Food insecurity remains too common in the state

In its inaugural year, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection’s (DATCP’s) Tribal Elder Community Food Box Program, distributed $1.5 million, to non-profit food assistance organizations, to help purchase and distribute healthy, high-quality and culturally traditional food, to thousands of Tribal elders and their families, supporting Indigenous-based food producers in the process.

The program grants were funded in the 2023-25 state budget, for the purpose of purchasing and distributing food to Tribal elders, and supporting the growth and operations of food producers, and processors, from Tribal nations in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Iowa, as well as all Wisconsin food producers/processors.

The recipients were selected through a competitive review process.

“Every Wisconsinite should have the basic necessities they need to live and thrive, but we know that food insecurity is all too common across Wisconsin, including in our Native Nations,” said Gov. Tony Evers. “That’s a reality we’re working hard to change.

Through the program, agencies coordinated the distribution of over 31,230 healthy food boxes, representative of traditional diets; supported 40 small local producers, including 22 Tribal producers and 18 non-Tribal Wisconsin producers, who included women-owned farm businesses, organic farms and cooperatives; and farm businesses owned by Hmong and Hispanic farmers.

“I’m really excited about our Tribal Elder Food Box Program, which is helping expand access to food,” said Evers, “as we work to make sure folks and families in every corner of our state, do not have to go hungry.”