New Tool To Combat Food Insecurity in Northeast Wisconsin

BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A new tool to combat food insecurity in Northeast Wisconsin was announced Tuesday.

It is called the NEW Food Access Map created by the UW-Madison Division of Extension Brown County.

It’s an interactive map that allows people to find places to obtain food in Brown, Door, Kewaunee, and Manitowoc Counties.

In the Fall of 2022, UW-Madison Division of Extension Brown County partnered with local food pantries to conduct the USDA Food Security Survey.

Extension Brown County surveyed 383 households totaling up to 1,140 individuals.

After seeing the findings, the group knew that a new resource needed to be created.

“We found that 77 % of households were food insecure, which means unable at sometime during the year to provide adequate food to one or more household members due to a lack of resources,” said FoodWIse Nutrition Coordinator, Clarice Martell.

Martell also says local food pantries have also seen an increase of families coming in.

“Our three community health priorities are equitable access, social cohesion, and unified planning and policy…And by ensuring that families who live in Brown County have access to the food that they need, food that’s culturally familiar, Extension Brown County is making a meaningful difference in our community,” says Brown County Public Health Engagement Coordinator, Andrea Kressin.

The goal of this free interactive map created with Google My Map is to provide those in need with more resources.

“To bring awareness of all the really great resources that we have in our county, but also see where there’s opportunities and gaps for people who are maybe unable to access those existing resources,” says Martell.

On the interactive map you can find:

• Meal Programs
• Community Gardens
• Farmers Markets
• EBT Accepting Stores
• Cultural Grocery Stores
• Food Pantries
• Standard Grocery stores

The map will be updated at least once a year.