The Brico Fund has awarded Hunger Task Force a $50,000 grant in response to both a shortage in food supply and a need for more funding.
The $50,000, which will add to a $40,000 grant that the Brico Fund gave Hunger Task Force last November, will be used specifically for emergency food.
Hunger Task Force has been engaged in an ongoing initiative to secure more funding for emergency food since December when the organization became concerned about wide-scale food shortage in Milwaukee, said Sherrie Tussler, executive director of Hunger Task Force.
“One of our challenges is meeting emergency needs, and when need grows and resources fail we’re caught in the middle,” Tussler said.
The organization needs 18 semi-loads worth of food for the fiscal year, which costs more than $476,300.
After experiencing a cut in federal commodity funding, the organization has struggled to fulfill food supply needs that have traditionally been supported by The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
Tussler and her staff began sending out letters to key donors including the Brico Fund in December, expressing the organization’s dire need for more food.
In addition to securing a grant from the Brico Fund, Hunger Task Force received cash contributions from Assurant Foundation and the Windhover Foundation and also received food donations from the Roundy’s Foundation and ConAgra Foods.
Thanks to the response from the community, Hunger Task Force has enough funding to cover a safety net food supply through September.
The grant from the Brico Fund will specifically cover 50,400 cans of chicken noodle soup, 38,400 units of fresh milk and 469 cans of infant formula.
“So we’re going to be okay, which means the food pantries are not going to run out of food (and) homeless shelters and soup kitchens will have enough food on the table,” Tussler said.
Hunger Task Force provides food to individuals and food bank resources in need throughout greater Milwaukee. The Brico Fund aims to support community and cultural organizations in Milwaukee and also promotes equal opportunity and sustainability within its core mission.
