Officials from Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin and Compeer Financial recently announced that the Compeer Financial Fund for Rural America is providing $50,000 to support the purchase of produce, dairy, eggs, and more from local farmers and food producers and distribution of the products to families struggling with hunger through Second Harvest’s Farm to Foodbank initiative.
The goals of Farm to Foodbank are to provide more nutritious food to those facing hunger in southwestern Wisconsin; support local farmers and food producers; and invest in the local economy.
Launched by federal pandemic-relief funds allocated by Dane County, Farm to Foodbank has provided tens of millions of pounds of locally sourced food into the community. Working with over 55 local farmers and food producers throughout southwestern Wisconsin, in 2022 alone the initiative helped provide 3.8 million meals and generate more than $12 million in local economic activity.
The $50,000 from Compeer was allocated through Compeer’s MORE for Agriculture grant which, now it its fifth year, supports innovative programs that:
- Align with the mission of Compeer Financial, enriching agriculture and rural communities;
- Provide new opportunities for clients or future clients, fill a known void in agricultural and rural markets, and create new and innovative projects;
- Can be replicated by others to serve different geographic areas, with the ability for future collaboration; and
- Evolve over time to create a better future for agriculture and rural America.
As part of the grant process, the Compeer Financial Fund for Rural America Trustees asked Compeer team members to identify programs and projects they believe create MORE for agriculture. In all, nearly $900,000 has been awarded to 20 organizations since 2019.
In fiscal year 2023, Second Harvest distributed 22.7 million pounds of food, more than any other fiscal year in its history. Recently, many of the food providers in the network have reported a 30%, 40%, and even 100% increase in the number of people seeking support.
