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Hunger Councils: Local Leaders Collaborating to End Hunger in Vermont
Ubicación
Developed by the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger in 2006, Hunger Councils convene local leaders to learn about hunger and break down barriers to food and nutrition resources for our hungry neighbors. We want to build on the success of the two current Hunger Councils to design a sustainable model for Council replication and then launch two more Councils in areas of high, unmet need in VT.
Sobre ti
Sección 1: Tú
Nombre
Maisie
Apellido
Howard
Website URL
Organization
Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger
Country
Estados Unidos, VT
Sección 2: Tu organización
Nombre de la organización
Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger
Sitio web de la organización
Teléfono de la organización
802-865-0255
Dirección de la organización
180 Flynn Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401
Tu organización es
OSC/ONG
País de la organización
Estados Unidos, VT
tu idea
Name Your Project
Hunger Councils: Local Leaders Collaborating to End Hunger in Vermont
Country and state your work focuses on
Estados Unidos, VT
Describe Your Idea
Developed by the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger in 2006, Hunger Councils convene local leaders to learn about hunger and break down barriers to food and nutrition resources for our hungry neighbors. We want to build on the success of the two current Hunger Councils to design a sustainable model for Council replication and then launch two more Councils in areas of high, unmet need in VT.
Website URL
Innovación
What makes your idea unique?
The two Hunger Councils created by the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger in 2006 are comprised of local leaders who are all committed to learning about hunger and promoting the array of nutrition assistance programs that can improve community and household food security. The membership is diverse and well-connected to the community; for example, our Chittenden County Hunger Council includes representatives of Vermont’s Congressional delegation, several state senators and representatives, the CFO of the area’s largest utility company, several members of the clergy, executive directors of agencies that provide services to vulnerable populations including youth and elders, and representatives of state agencies.
Since 2006, the two Hunger Councils have had an enormous impact through increased awareness of the issues by the Council members who bring the information back to their agencies and to their other professional and community circles. Council members have also teamed up with Campaign staff to increase participation and opportunities within each nutrition program – increasing availability of summer food, nutrition education opportunities, school meals, child care meals, and 3SquaresVT (formerly Food Stamps).
In addition, the grassroots advocacy performed by these two Hunger Councils has been instrumental in several recent statewide policy changes. For example, in 2008, the Hunger Councils helped Vermont to become the 4th state in the nation to provide free school breakfast for all low-income schoolchildren.
This change – combined with the other program improvements implemented by the two Hunger Councils – could not have come at a better time, when more Vermont families are struggling to make ends meet. The Hunger Councils are so effective at creating this kind of timely, relevant change because the Council members are able to use their community and professional connections to mobilize the right players at the right time.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
No
Impacto
Esta presentación se trata de
What impact have you had?
Since 2006, the Hunger Councils have created many systemic changes in the Vermont communities they serve, demonstrating the efficacy of this innovative community-based model. Specific examples of their impact include:
Advocacy and Public Policy: In 2008, the Hunger Councils helped Vermont to become the 4th state in the nation to provide free school breakfast for all low-income schoolchildren. Previously, low-income students in Vermont either received free breakfast or paid a reduced price, depending on their family income; the state of Vermont now covers the cost of the reduced price breakfasts. Also in 2008, the Hunger Councils helped to significantly expand our Food Stamp Program. They hosted leaders from across the state to hear a presentation by two Washington DC-based food stamp advocates, who described what other states are doing to improve access to the Food Stamp Program, and offered suggestions for similar initiatives that could help more Vermonters benefit from the program, with a focus on making use of the federal option to eliminate the asset test and increase the income limit. After a summer of activity by Council members and allies, Governor Douglas announced that Vermont would adopt these options effective January 1, 2009. The result of these changes improved access for approximately 30,000 Vermonters. Councils also played a central role in encouraging the state to do adequate customer research in choosing a new name for the Food Stamp Program - now called 3SquaresVT.
Increased Program Participation: The Councils have also been instrumental in improving nutrition programs on the local level. For example, Council members have visited every public school in their service areas at least once, to learn about the school meal programs and to share examples of best practices. Outcomes include increased participation in school meals, and several new school breakfast programs.
Problem
Every month, 12,290 children are fed from food shelves in Vermont. Over 81,400 Vermonters are food insecure and struggle to provide consistent nutritious food for themselves and their children. These numbers illustrate the overwhelming failure in our state to take advantage of existing federal nutrition programs. These programs, when fully utilized, could eradicate hunger and food-insecurity in Vermont. As a rural state, where hunger is often hidden and diffuse, Vermont is presented with unique challenges, including: the lack of awareness about the issue; the absence of population density to create economies of scale for nutrition programs; the deficiency of infrastructure; problems of transportation and distribution; and the fragmentation of services. These challenges are the source of our weakened nutrition safety net, which exposes one in six children in Vermont to compromised health, as anti-hunger efforts are often uncoordinated and inadequate.
Actions
Our success in forming coalitions, working with a wide array of service providers and administrators, providing outreach and education, and improving nutrition programs has made the Campaign a leader in Vermont’s anti-hunger efforts. In 2006, we launched an innovative new initiative to address hunger at the local level: the Community Hunger Project. This comprehensive, locally-supported model mobilizes community leaders to identify gaps and weaknesses in their local nutrition safety net and create action plans to improve program access.
The most ground-breaking – and effective – component of the project has been the creation of Hunger Councils in each county. As described above, the Councils are creating systemic change in their service areas. Our goal now is to build on the success of the two pilot Hunger Councils by designing a sustainable model for replication, and then launching two more Councils in areas of high, unmet need in the coming year.
Results
We will collaborate with current Hunger Councils to design a model for Council replication in other counties, including a membership recruitment strategy, yearly curriculum, and evaluation and sustainability plans. As a result, a tool kit will be created to guide the Hunger Councils’ purpose, goals, and agendas. This new tool kit will include a curriculum, information on hunger and key programs to combat hunger, best practices, and resources for the Councils. It will also include outreach materials for Councils to use in promoting their work to the greater community. Important note: The tool kit and outreach materials will be developed with the goal of being easily modified to work for any community in future years.
We will also work in Windham and Lamoille Counties to launch this model. We will meet with local leaders who have demonstrated commitment to our mission, to inform them of the project, invite them to participate, identify an ideal membership pool, and help them to launch the Councils. As a result, there will be an increased understanding by key community leaders of hunger and its solutions and improved participation in several key nutrition programs in the region.
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
In order to create a strategy for effective Hunger Council replication, we will first need extensive community buy-in. Through collaboration with the membership of the two current Councils, we will gather feedback about the first 4+ years of the pilot and ideas for the future. From there, we will be able to develop a curriculum and action plans that efficiently meet our project goals.
The next step will be to build excitement and commitment for the two new Councils. We hope to involve leaders from all sectors of the community, to ensure a varied membership. We will also identify council chairs who can commit to leading the councils for at least three years so each council has consistent, ongoing leadership at the local level.
Once the councils have been established, their success is largely up to the members themselves. We are developing a curriculum that educates the councils about the issue of hunger and its solutions, and empowers THEM to take the next steps that are more appropriate and impactful for their communities. In this way, while we will continue to be connected and involved with the councils as a resource throughout the coming years, we will not be setting the direction, thereby allowing the local leaders to bring change to their communities in an organic and meaningful way.
What would prevent your project from being a success?
The only thing that would prevent our project's success would be a lack of community engagement on the issue of hunger and its solutions. However, our experience with the two current Hunger Councils has proven that local leaders - when given the information about the problem and the means to do something about it - are eager to jump in and take action.
How many people will your project serve annually?
1001‐10,000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
$1000 - 4000
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
Sí
Sustenibilidad
¿En qué fase está el proyecto?
Operando entre 1-5 años
In what country?
Estados Unidos, VT
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
Sí
If yes, provide organization name.
Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger
How long has this organization been operating?
Más de 5 años
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Sí
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
Sí
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
No
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?
Sí
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
Partnerships are a key element of what makes the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger successful. For example, we partner with the University of Vermont Extension's Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program to offer our Cooking for Life nutrition education program. We also work closely with the state agencies that administer nutrition programs, such as the Department of Education and the Department for Children and Families, to coordinate outreach and technical assistance in the community. Specifically for the Hunger Councils, membership will include representatives from these and many other partners that serve at-risk Vermonters, in order to create a diverse and effective group of community leaders.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
1. Community engagement: We feel confident that the problem of hunger will not be solved until everyone in our state knows it exists and has meaningful ways to be engaged in the movement. Efforts like the Hunger Councils create this forum for engagement.
2. Public Policy: As an organization, we provide hands-on technical assistance to communities to improve access to nutritious meals. However, supportive public policy (such as our Breakfast Bill, which expanded school breakfast for low-income Vermont kids) has the potential to make even greater systemic change in our communities. Because of this, we work closely with our state lawmakers and Vermont delegation to create strong nutrition policies for our state, region, and nation.
3. Community support: In addition to being involved in our work on the frontlines as volunteers, advocates, and partners, we also rely on the generosity of our donors to help us continue to grow and meet the needs of our state.
La historia
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
In early 2006, we were asked by a large Vermont bank to put together a proposal for ending hunger at the local level. The bank was interested in devoting a large percentage of their charitable giving to one cause: ending hunger, and they wanted to focus on their service area (Chittenden County and central Vermont). We decided to launch a pilot project in this region that would combine elements of our existing work (e.g. technical outreach to schools and community groups to initiate and expand food programs, public education, and policy work) with new, innovative ideas. One such idea quickly rose to the top of our list: the Hunger Council. We had seen the power that certain community leaders could have when they devoted their energy and influence towards an issue, and we thought "what would happen if got a whole group of local leaders together in the same room, talking about the same issue, collaborating on the same solutions"? From that conversation, the concept of the Hunger Council was defined, and the model was launched.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
The idea of the Hunger Council model was created by Dorigen Keeney, Director of Public Policy & Research at the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger. Dorigen leads the Campaign's work with state and federal policymakers; prior to taking on this role, she lead our School Meals Expansion Program. She was instrumental in the passage of two important pieces of state legislation: Act 22 and H.333: both of which have increased access to school meals for thousands of Vermont children. In these roles, Dorigen saw first-hand the influence and power that local leaders can have in making local change happen, and she created this Hunger Council model with this in mind. When we launched our Community Hunger Project in 2006, Dorigen took on coordination of the two Hunger Councils, and she will lead the expansion in the coming years.
Widely considered a nutrition expert, Dorigen is sought out by journalists and community groups for analyses and commentary on hunger issues and legislative and budget developments. Dorigen is a member of several anti-hunger commissions and task forces providing technical assistance, strategic guidance, and communications support. Dorigen’s previous clinical experience includes working with malnourished children, homeless families, as well as children with special health care needs. In 2008 Dorigen received the Outstanding Service Award from KidSafe Collaborative. In 2006 she was chosen to be a Carsey Institute Leadership Fellow at the University of New Hampshire, and in 2005 she was awarded Outstanding Dietitian of the Year by the Vermont Dietetic Association. Dorigen received her Master of Science degree from the University of Vermont and is a Registered Dietitian. She is also currently Nutrition Faculty with the Vermont Interdisciplinary Leadership Education for Health Professionals, affiliated with the University of Vermont.
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
Email from Changemakers
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 | VTCECH dijo: Great question, Alexis! Early on in the Washington County Hunger Councils' existence, we provided extensive education about school meal ... sobre este Competition Entry. - hace 661 días leer más > |
| Alexis Ditkowsky dijo: Hi Maisie, Thanks so much for sharing your model for Hunger Councils. I really appreciated your philosophy of providing resources and ... sobre este Competition Entry. - hace 661 días leer más > |
| VTCECH Actualizar este Competition Entry. - hace 664 días |
| VTCECH envió esta idea. - hace 706 días |
