History
In 1974, a number of community churches and synagogues pooled resources to establish the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf to meet the needs of hungry neighbors throughout Chittenden County. Initially, the Food Shelf was one small room staffed by one person assisted by volunteers, who distributed a three-day supply of groceries to families once a month as a Grocery Distribution Program.
In 1978, the Food Shelf became a program of the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO), whose goal is “the elimination of poverty in the midst of plenty.” Later, in 1982, the Food Shelf became a member agency of the United Way. Also during that year, in response to the greater demand for emergency services, CEFS moved to a bigger location that had access to a kitchen and began the Hot Meals Program.
As more and more people found themselves below the poverty level, the need for services only continued to increase. CEFS therefore relocated twice more to larger sites, including its 1994 move into its current location, a new building built for the Food Shelf through the RELIEF Capital Campaign, which raised money to build or renovate three buildings for use by five social services agencies in Burlington. To further meet the growing demand for hunger relief services, the Food Shelf implemented the Homebound Grocery Delivery Program (HGDP) in January 1998 as an alternative food resource for low-income homebound seniors and disabled adults.
Project Angel Food, which began in 1997, is a food rescue program that picks up prepared and perishable food and delivers it to other hunger-relief organizations. In addition, the UVM Food Salvage Program is an entirely student-run program that utilizes the Food Shelf to prepare and serve a Sunday evening meal.
CEFS has evolved far the one room, one staff person operation that began in 1974. Today, the Grocery Distribution Program provides a five-day supply of emergency groceries to roughly 1,872 households per month, plus another 1,915 per month “walk in” individuals seeking bread and fresh produce. Hot Meals, which offers a hot breakfast six days per week, serves over 5,000 hot meals per month. The staff includes ten full-time and two part-time employees, and over 500 volunteers. From October 2006 to September 2007, volunteers contributed more than 12,966 work hours, a significant contribution to our struggle against hunger.
Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity
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Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf |
