Kathleen and Roger* were overwhelmed when they came to WayForward for assistance.

Both in their 80s, the couple faced thousands of dollars in medical bills from Roger’s cancer treatment denied by their insurance plan.

Their WayForward case manager referred them to a patient advocate to assist with navigating their health insurance appeals, offering Kathleen some much-needed hope. She also connected them to the Aging and Disability Resource Center to learn more about potential eligibility for public benefits.

Kathleen was relieved to get some help and to learn from her WayForward case manager that they could use the food pantry to make ends meet and access nutritious food when Roger needs it most.

“I went last week and it was wonderful,” she told her case manager. “We got four apples and my husband ate one every day.”

WayForward’s food pantry is open to all Dane County residents who need it and the number of visits has risen 237% since January 2022.

*names and identifying details changed

Members of St. Bernard Catholic Church’s Human Needs Commission devised a simple plan for a food drive that yielded amazing results. 

During the weekend of October 7, they handed out paper grocery bags with WayForward’s shopping list stapled to them and encouraged families to fill them with items from the list. Churchgoers were invited to return the bags the following weekend and drop them in food barrels stationed at the entrances to the church parking lot. That weekend the barrels were overflowing.

“The participation was great,” says commission member Barbara Roberts, who delivered the results of the church’s drive along with Dick Seifert (pictured above).

The group handed out an estimated 200 bags and about 170 came back. The drive collected 1,212 pounds of food for WayForward’s pantry, the equivalent of more than 1,000 meals.

Roberts says she thinks giving people a physical reminder to take part was the difference in making the food drive a success.

“What people have told us is that it’s a visible reminder during the week,” she says. “You see it on the kitchen counter and you’re reminded, ‘I’ve got to stop at the grocery store.’”

You can hold a food drive in your office, school, team or organization. Our shopping list includes: breakfast cereals/oatmeal, rice, pasta and sauce, mac and cheese, peanut butter, canned soup, snacks, condiments, canned chicken and tuna, flour and sugar, cooking oil, toiletries, diapers and wipes.

Carmen Karvelis, our new Food Access Manager, leads WayForward’s food pantry and develops and maintains partnerships with volunteers, donors, and community agencies.

Before joining WayForward earlier this year, she was the e-pantry coordinator for The River Food Pantry in Madison. Carmen also has several years of domestic violence survivor advocacy and housing experience, which helps her collaborate with our housing stability team and understand the barriers our clients/guests face when accessing programs. In her spare time, Carmen loves cooking and spending time with friends. She also enjoys playing music and going to concerts.

This week we welcomed Dane County Executive Joe Parisi and State Rep. Alex Joers for a tour of our food pantry. MOM has received a nearly $202,000 COVID Food Pantry Aid Assistance Grant from Dane County that will allow us to cover the costs of a new freezer/cooler, bulk food and more food pantry staff hours. Executive Director Ellen Carlson shared information with Parisi and Joers about the rising demand for our food security and housing stability programs. Food pantries across the county are expecting an increase in demand in the wake of a reduction in extra FoodShare benefits put into place during the pandemic, a change that will affect thousands of Dane County residents who rely on the program to access food for their families. We are currently providing the equivalent of more than 70,000 meals a month, which is more than double from last year and the most in our history. MOM is grateful for support from the county and our elected officials as we work to build food security in our community.

Have dinner plans for tonight? All month long, six Madison Originals restaurants will be collecting nonperishable food donations for MOM: 1847 at the Stamm House, Grape Water Wine Bar, Imperial Garden West, Longtable Beer Cafe, Nitty Gritty in Middleton and Buck & Honey’s in Monona. “We want to make sure that we can help our community the best way we can,” Sarah Niehaus, director of Madison Originals, told the Wisconsin State Journal. The nonprofit association of local, independently owned restaurants put together the “Mad Can” food drive to benefit MOM and other local food pantries. Thank you to these restaurants for bringing our community together to build food security for our neighbors!

Check out recent media coverage of the Mad Can Food Drive and learn more about food security in our community!

NBC 15: Madison-area restaurants support food pantries with ‘Mad Can’ Food Drive

News 3 Now: Area restaurants taking part in food drive to help those in need

WKOW-TV: Madison restaurants join forces this February to support local food pantries

Wisconsin State Journal: 30 Madison-area restaurants collecting food pantry donations (WSJ)

 

At our food pantry, we frequently hear from clients who are in search of pet food for their furry family members.

Last Friday, a team from Pick ‘n Save and Metro Market delivered a donation of 13,000 cans of premium cat food for distribution to neighbors in our community facing the challenge of the rising costs of pet food.

“Our goal is to support the entire family, and we know that pets are an important part of the family,” says MOM Program Director Meghan Sohns. “Many of our clients will be thrilled to have access to this cat food for their pets.”

Financial barriers are one of the main reasons why 6.3 million companion animals (3.2 million cats) are surrendered to shelters each year, according to ASPCA.org. And the Washington Post reported in December that animal shelters across the country have seen an influx of pet surrenders over the last year as inflation affects household budgets.

“It’s so much better for pets to stay in the household and for us to provide these family needs,” says Emilie Williamson, Corporate Affairs Manager at Pick ‘n Save and Metro Market. “Pets are a big part of our families.”

In total, the grocers delivered more than 25,000 units of cat food to organizations in Madison and Milwaukee.

Watch News 3 Now’s coverage of the delivery.

A new story in the Wisconsin State Journal covers how the pandemic-era boost in federal funding that some families receive to buy groceries is coming to an end in February, another blow for those already struggling to afford food during a time of high inflation. The story includes interviews with people affected by this change and staff from area food pantries who expect to see increased demand, including MOM:

Media coverage of the upcoming changes to FoodShare benefits has increased in recent days, including a recent story from the Middleton Cross Plains Times-Tribune that includes comments from MOM Executive Director Ellen Carlson:

The end of additional FoodShare dollars is a concern for already overwhelmed food pantries, and the food pantry at Middleton Outreach Ministry (MOM) is no exception. MOM Executive Director Ellen Carlson said on Tuesday, “We are anticipating an increase in need and subsequent increase in usage of the food pantry with the end of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFRCA). According to the Hunger Task Force, the average Foodshare recipient in Wisconsin will lose about $122 on their benefits beginning in March.”

Carlson told the newspaper that pantries were already feeling the strain, and visitors to the pantry have increased.

“Food pantry usage has doubled since this time last year. In addition, we are not getting food from as many sources as we did before the pandemic and the mix of those sources is constantly shifting. In order to bridge the gap between demand for food and donated food, we have been purchasing more food than ever before. We are concerned about having enough food to meet the needs of everyone who relies on our food pantry to provide food for their families,” she explained.

MOM is encouraging local individuals, businesses and organizations to conduct food drives to help bridge the gap.

“Community food donations are a great way to increase diversity of items available, as well. Dignity of choice has always been a priority as we consider what we have to offer our food pantry guests. We also recently launched an Amazon Wish List where people buy high-demand items and send them directly to our food pantry. Food drives can be small or large–among a few neighbors or friends–or larger drives by churches, businesses, or schools.”

To learn more about how to organize a food drive visit: drives.momhelps.org.

The big game brings people together to share food and fun. MOM brings our community together to create food security. This year, we’re inviting you to make your Super Bowl Sunday part of the solution. Help us get a strong start to our #driveforfood on Sunday, Feb. 12, by drafting your Super Bowl watch party guests to bring donations of food and personal care items for MOM’s food pantry.

Food pantry usage has doubled since last year and demand is expected to grow in March when extra FoodShare benefits put into place during the pandemic come to an end. We are concerned about having enough food to meet the needs of everyone who relies on our pantry to provide food for their families and that we may have to change our services.

We are not getting food from as many sources as we did before the pandemic and the mix of those sources is constantly shifting. In order to bridge the gap between demand for food and donated food, we have been purchasing more food than ever before; supply chain issues and other factors affecting retailers make this difficult. As we plan for the future, we must consider new ways to bring in food to meet our increased food needs.

The pandemic paused community food drives – they were a critical part of how we provide food to our neighbors. We need more community food drives now and throughout the year. Food drives can be small or large – among a few neighbors or friends – or larger drives by churches, businesses, or schools. You can plan your drive at drives.momhelps.org. Watch our social media and your email for more ideas for your food drives.

We welcome a wide variety of foods! Besides reducing the amount of food available, the decrease in community drives has also significantly decreased the variety of food on our shelves. Dignity of choice has always been a priority as we consider what we have to offer our food pantry guests. Please check out our donation guidelines and share them with your friends and family.

We recently launched an Amazon Wish List where people can buy high-demand items and send them directly to our food pantry. We’ll continue to update this list based on the needs of our guests. We’re so grateful to those who have already made purchases to help stock our shelves and to those of you who choose to make financial donations to support our food security and housing stability programs.

This year was about opening doors, with acts both large and small.

For Luis and Alejandra, getting out of an unstable, doubled up living situation was the most important door they walked through. Because of the case management and financial support they receive from our Connections housing program, they are financially stable and could afford to buy a car seat and other essentials they needed to safely bring their new baby boy home last month.

None of this could happen without you. As we cautiously and carefully opened up along with the rest of the world in 2022, the generosity of our community is what continues to allow us to provide the resources and tools neighbors need to build stability in their lives.

Late summer we returned to a full schedule of food pantry hours, which allowed more clients to shop in person and we continue to provide around 54,000 meals a month. We grew our Connections program, which moves neighbors like Luis and Alejandra into stable housing (read a recent story from The Capital Times that features Connections). And we welcomed both new and returning volunteers, who provide essential support by stocking shelves, making food deliveries and offering rides to seniors who don’t have access to other transportation.

Nicole Verhagen, the case manager for Connections. Photo by Ruthie Hauge/The Capital Times

With the help of our community, we have stretched our resources to meet the rising demand at the food pantry, which is more than double what it was this time last year, part of a larger trend across Dane County as inflation drives up food prices. We’ve seen a similar increase in the need for housing assistance to families whose incomes don’t keep up with rising rents and the amount of housing stability payments we provide have doubled as our case managers continue to work to prevent eviction. “We wouldn’t have been able to make it without you,” one of our food pantry clients wrote in a recent email.

As we move into 2023, these ongoing trends bring me concern. Although our community food security partners continue to support our work and help us meet the need creatively, the pandemic brought great disruption to how we bring in food. This, combined with the rising demand, means I see emptier shelves when I walk through the food pantry, not the robust selection that provides dignity to our shoppers. I worry that these patterns will not leave us enough food to meet the needs of everyone who relies on the food pantry as one of the ways they fill their refrigerators and cupboards.  

But I see hope all around us, in acts large and small… Since we re-opened our doors in June to in-person shopping in the food pantry, MOM volunteers have put in more than 13,000 hours to support our programs. Their own lives disrupted, returning volunteers and people new to MOM made this work a piece of their lives. And thanks to you, we also made the holiday season brighter this year for hundreds of households — distributing Thanksgiving baskets to more than 1,200 people and providing more than 1,700 gift cards through our Winter Wishes program, a record number for us.

On a much smaller scale, when one of our team members recently learned that a gallon of milk was left out of a food delivery made to one of our clients, she hopped in her car and delivered the milk within the hour. For some of the neighbors we serve, getting to the food pantry isn’t possible due to lack of transportation, health concerns or work schedules. “What a sweetie. I was so glad to meet her face to face,” the client wrote in an email. “I nearly cried.”

Through all of these transitions, I’ve witnessed our team keep their focus on what matters most — doing what we can to ensure that neighbors in our community have what they need to thrive. I’ve seen the same from all of you — through your generous financial donations, volunteer hours and ongoing support of our mission. As we approach a new year, I know there is so much more we can achieve together. You can read more about some of the ways you can still make a tax deductible financial donation this year here. And, in addition, if your own circles can host a food drive or buy items directly from our wish list to help us keep our shelves full, it would bring comfort to so many.

Thank you for what you have done and what you will do in the coming year to help us meet the growing needs in our community. Your support means we can continue opening the door to stability for neighbors so that together we will build a better future for everyone in our community.

Sincerely,

Ellen Carlson, Executive Director

Executive Director Ellen Carlson. Photo by Ruthie Hauge/The Capital Times