May 2007
Linda Lia
Local United Way
Launches Campaign to Build Food Resource Center
United Way St. Croix Valley has launched a
$250,000 fundraising campaign to build a Food Resource Center in
Hudson with the goal of ending hunger in Western Wisconsin.
According to Second Harvest Heartland, the
largest distributor of food in the Midwest, “Food insecurity
exists whenever the availability of nutritionally adequate and
safe foods is uncertain or the ability to acquire food in
socially acceptable ways is limited. Hunger is the uneasy or
painful sensations caused by lack of food.”
Families and seniors in our communities often
face the tough choice between buying food, paying rent or buying
prescription medicines. And the number of families struggling
to meet their basic needs is increasing every week. Second
Harvest Heartland reports that individuals served by member
agencies rose to 169,600 per month in 2005: an alarming 45%
increase since 2001.
“Food is arguably the most basic need for
families and individuals in our community.
The ten food pantries serving Pierce and St.
Croix Counties have limited space to store food and often the
shelves empty out before the need is served. And there is often
no place to store perishable food such as milk, cheese and the
fresh produce,” said John Coughlin, Executive Director.
United Way St. Croix Valley’s facility will store
food and commodities for redistribution to food pantries, Grace
Place shelter, the domestic abuse shelter and community meal
programs. The Food Resource Center’s industrial-sized freezer
and cooler will mean that pantries will have a steady supply of
milk, cheese, eggs, fruits and fresh vegetables – bringing more
food into the Valley. Pantry volunteers will pick up
perishables at designated times for redistribution to residents
of Pierce and St. Croix Counties.
The Food Resource Center will also provide
freezer storage for donated venison. Hunters in the St. Croix
Valley generously provide venison for hungry families and
seniors. Last year, over 23,000 pounds of meat was processed
into burger – triple the amount donated in the previous year.
United Way has an opportunity to build the Center
as the result of a special partnership with Trinity Lutheran
Church. Trinity has agreed to lease the land for the building
for $1 per year – making this important distribution center
possible at a greatly reduced cost. The Center will be built at
the Trinity Family Center on Highway 12 and Badlands Road in
Hudson.
The building will also have a significant amount
of open area that will be used for Trinity Lutheran Church’s “We
Do Feet” ministry. The focus of this program is to help the
needy by collecting, repairing and donating used furniture, beds
and other household items. The space could also be used a
distribution site for emergency supplies in case of a community
crisis.
“Jesus teaches us that our life is to be a life
of service. At Trinity, we try in practical, concrete, hands-on
ways to provide the help and service that I think Jesus talks
about,” said Rev. Tim Booth, Trinity Lutheran Church.
Another
driving reason for the project is United Way St. Croix
Valley’s unique relationship with grocer SUPERVALU. Since 2005,
SUPERVALU has partnered with United Way by making quarterly
donations of surplus food and products to United Way St. Croix
Valley for redistribution to food pantries, shelters and
community meals. These programs lack space to accept these
donations directly.
Currently, the semi-trailer deliveries of food
from SUPERVALU are dropped at whatever business United Way can
find that is willing to provide a corner of their warehouse.
SUPERVALU has offered to increase the frequency of the donations
when the Food Resource Center is complete.
Bulk commodities, available through county and
state programs, will also become a resource for the food
pantries. The Center will be a drop site for large deliveries of
food ordered from Second Harvest Heartland. Pantries can use
cash donations to cover Second
Harvest’s modest handling charge
and get about $9 worth of food products for every $1 spent.
Food can be safely stored at the Center until the pantries need
it.
The $250,000 fundraising campaign has two
components. $150,000 will be used to construct the building.
The St. Croix Valley Community Foundation has committed a dollar
for dollar match of $50,000 to create a $100,000 long-term fund
for maintenance and operations of the facility.
United Way St. Croix Valley already has a strong
partnership with nonprofit agencies working to address basic
human needs – shelters, meal programs emergency assistance and
food pantries. The Food Resource Center will take these
critical community programs to a whole new level of service to
those in need in Pierce and St. Croix Counties.
United Way sees five concrete outcomes as a
result of this project:
