You may have heard of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP—a federal program that helps income-eligible individuals and families access fresh, healthy food. Vermont’s version of SNAP is called 3SquaresVT.

A related program, called SNAP-Education, or SNAP-Ed, supports 3SquaresVT-eligible families by providing funding to local organizations that fill two important roles:

  1. Assisting people with how to grow, find, buy, store, and prepare healthy, fresh food.

  2. Inspiring and supporting people to get regular physical activity.

SNAP-Ed’s priority populations include:

  • Single parent households with children under 18, especially those with children under five

  • Black and Indigenous people of color (BIPOC)

  • Refugees

  • People living with a disability

  • Rural Vermonters

  • GLBTQ+ people, recognizing many individuals and households hold many of these identities at the same time.

SNAP-Ed's work in Vermont

SNAP-Ed operates by providing funding and technical support to Vermont organizations that fulfill SNAP-Ed’s goals. These organizations, also called grantees, offer a variety of services, such as:

  • Teaching families to grow, prepare and enjoy their own food

  • Delivering fresh produce directly to communities via mobile food shelves

  • Providing cooking demos and educational events at schools and community events

  • Helping childcare centers offer healthy snacks and meals to children

  • Hosting events to help families make outdoor activity a normal and fun part of life

  • SNAP-Ed also works to improve nutrition security, which means all Vermonters have consistent, equitable access to the nutritious, safe, and affordable foods that are essential to living healthy lives. Find out more about this as well as helpful resources here.

SNAP and SNAP-Ed are run by the federal Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) program. In Vermont, the Vermont Department of Health oversees SNAP-Ed. The Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF) administers 3SquaresVT.

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