Starting in mid-October 2006, Feeding Champlain Valley will be opening a new food hub in Burlington that will transform the food shelf experience for the thousands of neighbors who rely on us for groceries, meals, and nutrition support.
At Feeding Champlain Valley, we focus on three priorities: increasing food access, cultivating opportunity, and strengthening community. We set out to find a creative solution for the persistent food access challenges our neighbors experience in the greater Burlington area. Where we landed: A new, high-capacity food hub located at the CVOEO headquarters in Burlington.
The new Chittenden Food Hub is located at 250 Battery Street in Burlington, in the same location as CVOEO’s Chittenden Community Action, Financial Futures Programs, Housing Advocacy Programs, and Champlain Valley Head Start. This location was chosen to fill a longstanding community need for a food shelf in this area in Burlington, while also creating closer connection to CVOEO’s other anti-poverty programs.
“As we head into the winter months, Feeding Champlain Valley anticipates an increase in visits from community members as families face greater financial pressures and higher holiday food costs.
We’re preparing for an increased demand for turkeys and traditional holiday sides so that everyone in our community can experience the comfort and dignity of a nourishing meal.”
—Anna McMahon, Associate Director of Feeding Champlain Valley
Hunger is never a standalone problem. This new location makes it easier for visitors to get the food they need AND support from other programs that will help ease the terrible burden of poverty.
This new food hub has one of the largest shopping spaces, or food shelves, in the state of Vermont, allowing us to quickly and comfortably serve the hundreds of people who come through our doors daily. We are nearly doubling our refrigerated storage space, meaning we can stock more fresh produce, meat and dairy, and nutritious, perishable goods.
Our new commercial warehouse will house large amounts of dry goods and a fulfillment center for online ordering and delivery. There is a large receiving area for donations and a loading dock to support food sourcing from our food rescue and gleaning program. These upgrades help us receive more food donations, repurpose more food, and source food with intention to meet the diverse needs of our population.
The new hub, which has been inspired by the success of our Addison Food Hub in Middlebury, has more parking spaces, access to public transportation, and offers easy walk-in access for those living in the South End of Burlington. The upstairs of the hub has office and conference space where we can meet with our community partners to continue collaborating as we work to end hunger in the Champlain Valley.
This new space will not only benefit Burlington. Our increased storage space will serve as a main hub for all of our food shelves. The Addison Food Hub, NorthWest Family Foods, Old North End location, the Richford Food Shelf, and our region-wide food delivery service will quickly and easily be able to access food stored at the Chittenden Food Hub. People across the Champlain Valley will feel the benefit from this.
Oh, and not to worry—we are not moving out of the Old North End! Feeding Champlain Valley will remain at this location as our main culinary headquarters. Our culinary team, which makes over 77,000 meals a year, will operate here alongside the Community Resource Center. Neighbors will be able to pick up groceries here from our online ordering system and access grab and go food and meals onsite.
We are honored and excited to take this step forward, serving more neighbors in more creative and sustainable ways!