Have food stamps or food shelves helped your family get by in tough times? Today we'll hear YOUR stories about the challenges of going hungry in Vermont. Do you make choices between paying for heating or for food? Tell your story, below.

While many Vermonters are celebrating the long Memorial Day Weekend with barbeques and parties, there are also many who worry about where their next meal will come from.  Its' estimated that 14 percent of all Vermont households are food insecure - and that doesn't let up during the summer.

The same three words underlie many problems facing the state now: Tropical Storm Irene. In September, the Vermont FoodBank distributed one million pounds of food across the state, up from 600,000 pounds last September.

The Shumlin Administration thinks it has a plan to reduce childhood hunger in the state. The Administration is seeking a waiver from the federal government to give food agencies more flexibility to buy locally grown products for their programs.

Vermont's hunger rate continues to creep upward, but the increase isn't as dramatic as it has been in recent years.

New data from the USDA show the rate of "food insecurity" in Vermont has grown four percent over the last five years. We talk with the director of the Vermont FoodBank about the economics of hunger.

In Vermont, 29,000 children meet the income guidelines for subsidized breakfast and lunch during the school year. For some, the meals are the only reliable source of daily nutrition. But the state's summer meal programs reach only about 5,000 kids - a small fraction of those who qualify.

VPR's Steve Zind talks with the CEO of the Vermont Foodbank and the Executive Director of the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger about hunger in Vermont.

A new USDA report shows the highest hunger levels in the U.S. since 1995.  In Vermont, 12% of households struggle with hunger.  We look into why the issue of hunger continues to worsen.  Also, Vermont's state forests celebrate 100 years!