Multiplier Effect Stimulated $78 Million in Additional Local Spending
Westminster, Vt. — Vermont Everyone Eats (VEE), the innovative, statewide, $49 million pandemic relief program that increased food security, economic stabilization, and agricultural resilience within a single initiative, recently released an economic report showing that the program also stimulated significant lasting economic impact in Vermont. Between August 2020 and March 2023, nearly four million meals were produced by Vermont restaurants and distributed statewide to local meal recipients negatively affected by the pandemic. Meals were made by over 320 Vermont restaurants using ingredients from over 270 Vermont farmers and food producers.
Read more about the program’s impact in these two reports:
- Vermont Everyone Eats Economic Analysis: Vee’s Dual Investment In The Local Food Economy And Food Security For Vermonters
- A Future Where Everyone Eats: Lessons and Opportunities from a Successful Pandemic Relief Program
Funded by FEMA and the Vermont Legislature, VEE’s dual investment in both food security and the local food economy resulted in a $78 million increase in local spending by restaurants and farms outside of income received through the program. Research by agricultural economists Elizabeth Schuster and Michelle Klieger showed that VEE income stabilized participating businesses, enabling VEE restaurants and farms to make additional investments in equipment and infrastructure to support the viability of their businesses for years to come.
According to Elizabeth Schuster of Sustainable Economies Consulting, “Vermont Everyone Eats was by definition a full economic development program that also had astounding local food security benefits. This program model is a game changer. It is a paradigm shift that compels us to think about food security and the local food economy in Vermont in new ways.”
Participating restaurants were paid $10 per meal, bringing $39 million in total revenue to restaurants statewide. VEE restaurants were required to use a minimum of 10% ingredients purchased from Vermont farms and food producers. Actual local purchasing for program meals averaged 36% statewide, which provided more than $7.4 million in agricultural revenue, primarily to small businesses. Meals were distributed to individuals in need through local community hubs.