Food insecurity is not getting better right now in Manitowoc County.
That’s what Grow It Forward CEO Amber Daugs stated on WOMT’s Be My Guest program when talking about statistics received from Wisconsin’s food share programs.
Previously, groups like Grow It Forward would use information from the USDA to determine food insecurity; however, “They made a decision to discontinue that survey after the 2024 data was released,” Daugs explained.
Daugs says that means it’s hard to tell where Wisconsin stands with food insecurity compared to other states.
Looking at data from people using the food pantry and county residents applying for free and reduced meals has determined right now that “things are actually getting much worse in the food insecurity landscape rather than better.”
Daugs says it’s due to changes in SNAP eligibility and the elevated demand in food pantries, which she explained, “is driven in part because of increased costs of food at the grocery store, inflation…over the last several years, housing costs, and public food assistance programs.”
For SNAP benefits, Daugs says there used to be some exemptions for certain age groups, but now if you are at least 17, there are work requirements needed to be eligible for food assistance.
Right now, in Manitowoc County, 10.3% of people are food insecure, including around 2,500 children.
The average cost of a meal is around $3.81, according to a stat from Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin.
Daugs says that means pressure is on food pantries across the county.
Grow It Forward’s budget was around $1 million, and half of it was for in-kind food from government commodities and donations.
“Alone we cannot do this work. It requires many hands to help,” she noted. “We’re trying to make up that shortfall, which is getting even more challenging as the numbers continue to increase.”
