Food insecurity is a problem in Manitowoc County.
Members from the Manitowoc County Hunger Coalition spoke to the Board of Supervisors and explained that 30% of households are dealing with food insecurity, meaning they have limited or uncertain access to sufficient food to lead a healthy, active life.
Ben Peters with United Way Manitowoc County also explained that 8,000 families fall under the ALICE, or Assisted Limited, Income Constrained, Employed category.
Peters states, “They are working individuals and families who earn too much to qualify for public benefits yet too little to consistently afford food and basic needs.”
Lynette Simonar with the Manitowoc Public School District also stated that over 2,000 students in the district qualify for free and reduced lunch, while 100 students are also experiencing homelessness.
The coalition also talked about food pantries and groups that provide food.
Peters spoke on behalf of Grow It Forward, explaining that they’ve seen a $146,000 reduction in food resources from the federal government while seeing an increase in pantry visits.
Salvation Army Captain Samanatha Tamayo says their food pantry is facing a similar experience.
“We’re serving more first-hand clients and also (we’re seeing) an uptick in clients who haven’t needed assistance since 2019,” she told the board. “We’re seeing more families who are working full-time who are still struggling to stay afloat. Seniors that I’ve met with that are crying, literally sobbing, because they are on fixed incomes. They don’t know how they are going to maintain. Their rents going up, and utilities are increasing, and they don’t know how they’re going to make it.”
Tamayo finished asking leaders in the community to come together and advocate for those who need help.
The information came from a county-wide food security survey with nearly 200 participants at food pantries and community food sites.
