Information on the 3SquaresVT program can be found at http://www.vermontfoodhelp.com.
When you use 3SquaresVT benefits, you can buy the foods you like to eat. You will get a plastic card that looks like a credit card, called an Electronic Benefits Transfer or EBT card. You can use the card at most grocery stores, convenience stores, markets, and co-ops. Your 3SquaresVT benefits are added to your card at the beginning of every month and will remain on your card for up to one year. 3SquaresVT benefits cannot be used to purchase non-food items.
Getting 3SquaresVT benefits depends on your income, expenses, and how many people live in your household. Children who are eligible for 3SquaresVT automatically qualify for free breakfast and lunch at school. Families that qualify for the Vermont Earned Income Tax Credit (Vermont EITC) are financially eligible for 3SquaresVT. Clients who are eligible for 3SquaresVT are automatically eligible for Lifeline Telephone Credit.
Households in which all members are age 65 or older, or receive SSI, receive their 3SquaresVT benefit deposited as cash into their bank account, if they have one. Homeless youth up to age 21 may qualify for 3SquaresVT.
More information about this program, and others for low-income Vermonters, can be obtained by calling the Vermont 211 helpline, or visiting www.vermont211.org.