If you are looking for an easy way to donate food in Madison, Wisconsin, consider donating to the Food Recovery Network of the UW-Madison. The network uses recovered food to prepare free community meals. In Wisconsin, over 70% of the food that is thrown away is edible. According to one study, 1.7 billion pounds of food ended up in the trash. Yet, over one in ten people faced hunger.
Dane County Food Pantry Network
The Dane County Food Pantry Network provides food to hungry individuals and families in the community. Through partnerships with local organizations, the network provides healthy, affordable food to individuals and families. By providing a variety of healthy food options, the network helps improve health outcomes and quality of life. It is open to all residents of Dane County and operates one of the busiest food pantries in Wisconsin.
The need for food pantries has increased in the past few months, and local food pantries are reporting a shortage of food in recent weeks. Job loss, combined with high inflation, has left more people in need of help. Consequently, pantries must purchase more food to meet the increased demand. And, as food costs rise, pantries will have to raise their prices to meet that demand.
The Dane County Food Pantry Network offers emergency food for the elderly and children. Additionally, the organization offers holiday baskets to low-income families. The organization also helps HIV and AIDs patients get free meals and apply for other assistance programs. They also provide food and a blanket to the homeless.
The Dane County Food Pantry Network includes the River Food Pantry, which serves over 1,000 diverse households in South Central Wisconsin every week. The pantry provides groceries, food deliveries, and hot meals to hungry clients. Additionally, the organization works to eliminate food waste by partnering with local food-related businesses and farmers. In addition, The River Food Pantry offers food recovery programs with over 100 stores in the Dane County area. During the past year, 40% of food the pantry served came from the food recovery program.
A partnership between the county and Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin is creating new opportunities for local farmers and producers. The partnership will increase the availability of local foods for the residents of Dane County. It will also benefit local producers, who will enjoy an increase in sales and a more consistent supply.
The Dane County Food Pantry Network is a group of 50 agencies that work together to help hungry people. The network consists of food pantries, meal sites, and shelters. CAC’s Food Security Division supplies food to these agencies. The organization has regular meetings to discuss hunger issues, share resources, and collaborate on projects.
Feeding Wisconsin
As the statewide association of six Feeding America food banks and more than 1,000 local food programs, Feeding Wisconsin is committed to helping the people of Wisconsin have access to healthy food. The organization works to bring awareness to the issue of hunger and assist food banks in fundraising efforts. It also advocates for systemic change and aims to improve public understanding of hunger. The organization’s website also provides information and guidance for individuals seeking food assistance.
The organization’s Board of Directors is composed of six leaders of food banks that serve Wisconsinites in all 72 counties. Board members also receive input from community partners, staff members, and people living with hunger. Together, these leaders provide guidance for Feeding Wisconsin’s programs and lend a powerful voice to the effort to end hunger in the state.
The organization’s website provides statistics and facts that tell the story of hunger and how it affects people in Wisconsin. The statistics tell the story of many people who live in poverty, but are often invisible to most people. Statistics and facts about hunger can be a great way to communicate the cause to a larger audience.
Feeding Wisconsin is part of the Americorps program and United Way. The organization works with community partners to provide services to hungry people through its FoodShare Outreach program. The organization serves individuals in Door, Outagamie, and Shawano. In addition, it provides phone services for people who need them. Lisa is thrilled to be part of the Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin team and is excited to serve the families in her community.
Despite increasing costs, Feeding Wisconsin is not reducing the availability of food for those in need. Every dollar donated to Feeding America is equivalent to $10 in purchasing power. Readers who donate can make a difference in their community by contributing to the Stock the Shelves campaign. The organization relies on the generosity of its donors to help fight hunger in Wisconsin.
Brooklynn McLaughlin joined the FoodShare Outreach team in May 2022. Prior to joining FoodShare, she worked for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin as a Volunteer Program Specialist. She is passionate about increasing the number of families who can access FoodShare food through farmer’s markets. She enjoys coffee and hiking. She also enjoys visiting animals.
Safe & Health Food Pantries Project
In March, Gov. Tony Evers issued an executive order that mandated food pantries be safer for the state’s residents. The order affected traditional pantries across Wisconsin. Churches and pop-up pantries ceased to operate, and children who received food at after-school programs and school lunches were stopped from receiving meals. This left organizations scrambling to address the needs.
The Safe & Health Food Pantries Project is a resource for food pantries to help them ensure that they provide healthy food to hungry people. The program is based on input from food pantry staff, clients, and volunteers. It also features research-informed recommendations and best practices for food pantries.
The Safe & Health Food Pantries Project in Wisconsin is an initiative of the Wisconsin Community Action Program. It has received national and local media attention. In addition to the work of food pantries, the project has produced a toolkit for other food pantry programs, including a comprehensive evaluation framework. The toolkit contains sample client questions and information on how to use administrative data to determine the effectiveness of a food pantry program.
The SHFPP manual includes tools for food pantry staff and volunteers to successfully implement change. The five-step action cycle provides practical tools to help pantry staff and volunteers implement a variety of strategies. The manual aims to increase the capacity to implement change and is designed to be used collaboratively with SNAP-Ed educators.
