Support the Restaurant Meals Program in Vermont!
Hunger Free Vermont is currently advocating for the State of Vermont to launch the Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) here in Vermont. The RMP would allow certain 3SquaresVT (also known as SNAP) recipients to use their benefits at participating local restaurants.
SNAP households who are eligible to spend their benefits through the Restaurant Meals Program are households where:
Everyone is 60 years of age or older OR;
Living with a qualifying disability OR;
Experiencing homelessness.
Allowing individuals and restaurants to participate in the RMP is an important way to support food access for Vermonters enrolled in 3SquaresVT. These are folks who might not always be able to prepare meals for themselves or who do not have permanent housing for storing and preparing food.
Implementing the RMP would have significant positive impacts on both local restaurants and the broader state economy, making it a win-win for communities. By allowing participants to use their benefits at participating restaurants, the program creates a broader customer base for local businesses, boosting their revenue. It also affords restaurants the opportunity to serve as food security partners, which we saw as a successful model with the Vermont Everyone Eats program.
Show your support for the SNAP Restaurant Meals Program by signing on to our letters of support below. We will share these letters with legislators to show them the vast support for this program across the state!
Whether you are a Restaurant, a community member, or another business or organization, you can sign up to support the Restaurant Meals Program in Vermont! Please click whichever of the below options apply to you:
If you have any questions, or want to take further action after signing up as a supporter, please email our Legislative Policy Lead, Autumn Moen, at amoen@hungerfreevt.org