'Some normalcy': Eastern Wisconsin program helps families in need 'shop' for free, fresh food
OSHKOSH — With grocery prices high , some families are struggling to keep up. But thanks to one Wisconsin program, 6-year-old Isaac got to go to a restaurant for his birthday. Nine-year-old Sophia has macaroni and cheese when she wants it. Ten-year-old Nora gets pancakes for breakfast and sees her dad happier for it.
Isaac, Sophia and Nora's families all participate in Mindful Meals, a partnership between Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin and the Boys and Girls Club which provides families in need the opportunity to choose the food they want.
Parents simply go online, pick out what they want on a platform set up like online shopping at Target or Pick n' Save, and it's delivered in discreet boxes to the Boys and Girls Club for them to pick up. For perishable items, like eggs and milk, Oshkosh families are given coupons they can take to the Oshkosh Food Co-op.
"It's a way to try to get food to the house," Kevin Mueller, director of club services at the Oshkosh Boys and Girls club. "For parents, for grandparents that may live in the house, for younger kids that aren't able to come to the Boys and Girls Club yet, this is a good partnership that gets food to the whole family, to the whole table."
'They're able to just be a kid'
As of 2022, 16.5% of Wisconsin children lived in food-insecure homes, according to the most recent Feeding America data . Food insecurity can impact health in the long run, and children who are food insecure may be at higher risk for chronic health conditions or more frequent oral health problems.
Food insecurity also correlates with mental health issues like depression, anxiety, hyperactivity and stress. State Superintendent Jill Underly called the issue a "silent struggle" in an August press conference.
Danielle Bittelman, Oshkosh Boys and Girls Club director of family and youth engagement, has seen firsthand how Mindful Meals has decreased kids' and families' stress. It makes the kids at the club feel normal, she said.
"They feel like they fit in with all of the other kids. There are a few groceries in the fridge, or a few groceries in the cupboard," Bittelman said. "They're able to just be a kid and focus on kid things."
The program started in Oshkosh around two years ago, but there are also locations in Milwaukee, Green Bay, Sturgeon Bay, Antigo and Berlin. Families pick up food once every two weeks, and some items have caps on the amount one family can order.
There are about 20 families in Oshkosh's Mindful Meals program, and overall, 151 families are enrolled across the state.
The Mindful Meals program extends Feeding America's outreach, allowing them to help families who may not normally visit food pantries, Matt Stienstra, director of strategic partnerships and programs for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, said. It also avoids issues with storage, as boxes are generally dropped off and picked up on the same day.
"When a family is trying to pay rent, pay a mortgage, pay utilities, stay on top of everything else, it's hard when you go through the grocery store checkout line," Bittelman said. "To have that added resource for our families has been huge."
'Absolute gratitude' for fresh food
The Oshkosh Food Co-op has worked with Feeding America in the past. By teaming up again on Mindful Meals, they feel like they're helping remove the stigma of getting help.
"There's great need. Our store sits in the middle of a food desert, and so you have people who are already struggling to gain access to healthy choices," Jeremiah McDuffie, co-op store leader, said. "It made sense to bring along that partnership."
Access to fresh, nutritious food is a big change for some families. McDuffie recalled people in the program asking for advice on what to buy, because they'd never been able to buy fruits and vegetables before. If families ask, store employees will guide them with nutrition advice.
Regardless of their experience with fresh food, McDuffie said there's always a sentiment of "absolute gratitude".
"To be able to walk into a grocery store, to be able to pick out something of your own, you know. 'I want this lunch meat instead of that lunch meat,'" McDuffie said. "It's a spirit of gratitude for the program and to be able to experience some normalcy."
Want to help? How to donate to Stock the Shelves
During October, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin newspapers and Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin are working together to raise enough money from readers and donors to provide 750,000 meals to Wisconsin families through the annual Stock the Shelves campaign. Each dollar donated equals about four meals, or $10 in food.
The campaign will support communities served by the following newspapers: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Green Bay Press-Gazette, Appleton Post Crescent, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter, Oshkosh Northwestern, Fond du Lac Reporter, Sheboygan Press, Wausau Daily Herald, Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune, Marshfield News-Herald, Stevens Point Journal, Door County Advocate and Oconto County Reporter.
Donations will help support people in the same community where the donor lives.
To donate online, visit feedingamericawi.org/stocktheshelvesdonate .
To donate by mail, checks made payable to Feeding American Eastern Wisconsin, ATTN: Stock the Shelves, should be sent to 2911 W. Evergreen Drive, Appleton WI 54913.
Enclose with your contribution the donor's address with city, state and ZIP code for internal processing, a notation of whether the donation should remain anonymous, whether the donation is in the memory of someone special. Also list the donor's name, as it should appear in a thank-you advertisement to be published in the Thanksgiving editions of USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin's daily newspapers.
For a list of pantries supported by Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, visit feedingamericawi.org/find-help .
Contact Green Bay education reporter Nadia Scharf at or on X at
