RHINELANDER, WI (WSAU-WAOW) – The Rhinelander Area Food Pantry is seeing an increased need for food.
Associate Executive Director Courtney Smith says during the pandemic a lot of federal programs were put into place. Those programs allowed people to get support outside the pantry. Smith says the problem is a lot of those programs are now ending. “We’re actually seeing an uptick now as our customers fade out of those programs that were put into place during COVID. Given our current economic climate, we’re also see additional households come.”
Smith estimates they’re seeing about a 20% increase in people coming through their doors.
To help even more people, the pantry just became a member of the Hunger Relief Federation out of Milwaukee. That organization received $15 million in federal coronavirus relief fund through Governor Evers’ Administration. They used it to create Badger State Boxes that the Rhinelander Area Food Pantry now distributes to customers. “We receive them and distribute them out to about 296 customers each month. The boxes contain products only produced or grown in the state of Wisconsin. They’re amazing.”
Smith says it’s a great way to support farmers in the state while also getting food to people who need it.
