🎓 Meal Plans and Free Benefits
Vermont’s public assistance system has long been touted as a model of compassion — an open-handed commitment to helping residents in need. But a deep look into state documents reveals a growing disconnect between the messaging and the math.
The state continues to sound alarms about hunger, housing insecurity, and rising demand for emergency aid. Legislators warn that more funding is needed to keep up with surging need. Meanwhile, the Department for Children and Families (DCF) and its Economic Services Division (ESD) spend millions on outreach — not just to vulnerable Vermonters in shelters or rural towns, but to college students whose tuition already covers three meals a day.
📬 Posters, Flyers, and Tabling at Campuses
According to outreach planning documents submitted to the USDA between 2018 and 2024, Vermont’s 3SquaresVT program — the local name for SNAP (food stamps) — devotes substantial resources to recruiting and assisting college students. In fiscal year 2022, the Vermont Foodbank spent $678 printing 300 “3SVT for College Students” posters. That’s a small line item, but it’s part of a broader campaign that includes one-on-one application help on campuses, mailings, classroom visits, and digital outreach.
And yet, schools like the University of Vermont and Champlain College already require meal plans for most students living on campus. At UVM, for instance, undergraduates can choose from multiple plans ranging from unlimited dining access to preloaded swipes and flex points — all of which cost between $2,364 and $2,641 per semester. At Champlain, the base plan clocks in at $7,000 per academic year.
In other words, many students targeted by Vermont’s outreach efforts are already paying for full access to food — through their tuition or family support — while the state simultaneously encourages them to apply for taxpayer-funded benefits.
📋 Eligibility Asked — But Not Reported
To be clear, Vermont’s SNAP application does ask whether the applicant is currently receiving benefits in another state. That’s intended to prevent double-dipping across state lines.
What’s missing, however, is any public record of how that data is used. Across seven years of reports and outreach plans, there is no analysis, breakdown, or reporting of how many 3SquaresVT applicants recently moved to Vermont, where they came from, or whether they had previous enrollment in another state’s welfare programs.
Residency in Vermont is defined simply as “intent to stay.” No minimum duration is required. A person can arrive in the state and apply for benefits on the same day — and unless flagged manually in the system, their prior history is not cross-checked in any visible or reportable way.
📈 A Wealthier State — But a Growing Welfare Footprint?
This absence of tracking becomes even more puzzling when paired with migration trends. According to 2021–2022 IRS data, Vermont saw a net gain in high- and middle-income tax filers — particularly households earning over $200,000. At the same time, lower-income filers were more likely to move out of the state. That suggests Vermont’s new arrivals aren’t fleeing hardship — they’re often financially stable, even affluent.
Meanwhile, participation in Vermont’s Reach Up welfare program — which provides cash assistance and support to families with children — has been declining for over a decade. In 2013, the state served over 6,000 families. By 2024, that number had dropped to just 3,439.
So where is the surge in emergency need coming from?
💰 Big Budgets, Minimal Oversight
Much of Vermont’s SNAP outreach is federally reimbursed. Outreach partners — including Hunger Free Vermont, the Foodbank, and regional councils on aging — receive grant funding to increase awareness and applications. They are required to track activity, but not outcomes. That means there’s no evaluation of whether outreach leads to improved food security, reduced need, or whether aid is redundant for recipients who already have access to food.
What is measured, instead, are numbers: how many flyers were handed out, how many trainings were held, how many people were screened or referred. And the more activity a partner can show, the more eligible they are for reimbursement — regardless of who the end user is.
❓ Who’s Being Served — and Who’s Watching?
In a state that prides itself on progressive values and neighborly care, few want to question whether assistance is being handed out too freely. But when the college student with a full meal plan qualifies for food stamps, while the taxpayer footing the bill sees their own grocery prices skyrocket, someone has to ask the question:
Who exactly is Vermont feeding — and why aren’t we keeping track?
Dave Soulia | FYIVT
You can find FYIVT on YouTube | X(Twitter) | Facebook | Parler (@fyivt) | Gab | Instagram
#fyivt #vermont #snapbenefits #collegelife
Support Us for as Little as $5 – Get In The Fight!!
Make a Big Impact with $25/month—Become a Premium Supporter!
Join the Top Tier of Supporters with $50/month—Become a SUPER Supporter!
Leave a Reply