$1 Million Grant to Address Food Insecurity in Bennington

If you saw the front page of the Banner Wednesday morning, you may have seen that Bennington College received a $1 million grant to address food insecurity. Here at GBICS, we think about food security often. After all, we run programs like the Kitchen Cupboard and FoodFit because Bennington County has high rates of food insecurity.

It’s easy to take having healthy, nutritious food for granted when it’s readily available. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to enough safe and nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life. These folks are considered food insecure, and many of them visit food distribution sites like the Kitchen Cupboard. In fact, one in four Bennington families and individuals visit the Kitchen Cupboard.

We see the impact of food insecurity every day. GBICS knows that, in addition to medical care, a person’s environment, food choices, and behaviors, affect their health. That’s why we’re so excited the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Bennington College a $1 million grant over the next three years to explore food insecurity in Bennington County. Together with Bennington College, Southwestern Vermont Health Care, and Southwestern Vermont Supervisory Union, we hope to increase food security in our community.

“Food is central to everyone’s existence; the ability to access healthy, nutritious food is a human right. With hard work, creative thinking, and collaborative effort, we hope to address this challenge with positive change.” – Susan Sgorbati, Director of the Center of Advancement of Public Action at Bennington College

The project will build upon the college’s existing partnership with GBICS to deepen student engagement and public collaboration around local food systems.