More than 30,000 day passes to Vermont's state parks were given out this year under a new program that allowed low-income residents to get into the parks for free.
The nonprofit group Vermont Parks Forever started the program this year, and executive director Sarah Alberghini Winters said many of the participants were able to visit swimming areas during the summer that might otherwise have been inaccessible to them.
The most popular parks visited this year include Branbury State Park in Salisbury, Lake Shaftsbury, Crystal Lake State Park in Barton and Sand Bar State Park in Milton.
“A majority said that they wouldn’t have been able to visit the parks without this free access,” Alberghini Winters said. “And it was really wonderful to hear that the program is needed and getting used.”
Vermont Parks Forever was founded in 2013.
For the past 10 years the group has raised money for a special fund that provides social service organizations with state park passes for their clients.
Last year, Alberghini Winters said, anyone with an EBT or WIC card could show the card at a state park office and get a free day pass.
“This program is amazing,” one of the beneficiaries wrote to Vermont Parks Forever. “With a 3-year-old and a brand new baby our funds are very tight each month. It allowed me to access beautiful scenery and get my children outside in fresh air on a weekly basis.”
The group says the program is the first one in the country to use donations to allow free access to state parks based on income eligibility.
“We were looking for a new way to serve more people,” Alberghini Winters said. “It was a very successful program and it has an immense impact on people’s health and well-being.”
Across the state, about 100,000 people were eligible to receive the benefit through a variety of state programs including WIC and EBT, along with Fuel Assistance, General Assistance and the Essential Person Program.
Alberghini Winters said they will likely continue next year, though they are still raising money to fund the program.
