Hunger Free Vermont is excited to announce that Tatiana Abatemarco and James Trimarchi are the new co-chairs of the Hunger Council of Bennington County.
Tatiana and Jim step into this leadership role at a time of great urgency. Since the onset of the pandemic, hunger has been at record levels in Vermont. Local, state, and national agencies and organizations have been working hard to provide assistance, and the Hunger Council of Bennington County has been an important platform to coordinate efforts across multiple organizations.
“For many in Vermont, healthy food is too expensive. I look forward to working with Tatiana to guide the Bennington Hunger Council to develop sustainable systems where everyone can access healthy food, ideally made available by Vermont farmers.” shares Jim. The Hunger Council was established in 2016, and includes representatives from health and human service providers, local food shelves and pantries, school nutrition administrators, statewide anti-hunger and anti-poverty organizations, Bennington College, and the faith community. The Hunger Council is organized by Hunger Free Vermont, the state’s leading anti-hunger education and advocacy organization, dedicated to ending the injustice of hunger and malnutrition for all Vermonters.
Jim Trimarchi, PhD, is the Director of Planning at Southwestern Vermont Health Care, which provides medical care and health services across Bennington and Windham Counties in Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties in New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. Tatiana Abatemarco, PhD, is a visiting faculty member at Bennington College, and has been helping to lead the college's work in food security for the region.
Tatiana and Jim take over leadership of the Hunger Council from Scott Winslow (former Executive Director of Greater Bennington Interfaith Community Services) and Megan Herrington (District Director for the Vermont Department of Health - Bennington Office). "We owe Megan and Scott a great debt of gratitude for their leadership and vision for the Council, especially during such difficult times, "states Jenna O’Donnell from Hunger Free Vermont, “and we are excited to bring on the expertise and energy of Jim and Tatiana."
For more information on the Hunger Council of Bennington County and to join its work, please visit hungerfreevt.org/hunger-councils
For more information on Southwestern Vermont Health Care, visit svhealthcare.org . For more information on Bennington College, visit bennington.edu