not being able to get together. So how how big is your uh clientele? So to speak jumping last few months. Yeah, we know we know there's actually been some research done Um at at UVM they did some research and showed in the first few weeks that it was About a third more people were food insecure and needed help getting food on the table There was some research done by feeding america again That's a little more updated and now shows that about 46 increase in the number of people And that's consistent with what we've been seeing of the people coming and and getting food at network partners and at the food distributions in addition to that Dennis the childhood food insecurity has increased by 60 percent You think about all those single moms or or families who were We're struggling already Or you know having a hard time putting those those ends together and then one or both of the parents loses their job It's just really devastating and and we have to make sure that the the kids get fed So we're continuing to see that level of of need in the community And frankly a little concerned now with the enhanced unemployment benefits expiring at the end of this month And the the ppp loans kind of being played out The they're in effect running out unless congress reauthorizes that in another round. So we're We're not hoping but expecting To see another surge in in need not only in vermont, but across the country And how how is the closure of schools impacted on your ability to provide food for children? You know, there's there's there's been so much so much happening, you know The schools have been enormous their response so schools closed in march and With it the school meals programs and a lot of kids particularly those that get the the free meals through the federal government program That can be the only real balanced meal of the day And what we saw was the schools stepping up in a huge way Almost every school in vermont continued their meal program Some of them you wouldn't go to the school and pick up your meal Some of those that had had bus service for picking up kids the buses were still paid for And so the schools used the buses and the bus routes to deliver meals And you could drive around the back roads of vermont and see Coolers sitting at the mailboxes at the end of a driveway and that's where the buses were dropping off Two or three meals for each kid in the household We found that the schools that were distributing their meals through through bus routes We're seeing an actual actually an increase in the number of meals that they were serving every day from during the school year Those schools that had pick up they saw a decrease in the number of meals Now school is over And those most of those deliveries have stopped a few places are still going Most of the schools have continued serving meals under a different federal program And uh, you know kudos to our state agency of education and some of the key staff there And my friends at hunger free vermont who worked really hard To get the waivers that we needed to make sure that the federal government continued subsidizing and really paying for the food For those meals that that continue to go out over the summer And unlike during the school year, uh, the that's any student under the age of 18 And really any kid under the age of 18 is eligible for these meals You do not have to be enrolled in the school meal program to get these meals Which is really important for those families where they've lost income and lost work And just really didn't don't have the time or the resources to enroll in that program What about your volunteers? How how was this impacted on your Yeah, you know because we're serving your volunteer Yeah, you know volunteers like I said at at our distribution centers It's been it's been challenging because we had volunteers before that were close together and sorting food We've been able to figure it out but the the need for volunteers at these food distributions at the schools and The other distribution sites Is still there and you know people can find volunteer opportunities on the food banks website And the state also has a volunteer portal that can connect you to opportunities all over the state There there are other things happening now And things are happening so fast I feel like I'm passing over two-thirds of what's been going on in the food world I can imagine I've seen some local churches that have Signs or food banks or or food distribution now What what types of foods are you working with perhaps even more right now? To fulfill your ordinary program In light of the problems caused by the virus Yeah, you know one of the biggest things that's happened Dennis is is called the farmers to families food box program Which you know are all You know some of the senior centers as you as you mentioned have are no longer serving meals and so So they're not serving the food from the food bank the other distribution Places the schools and the hospitals and the the food shelves are really making up for For that lack of um of volume But the farmers to families food box program Is something that was quickly set up by the federal government And actually is bringing a tremendous millions and millions of pounds of food into vermont You know it Before that we did the working with the verna Vermont National Guard and the state who really stepped up Um distributed a couple weeks worth of meals ready to eat FEMA Emergency food now we knew that wasn't a long-term solution because it's not the greatest quality food But it was something that was available right away We've transitioned to these Food boxes which are are actually very high quality and it's the abbey group, which is a vermont company got the contract There's a box of about 20 pounds of produce as much as possible of that is local and abbey group's been sourcing lots of local food to go in there About seven pounds of cheese in a box and all that is is cavett cheese product and other Oh other local creameries And then then there's a couple gallons of milk of it's been vermont milk hood dairy thomas dairy monument dairy And and then a couple boxes of pre cooked frozen chicken, which is not vermont product But it's great to have some protein in those kits. We call it a kit all that food together um Those were at first distributed by the national guard at state airports and now we've transitioned for july and august to Sites all around the state. There's five fixed sites and then we're doing three distributions a day and then 20 smaller sites And you can you can go on uh, if you go on our website, you can find the link where you can find out where the The distributions are going to be and then make a reservation So to make sure that when you show up that there's food available for you We don't want people showing up and not having food available So we're asking people to go through this reservation system It is anonymous. You do not have to provide any personal information in order to register Now we're in july right now. I suppose uh in a normal year you'd be projecting for uh a return to school and and again We often speak at the holiday time, which is I know kind of critical at least in terms of people thinking about If we're back to make how they can help or maybe how they can help neighbors get some things for the holidays But how would you look at? Project if you can how in july on to the end of this year, uh things are going to be done Yeah, I don't project that things are going back to anywhere near normal um and you know while While the state and many states and the federal government are looking towards the recovery phase of this When it comes to food and food insecurity, we're still in the response phase And I think we will be until the end of the year so it's It's really about meeting people's immediate needs right now You know, we're starting to think about what what's what are things going to look like in the new year um And it is definitely going to be different. We're going to continue. I think to see social distancing and and safety protocols and different ways of distributing food and we're starting to learn the lessons from what we're doing now To to see how we can do that more effectively into the future um, but right now this the the farmers to families program is uh Is confirmed through july and august It's the possibility that we can continue to get this food through the end of december We'll see there'll be a september october and november december contract and the usda will Determine whether or not they're going to uh renew that contract for those periods You know, you mentioned, uh The end of the year too, which is not only a time when we want to make sure we're serving people Who need help, but it's also a time traditionally when people who give help donate to the food bank and To other organizations who are doing this work feeding and housing people around the state We're I am I am amazed and and humbled by the philanthropic response by the number of people who have donated to the vermont food bank And the amounts they've donated and I want to say to your audience. Thank you so much because I know there are many people out there Who are donors and and have helped make this possible, you know the there was no um government help at the very beginning in in march and april And even beginning into may and it was the philanthropic response. It was the donors in vermont who powered Um our response is the food bank and made this happen Um the the federal government and the state government I'm using the federal funds has really stepped up and now we have an opportunity to leverage some of those those resources but Those will run out those are gone at the end of december and And we're going to flow through a lot of this philanthropic support and it's really important that we're here for the long run because What we learned in the great recession is that that hunger lasts a lot longer Much past the recovery. So i'm expecting we're going to see you know another 18 months to two years of of need of increased need for food assistance And and I the food bank is going to be here And we are going to do everything we can with all of the resources we can gather to make sure that people in vermont have nourishing and healthy food to eat That's wonderful and not not to be well on the negative but The fact that the the situation has been disrupted the distribution has been disrupted Schools have been disrupted. What what kind of impacts that have on the overall health of people in vermont particularly children particularly preschool children yeah, you know Research shows it's crystal clear that nutrition has everything to do with your health everything to do with your physical emotional and mental development Everything to do with your ability to learn ability to perform at work ability to raise your kids you know We have to make sure that that our kids are fed and to feed the kids we have to make sure that the families are fed Likewise, you know, we talk about our older adults in vermont and making sure that older adults are not Are not missed, you know, they're oftentimes the ones that are most at risk and we've seen again and again that older adults are You know afraid to go out and rightfully so The meals on wheels programs across the state By the areas agents area agencies on aging have done a tremendous job and and they've you know Increased significantly the number of meals that they're delivering to to folks who who really can't safely Leave their homes You know and one thing I want to I want to make sure that I don't miss is All this food being distributed by the charitable food system is great and we're really glad that we're here But the sustainable solution to hunger is three squares vermont Snap benefits and formerly known as food stamps Anyone who is out there who has lost Lost their job and lost significant income should really Check to see if you're eligible for three squares vermont. Again, you could go to our website vt food bank dot org To get more information or to the department of children and families website But to to be able to go to the grocery store and choose the foods that your family wants and needs Is the most dignified and the healthiest way to get the foods Onto your table And we really encourage people to do that. Please look into that so in addition to the challenges of Distributing the food and collecting the food and managing the food I think you have an information issue here. A lot of people probably don't know About your services or the potential to get help And that's a consequence of the virus too You're absolutely right Dennis and you know the the folks that we've been seeing You know at least 40 45 percent increase Many families and people who are now reaching out Have never needed help before, you know, this isn't happened in their lifetimes and so They don't know how the system works and there is a system out there as as inflexible and sometimes broken as it is and so People, you know, we've been doing these distributions that have been very well publicized with the national guard and and the state as Partners And we want to make sure working with our friends at hunger free vermont That we're getting the information to people that they need For longer term more sustainable solutions, you know As much as I want to be optimistic Dennis. I think that this is Um, the the economic recovery here is is going to be bumpy And possibly kind of slow and I want to make sure that people are Are reaching out for assistance that can help them Bounce back because we want people to bounce back from this. We don't want people to need to dig out So don't don't think you need to dig yourself into that hole to expend all the resources You have before you reach out for help We want people to still have that cushion and The assistance and the help that's out there is there for a reason. So I really encourage people to to To use it if they need it Before I forget I understand you're having an event coming up on august 1st the point the point. Tell us what Yes, we are So we've been doing this for wow 16 or 17 years. It's a bike ride to raise funds and awareness For the work that the food bank and all of our partners around the state do to to solve hunger Um, it is virtual this year. So we won't be all you know, 800 or 900 people getting together and riding in a big group Um, I ride every year and I'll be out there. I was actually on a training ride yesterday so you can go to Just google point to point It's powered by vs ecu who is a tremendous partner And get out there and sign up for a ride and raise some money for the food bank And it's been a beautiful summer, you know, despite all the challenges we've had And uh, it's you know, bike riding is a very safe activity. So get out there ride or you can run also But uh, it's a it's a fun way and an exciting way to uh to continue Supporting the food bank and uh and supporting your neighbors That's great. Well, how do you do that virtually? Well, I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna put on one of my old point-to-point jerseys and one of my numbers and get out there And all the routes are set And you can ride the route and and I've reached out to friends and family Um and gotten pledges to raise money for the food bank And so then we'll all just get together and report back in on uh, how our rides went and Share our successes and our our dramas and traumas I get it That's great Well, we're running out of time and I just want to make sure that we uh, tell our viewers how they can help What do you need and how can they or their company or their organization or club? Can help the food bank tell us what you need and how people can help Yeah, you know, as I said, it just it's taking resources and tremendous resources to do this So I would encourage people to go to our website vt food bank org And actually when you go there you have two choices If you need help you click on one side and it will show you the resources And again, I encourage everybody eat, you know Even if it would just help even if you don't feel like you need it think about about, you know Using the resources that are made available And then the other side if you're in a position to be able to help to click on that and you can see Opportunities to donate, you know, like you just said you could ride in the in the point-to-point and have some fun and raise a little money And uh volunteer there there are Opportunities to volunteer still and so we're looking for people actually all over the state There's gleaning going on where we're working with farmers and going in their fields and picking produce and distributing that and then Some of the food distributions that are happening And you know, I would just encourage people to to take care of your neighbors To have compassion for yourself And for others around you and just we need to take care of each other right now That's great. I also want to add that you also say give your voice And some people like to write letters to the editor or write letters to officials How can people help in that? What do you need from official dome on all levels? You know, we need we need the the state and the federal government to recognize That hunger is a significant issue particularly with covet 19 One of the things right now is Is that we're we're in the next relief bill coming out of washington and there will be one We're really encouraging our congressional delegation and really People members of congress across the country To support an increase in the three squares roman or snap benefits Because you know, even though you're if you're eligible, you get the ebt card You can go to the grocery store and shop The benefits are too low To really give people the opportunity to buy the The nourishing healthy food that are going to sustain them through this very very stressful time I know that our congressional delegation all support increase snap benefits But it never hurts for them to hear from their constituents I would also encourage people to the extent that you're communicating with candidates for office. It is an election time If whether it's a virtual Candidate gathering or a fundraiser or just a question on a website To ask the candidates What their what their plan is to make sure that people in vermont have enough food to eat Through this through this crisis and into the future You know, it really is about people not having the financial resources to purchase food There is plenty of food out there So how are the candidates going to support making sure that that every vermont table Has three meals of nourishing food every day It's great. Well, thank you very much and This is a Dennis McMahon My guest today has been john sales the ceo of the vermont food bank And thank you for watching positively vermont and thank you don't for giving us such a wonderful explanation of the wonderful and vital work that you do