With a new name, Vermont’s largest food pantry is working to serve more people in need

Read the full article at mychamplainvalley.com. Here is an excerpt:

One of Vermont’s biggest social services organizations, formerly known as Feeding Chittenden, is aiming to help even more people in the Champlain Valley under a new name.

On Tuesday, the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity’s Feeding Chittenden, the largest direct service charitable food provider in the state, rebranded to Feeding Champlain Valley as it sets a goal of expanding its services to reach more people.

Feeding Champlain Valley is celebrating its 50th year; it opened food shelves in Middlebury and St. Albans and numerous food hubs in the Champlain Valley since opening in 1974, when it was first known as the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf.

But with more growth ahead, the organization is working through new changes, including inflation. Paul Dragon, executive director of CVOEO, said, “It’s really important we’re getting as much food out as we can to families, at the same time, we’re paying more and more and more for food to try and get that out to families.”

On Tuesday, the organization launched a fundraising campaign, the Fund to Feed Champlain Valley, aiming to raise $7.5 million to ensure food access. It’s already raised $5 million.

Officials say the need is growing. Anore Horton, executive director of Hunger Free Vermont, said, “When one basic need is not getting met, I promise you that the first consequence is hunger.”