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Milwaukee — If you received additional FoodShare benefits during the pandemic, they will end this month.
After March 1, 2023, members will only be able to enjoy regular FoodShare benefits. When these benefits end, it could put a strain on food pantries across the state.
Workers at Harvest Outreach in Racine worry they won’t be able to keep up with demand from families in need of food once the additional foodshare benefits due to the pandemic end.
Whether you’re a family of two or six, tough times lie ahead, Pantry Manager Carol Harris says.
(Spectrum News 1/Catalina Velázquez)
“We’re having a hard time keeping peanut butter on the shelf right now,” Harris said.
Harvest Outreach helps feed approximately 12 families a day. If these families lose access to her additional FoodShare perks that can be used at the store, they could become more dependent on the food pantry.
“We always try to include meat in our customers’ orders,” she said.
Inflation is one of the biggest factors putting pressure on food pantries across the state.
(Spectrum News 1/Catalina Velázquez)
They rely on donations, but Harris says those donations are slowing.
“I think the high prices make it harder for people to donate more,” Harris said. Let alone buying your own food.”
In addition to donations, they get most of their food from a government agency called the Racine County Food Bank and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
TEFAP is a federal food assistance program that provides critical resources to food banks, food pantries, soup kitchens, and other community-based partners who feed those in need.
Dan Taivalkoski is Executive Director of Racine County Food Bank. Harvest In addition to feeding the outreach, once a month he also feeds other pantries in the county.
(Spectrum News 1/Catalina Velázquez)
Taivalkoski says these additional FoodShare perks for families have actually made more food available.
“We’ve actually seen a decline in service numbers at the pantry level,” he said. “Clients were getting what they needed from the grocery store. If is reduced again, that would not be the case.”
He said food banks and pantries will return to pre-pandemic emergency food supplies.
“It’s going to be a difficult transition,” Tyvarkoski said. “We’re going to see a lot of demand going forward. We’re prepared for that, and we’re trying to give our clients what they need, while scaling back for emergencies only. It’s going to be a challenge.”
Donations have come from 11 churches in the area, according to Harris. She said it has already become difficult for members to donate to the pantry.
(Spectrum News 1/Catalina Velázquez)
“These seniors with very little income have to decide between food and medicine,” Harris said. “Okay. I really understand that, and it worries me.
The only thing she can do, she said, is to continue to prepare and make sure she provides what she can to families in need.
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