Welcome To The Williston Community Food Shelf Home Page

Hours of Operation:

Tuesdays 5 - 6:30 PM, Thursdays 9 -11 AM, and Saturdays 9 - 11 AM

Hunger In Vermont

Everyone knows that people in third world countries face hunger every day, but many are unaware that their neighbors in developed countries are also struggling to get sufficient amounts of food. About 820 million people in developing countries don't get enough to eat, along with over 30 million people in the United States who live in food insecure households. Of these people, about 12.6 million are children. It is incredible that in one of the world's most developed countries, so many people are having trouble meeting their most basic human needs. When we think of hunger we usually think of a child who is all skin and bones, but hunger in America is harder to see. In the United States people aren't categorized as hungry or not, households are defined as food secure (high food security or marginal food security) or food insecure (low food security, very low food security). Food insecure doesn't mean a family is not eating, it might mean that they are cutting back on the quality or quantity of food and are at risk of becoming undernourished or even malnourished. These categories along with the National Census allow the government to determine who needs help. The Food Stamp Program, the School Breakfast and Lunch programs and the Emergency Food Assistance Program are government funded programs which help to feed families. These and other programs give our country's low income population a safety net, but it isn't always enough. Some families in our area still have trouble getting by and need some extra help to keep healthy. Families that are food insecure face many problems. Constantly having to skip meals or eat poor quality food can lead to malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies. Poor nutrition, especially in children, can have adverse affects on learning, development, productivity, mental and physical health and overall sense of happiness. That is why there are so many food programs in the United States, but sometimes they don't reach the people who need them. For example, of all the people in Vermont who are eligible for food stamps, only 62 percent actually use them. Half of the struggle of fighting hunger is getting funding and food, the other half is getting that food to the families that need it. With a weak economy and rising food prices, it is getting more and more difficult to fight hunger. Between the end of 2006 and the end of 2007, the number of people visiting the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf grew by 2,136 people. One of the best ways we can help is by supporting our new Williston Community Food Shelf. It will allow more people access to help, and take some of the burden off of the Chittenden Food Shelf.

Are there really people in need in Williston?

According to the 2000 US Census, 143 Williston households have income of less than $15,000 per year, which is the demographic most likely to use a Food Shelf. An additional 250 households have incomes below $25,000 per year. With the growth in the population of Williston since 2000, the significant increases in the cost of living, and the economic recession, we are expecting a rise in the number of families we are serving at the food shelf. The Williston Community Food Shelf has now served over a hundred eighty families from seventeen Vermont towns and we are averaging over ninety customers a month.