Community organizations bring culturally relevant foods to south side mobile food pantry
Anyone who grew up in the heart of Milwaukee’s Latino community can attest that some of their best memories are centered around food.
Whether it’s a pot of Arroz con Gandules or a bowl of Pozole on a bone-chilling day, food plays a significant role in bringing people together, adding to their enjoyment and keeping a culture alive.
However, for families facing food insecurities, keeping these traditions can become challenging when limited by the types of items received at food banks or food pantries.
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Forest Home Avenue School and Northwestern Mutual have long served Milwaukee's Latino community. They operate a mobile food bank that provides culturally relevant foods to the nearly 200 families they help feed on a monthly basis.
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Volunteers gather on the third Thursday of each month at the Forest Home Avenue School gymnasium to sort items for the mobile food pantry. The school has done this for about 13 years. Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin got involved 11 years ago.
"Just because people may reach out to a resource for food distribution because they are facing food insecurity, it doesn't mean that they shouldn't have access to some of the foods that they not only hold important but are also culturally important and relevant to them," said Tony Cartagena, public relations and communications specialist for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin.
The goal of the mobile food pantry is to listen to the needs of the community it is serving.
"We are in the heart of the Hispanic community," said Maria Hernandez, the parent coordinator at Forest Home Avenue School. "We definitely want to get food that they need, like rice, cilantro, beans … we try to make it known that we have food they would want to use."
The school's parent volunteers are the eyes and ears of the community.
Often, if there is an ingredient or food item they feel the community needs, they will voice that to Brooke Gonzalez, senior programs coordinator at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin.
Volunteers like Teresa Zuñega and Rebeca Gonzalez make sure the families they are serving not only get the things they need but enough food to feed an entire family.
"We've advised them to get salsa, garbanzos, corn, meats and seasonings to flavor them, things we need for Hispanic dishes," Zuñega said.
Regina White has been volunteering for the mobile food bank for about a year through her job at Northwestern Mutual. The more she volunteers, the more she understands how much food creates a bonding experience.
"A lot of the items we give, I know to a lot of people is part of the culture that they honor," White said. "They know the people that they are serving."
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Mobile food pantry fills cultural need for Milwaukee Latinos
