We helped Feeding America repackage 2 tons of corn. Stock the Shelves drive offers even more ways to help

LITTLE CHUTE - As it turns out, the hardest part of volunteering at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin last week was counting to 12.

Forty-five volunteers on Friday, Oct. 20, spent the morning repackaging about 4,500 pounds of frozen corn on the cob chunks, from bulk boxes down to 12-piece bags.

After a short meeting — and a donning of hair and beard nets, gloves and plastic aprons — volunteers took up their positions.

Some selected which corn pieces were viable to be redistributed, weeding out anything discolored or significantly damaged, and filled bags. Next, the bags were checked to confirm they had the right number of pieces, then sealed. They rode down a short conveyor belt through a metal detector and were placed in smaller boxes for shipping. 

Additional volunteers built and taped boxes, and a pair of us were tucked off to the sides, battling static electricity to open the bags, fold over the top so they’d stay open and hand them to the baggers.

Once everything was operating smoothly, the classic rock kicked on, and the two-hour shift flew by.

The only hiccups came when bags were passed along with too many or too few pieces of corn. But spirits were high, and volunteers laughed it off as they corrected the imbalance and moved on.

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin editors and reporters were among the volunteers, as part of our annual Stock the Shelves campaign, a partnership between our newsrooms and Feeding America.

As a relatively anxious person, I’m always apprehensive about new experiences, especially those that require dexterity. I can type fast, sure, but as soon as I put on sterile, plastic gloves, I transform into a dog in snow booties for the first time.

However, the Feeding America staff was extremely clear in telling us what we needed to do, and they split the work up between everyone, so things ran smoothly.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel staff also spent a couple shifts at the Milwaukee Feeding America location, on Oct. 13, wherein they and a volunteer group from Kohl's — 73 volunteers, total — helped sort, pack, and label 20,561 pounds of food, which equates to 17,134 meals.

However, if a shift on the line isn't your speed, there's always a need for financial support.

So, how's the campaign going?

As of the morning of Oct. 31, readers have put forward $63,884. Greater Fox Cities Chapter of Credit Unions will match $45,000 of those funds, and another $10,000 will be matched by Mike and Mary Salsieder, formerly of Wausau, who continue to support the campaign.

As we wrote at the top of the month, every dollar donated to Feeding America represents about $10 in purchasing power, or about four meals. With the match on the table, that's $20 in purchasing power for each dollar.

The donation window is open through the end of October, which is nearly upon us, so those who mean to participate and haven't yet can either go online to the link near the bottom of the story, or find our ads in the printed newspapers — each contains a clip-able donation slip.

What has this year's campaign taught us?

This month started off with a story about Kinship Community Food Center, nestled in Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood, and the woman at the center of its operation, Caitlin Cullen, Kinship's food center director. Cullen started her role at Kinship in January 2022, just a few months after giving away her popular north-side restaurant, the Tandem. In the story, she discusses her jump from the restaurant business, how it's improved her outlook and how she's able to touch lives.

We also wrote about the Nurturing Collaborative, an up-and-coming monthly food box program by daughter-mother duo Vanessa Johnson and Yvonne Greer. Johnson, a doula, and Greer, a dietitian, pitched their plan to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin and found an enthusiastic supporter. Its pilot project started earlier this year and through funding partnerships and volunteers, it is able to deliver monthly food boxes to up to 200 pregnant people and their families.

The reasons behind the need for these sort of services were touched on in a story later in the month on the ongoing impacts of inflation on grocery prices. Food is still expensive, no surprises there, but our reporter reached beyond that to take her inflation-measuring grocery list to local pantries and see what they could help families cover. The takeaway: If you need specific items, get there early.

Finally, this week we celebrated the farmers who are working to keep fresh produce on the menu. In the past, bulk produce was a toss-up for Feeding America and its pantries: It might stay fresh for two weeks or turn a day later. Plus, the needed volumes made it difficult for smaller farms to participate. Now, through Farm Link, farmers can help serve communities nearby, and plant crops to match needs.

How to donate to Stock the Shelves

To donate online, visit feedingamericawi.org/stocktheshelvesdonate.

To donate by mail, checks made payable to Feeding American Eastern Wisconsin, ATTN: Stock the Shelves, should be sent to 2911 W. Evergreen Drive, Appleton WI 54913.

Enclose with your contribution the donor’s address with city, state and ZIP code for internal processing, a notation of whether the donation should remain anonymous, whether the donation is in the memory of someone special. Also list the donor’s name, as it should appear in a thank-you advertisement to be published in the Thanksgiving editions of USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin’s daily newspapers.

For a list of pantries supported by Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, visit feedingamericawi.org/find-help.

Taima Kern is editor of The Post-Crescent. Reach her at tkern@gannett.com or 920-907-7819.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Wisconsin, Stock the Shelves is looking for your help to fight hunger