PC: Fox 11 Online
MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Food pantries in some rural parts of Northeast Wisconsin are providing more fresh vegetables than ever before.
It’s all thanks to what’s being called the “Spud Run” — a bulk-buying program orchestrated by a nutrition coordinator with the University of Wisconsin-Extension.
Once a month, a semi-truck from Alsum Farms in Columbia County shows up at the food pantry at the Salvation Army in Manitowoc. The driver then unloads a few pallets of fresh vegetables. On one particular day, there might be onions, potatoes, carrots, cabbage and peppers.
This bulk vegetable order is then split up among more than a dozen food pantries in Brown, Door, Kewaunee and Manitowoc counties.
“We always, always need fresh fruit, and so getting fresh potatoes, carrots, onions — that is an absolute blessing,” said Tracy Minehan, general manager of Peter’s Pantry in Manitowoc.
Laura Apfelbeck with UW-Extension is the one who created the “Spud Run.” It’s helping smaller, rural food pantries team up to buy fruits and vegetables in bulk.
While some pantries come to pick up the food on their own, organizations like “Grow It Forward” — which owns a refrigeration truck — help with deliveries.
According to Apfelbeck, “I think it’s been a really good way to bring people together, to show that they can leverage their collaborative buying power to do things that individually, they could not achieve. And that, I think, has been a really good lesson for all of us.”
By purchasing bulk items from Wisconsin farmers, pantries are able to spread their dollars further.
“I mean, as a pantry, the way we operate is, we’re always looking for a deal. You know, a way to stretch our dollars the most for our clients. And this really helps get that core part of the fruits and veggies. Being able to purchase it in bulk definitely reduces our overhead costs for any of the items that go out to our clients,” added Michael Pearson, the development director for the Manitowoc Salvation Army.
According to Pearson, food pantries say the program really is making a difference — not only for their bottom line, but also for their clients.
“We know our clients really appreciate having those options as well. We really try to hit on the healthy foods for them,” he said.
It’s something to help fill the shelves for pantries and fridges of their clients.
UW-Extension says the project has already expanded to additional pantries since it began late last year. Officials say other regions in Wisconsin are looking at implementing similar programs.
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