Madison Grocery Share launched after the federal government shutdown led to the loss of FoodShare benefits to Madison families, and the need has been so great that the organization is pausing new requests for food until Nov. 12.
The “neighbor-to-neighbor” platform allows those in need to request groceries, while those who can help sign up to provide funds, food or a shopping trip.
FoodShare benefits were paid last week, on Thursday and Friday. The Trump administration is fighting the court decision ordering it to pay SNAP benefits in full. The administration asked that Gov. Tony Evers and Wisconsin repay FoodShare benefits paid out, but Evers rebuked the order.
“While this brings much-needed relief for now, there’s still uncertainty around what will happen in December as the federal government continues to navigate the shutdown,” Madison Grocery Share said in a statement. “We will figure out what MGS needs to look like in December as we learn more.”
By the numbers, 1,323 households requested help via the platform, with 5,202 people in need. The requests totaled $764,861. Of the total, 471 households have been helped, with 438 people signing up to help fully or partially, and $136,717 in groceries spent on those in need.
