Largest Charities in Vermont: Top 10 Organizations to Donate & Volunteer (2026)

Vermont Foodbank is the state's largest hunger-relief organization, distributing 14.5 million pounds of food in 2025 through a network of more than 300 community partners — food shelves, meal sites, schools, hospitals, and housing sites across all 14 Vermont counties. Feeding America recognizes it as one of the most effective and efficient food banks in the nation. The food bank operates from Barre and has a Williston distribution facility serving Chittenden County and the Burlington area. Vermont calls SNAP "3SquaresVT" and Vermont Foodbank is the only statewide 3SquaresVT application assister — the only organization helping eligible Vermonters in all 14 counties navigate enrollment.

The past two years have been unusually difficult for the food bank. Consecutive catastrophic floods in July 2023 and July 2024 destroyed $16 million and $5 million in crops respectively, disrupting farms and local food supply chains while creating newly food-insecure populations. The end of pandemic Emergency Allotment SNAP benefits in April 2023 — which had provided $100–$2,000/month per household — drove a sharp increase in demand. Then in summer 2025, the food bank announced layoffs of roughly 10% of its workforce because federal grants didn't renew. Despite those cuts, the food bank distributed more pounds in 2025 than in any prior year. Volunteers sort food at Barre and Williston locations throughout the week.

Hunger Free Vermont has advocated for systemic hunger solutions since 1993, working specifically on policy change rather than direct food distribution. Their focus includes expanding 3SquaresVT (SNAP) enrollment, implementing universal school meals, and advocating at the Vermont legislature for state-level food funding. In March 2025, alongside Vermont Foodbank and Vermont Legal Aid, Hunger Free Vermont released a joint statement calling the federal government's approach to food funding "a failure of leadership that shortchanges the American people."

Hunger Free Vermont Executive Director Anore Horton: "A flat-funded budget does not account for inflation or the rising cost of food, meaning our neighbors and communities will not see improvements to programs that help put food on the table — despite the clear need for them." Vermont was among the states cited in the 2023 Rhode Island hunger report as a model for universal school meals policy — Vermont has had a permanent free school meal policy that Rhode Island was trying to replicate. For donors interested specifically in policy change rather than direct food distribution, Hunger Free Vermont is the primary advocacy vehicle.

The Humane Society of Vermont operates from its South Burlington shelter and coordinates with local humane societies and rescue organizations across the state. Vermont's rural character creates specific animal welfare challenges: large stray cat populations in rural towns, long distances to veterinary care, high surrender rates during economic hardship, and limited shelter capacity in small-county shelters. The Humane Society of Vermont coordinates transport programs to move animals from high-intake situations to placement-ready organizations, and provides resources to county humane organizations statewide.

Vermont's flooding in 2023 and 2024 created additional animal welfare stress — farms with livestock were affected, and displaced families sometimes surrendered pets during emergency relocations. The Humane Society's pet retention programs provide temporary boarding, emergency pet food, and support to help owners keep animals during hardship. Volunteer roles include animal care, dog walking, cat socialization, and foster care at the South Burlington facility.

Habitat for Humanity Vermont operates through affiliates in Burlington, Rutland, and other communities, building affordable homes and providing critical home repairs in a state where housing costs have risen sharply. Vermont's housing crisis is among the most severe in New England: the state has a very low housing vacancy rate, median home prices in Chittenden County (Burlington area) have exceeded $500,000, and rents in Burlington rival those of much larger cities. The end of pandemic-era protections accelerated evictions, pushing more working Vermonters into a housing market that had no slack.

Vermont's housing crisis is directly connected to food insecurity: housing costs consuming 50–60% of income leave very little for food. Habitat's homeownership model — mortgage payments capped at 30% of income — creates budget room for food and other necessities that market-rate housing doesn't allow. Critical repair programs address safety hazards in Vermont's old rural housing stock. Build days run seasonally. ReStore locations accept building materials and goods.

The Vermont Community Foundation manages charitable funds, scholarships, and grants statewide from its Middlebury headquarters. After the historic floods of July 2023 and 2024, VCF activated emergency flood response funds that collected millions in disaster relief donations and distributed grants to nonprofits supporting flood-affected communities in Orange, Washington, Lamoille, and other hard-hit counties. For donors who want to support Vermont broadly — or specifically the ongoing flood recovery work — VCF's flood response fund and county affiliate funds provide vetted grantmaking infrastructure.

Vermont Community Foundation also manages the Vermont CARES Fund (community crisis response) and various county-level funds that direct giving to locally specific priorities. For donors outside Vermont who want to help but aren't sure which organization to pick, VCF's vetted directory and program officers can help direct giving to high-impact organizations in specific regions or cause areas.

United Way of Northwest Vermont manages workplace giving campaigns for Burlington-area employers — GlobalFoundries, University of Vermont Medical Center, Fletcher Allen, Burton, and others — and distributes grants to nonprofits in Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle Counties. They operate 2-1-1 Vermont, the statewide helpline connecting residents to food, housing, utility, and emergency resources. During the November 2025 SNAP disruption, 2-1-1 Vermont saw call volume increase sharply as Vermonters sought food pantry locations and emergency resources. Vermont also has United Way affiliates in Central Vermont, Lamoille County, and Windham and Windsor counties.

Burlington and Chittenden County host the largest concentration of Vermont employers and nonprofit organizations. GlobalFoundries, UVM, Burlington Electric, and many smaller tech and health companies participate in United Way workplace campaigns. Their Emerging Leaders United program engages younger Vermont professionals in community service and giving.

The Red Cross Vermont Region responds to home fires, flooding, and winter weather disasters. Vermont's disaster profile has been dramatically reshaped by climate: the historic July 2023 floods — called the worst in the state since the 1927 floods — damaged thousands of homes and businesses, displaced hundreds of families, and required a multi-month Red Cross response involving emergency shelter, disaster assistance, and long-term recovery case management. July 2024 brought another significant flooding event affecting similar regions. The Red Cross's long-term recovery teams worked alongside Vermont Emergency Management through both events.

Blood collection serves the University of Vermont Medical Center and Dartmouth Health facilities in Vermont. Blood donation appointments are available within days. If you were displaced by flooding or another disaster in Vermont and need immediate help, call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

The Vermont Center for Independent Living provides services, advocacy, and resources to Vermonters with disabilities, including assistive technology, peer counseling, personal care attendant support, housing advocacy, and systems navigation. Vermont has one of the highest rates of disability in New England — rural communities with aging populations and a history of physically demanding work in farming, logging, and manufacturing have significant disability prevalence. People with disabilities face food insecurity at substantially higher rates than the general population, and VCIL's connection to food access resources is an important part of their holistic support services.

VCIL's work is especially critical in Vermont because the rural landscape creates transportation and access barriers for people with mobility limitations that urban centers don't face to the same degree. A person with a disability in rural Caledonia County may be hours from services, and VCIL's statewide network of services and peer support specialists is often the primary connection to resources. Volunteers assist with peer support, transportation, and outreach.

The Salvation Army operates in Burlington, Rutland, and the Barre-Montpelier area with emergency food, rent and utility assistance, overnight shelter, and disaster canteens. Vermont's winters are severe, and the Salvation Army's heating assistance programs — often the last resort for families who've exhausted other options — are active throughout the cold months. Burlington's modest homeless population and Rutland's significant poverty (Rutland County has some of Vermont's highest poverty rates) both require consistent emergency assistance infrastructure. Red Kettle campaign runs November through Christmas. Emergency assistance available at local corps statewide.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Vermont matches children with adult mentors across the state. Vermont's rural communities create specific mentoring challenges and opportunities — long distances between towns, limited transportation, but also Vermont's outdoor culture that makes hiking, skiing, maple sugaring, and fishing natural mentoring activities. BIPOC communities in Vermont face food insecurity rates up to 10 times higher than white households, according to Hunger Free Vermont data, and children in these communities benefit most from consistent adult mentoring relationships that address the long-term consequences of economic stress.

Community-based mentoring requires meeting 2–4 times per month for at least a year. School-based mentoring runs weekly. Vermont's small size means volunteers and mentees often know people in common — the social fabric of small-town Vermont makes mentoring relationships more naturally integrated into community life than in anonymous urban settings. Demand for mentors exceeds availability, particularly in rural areas.