Thank you to everyone who contributed food and funds to support WayForward’s food pantry–ensuring we were able to continue to have food available for our neighbors throughout the difficult couple of weeks during the SNAP benefit delay. Together, we collected an amazing 87,851 pounds of food (the equivalent of 67,111 meals) from donation drop-offs, organized food drives, and our online wish list between October 21 and December 8. This amount of food is nearly three times the amount donated during the same period last year.

On behalf of all of us at WayForward Resources, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for the partnership and leadership of the City of Middleton, Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District, Middleton Chamber of Commerce, and Downtown Middleton Business Association in the Community-Wide Food Drive.  A very special thank you to Middleton District 6 Alder Lisa Janairo, who was instrumental in envisioning, activating, and coordinating the Community-Wide Food Drive. This collective effort truly shows the impact we can have when we work together to create food security—and how together, we can make it through tough times.

When the federal government shutdown delayed SNAP benefits, putting people’s ability to feed themselves and their families at risk, our community responded—making sure that no one would have to experience hunger. During this time of uncertainty, WayForward’s pantry saw a significant increase in demand. On one of the Thursdays during that time, we gave out nearly 13,000 pounds of food—the highest amount in a single day this year. The uncertainty created by the SNAP benefit delay also led to 171 new households signing up to use the food pantry for the first time during October 21-November 8. Prior to this, we had already been seeing the highest demand in our organization’s over 45-year history.

As we look to the future, there is still a lot of uncertainty. But thanks to the support of our community, we were able to have food available through this recent crisis, and we will continue to provide nutritious food, now and in the future. We believe that together, we can create stability in our community, even in the midst of uncertainty around us. Thank you for joining us in our work together—and for continuing to inspire us with your generosity and committed partnership.