% LIFE LINE CAN BE REACHED BY
% CALLING 988.
% IN OTHER STATE NEWS, FEBRUARY
% WILL BE THE LAST MONTH THAT
% PEOPLE IN WISCONSIN WILL RECEIVE
% EXPANDED FOODSHARE BENEFITS
% UNDER A FEDERAL PROGRAM THAT
% BEGAN DURING THE PANDEMIC.
% SOME 400,000 HOUSEHOLDS IN THE
% STATE STRUGGLE TO AFFORD FOOD
% AND RECEIVE FOODSHARE.
% UNDER THE FORMULA FOR
% INCOME-ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS, A
% HOUSEHOLD OF ONE PERSON, FOR
% EXAMPLE, RECEIVES $281 PER MONTH
% IN REGULAR FOODSHARE BENEFITS
% PLUS THE EXTRA $95, UNTIL THAT
% EXTRA AMOUNT ENDS MARCH 1ST.
% THE FEED MY PEOPLE FOOD BANK IN
% EAU CLAIRE HAS ALREADY SEEN
% INCREASED DEMAND, WITH 2 1/2
% TIMES THE NUMBER OF CARS COMING
% TO A POP-UP DISTRIBUTION SITE
% AFTER FAMILIES WERE NOTIFIED
% THAT THE EXTRA BENEFITS ARE
% ENDING.
% WE GO NOW TO THEIR EXECUTIVE
% DIRECTOR, SUZANNE BECKER, FOR%
MORE.
% AND THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING
% HERE.
% >> I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE.
% >> SO IN ADDITION TO PEOPLE
% TRYING TO PREPARE FOR THE END OF
% THIS EXTRA BENEFIT, DESCRIBE HOW
% BUSY YOU'VE BEEN OVER THE PAST
% SEVERAL YEARS.
% >> I CAN TELL YOU THAT RIGHT NOW
% AS WE'RE SPEAKING, WE HAVE --
% WE'RE DOING A DISTRIBUTION AND
% WE HAVE A LINE LONGER THAN WE
% HAVE SEEN SINCE THE HEART OF THE
% PANDEMIC.
% A LOT OF FOLKS -- AND WE'VE
% TALKED TO A LOT OF THESE FOLKS
% AND THEY'RE CONCERNED, THEY'RE
% AFRAID.
% THE HIGHER FOODSHARE BENEFITS
% HAVE BEEN A GAME CHANGER FOR
% MANY PEOPLE, NOT ONLY THROUGH
% THE PANDEMIC BUT ALSO THROUGH
% INFLATION AND THE HIGH COST OF
% LIVING RIGHT NOW, SO THIS IS
% GOING TO BE VERY DIFFICULT, VERY
% DIFFICULT TO MANY.
% >> AND YET THAT EXPANDED BENEFIT
% IS JUST A MAX OF $95, BUT STILL
% YOU SAY A GAME CHANGER?
% >> OH, YEAH.
% YES.
% IT HAS BEEN.
% AND WE KNOW THAT, THAT SENIORS
% AND FAMILIES, WORKING FAMILIES,
% IT'S JUST BEEN WHAT THEY NEEDED
% TO KEEP PAYING THE BILLS, TO
% KEEP PROVIDING FOR THEIR
% FAMILIES, AND THIS IS GOING TO
% BE DIFFICULT.
% >> BECAUSE WHAT KIND OF STRAIN
% HAVE PRICES OF FOOD PUT ON YOUR
% FOOD BANK?
% >> YEAH, VERY TRUE.
% YOU KNOW, THE FOOD SUPPLY, WHEN
% YOU DON'T SEE FOOD ON YOUR
% GROCERY SHELVES, IT'S CERTAINLY
% NOT HITTING THE FOOD BANK.
% SO WHAT IT'S CAUSED IS FOOD
% BANKS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO
% SPEND A LOT MORE MONEY ON
% PURCHASING FOOD TO MAKE SURE
% THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH AS OPPOSED
% TO THE DONATED FOOD.
% AND OF COURSE THAT COSTS A LOT
% OF MONEY.
% AND THEN WHEN WE SEE HIGHER
% COSTS, AND OF COURSE HIGHER GAS
% PRICES AFFECT OUR TRUCKS, HIGHER
% UTILITY COSTS, ALL OF THAT
% AFFECTS THE FOOD BANK AS WELL,
% BUT YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO DO
% WHATEVER WE CAN TO FILL THE GAP
% FOR FOLKS.
% >> HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO KIND OF
% KEEP PACE WITH THE DEMAND, WITH
% ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT YOU
% WERE JUST DESCRIBING?
% >> WE HAVE.
% WE HAVE.
% YOU KNOW, WE WORK -- WE'RE STILL
% FEEDING AMERICA, AND OUR
% COMMUNITY STEPS UP AND THEY HAVE
% DONE, YOU KNOW, TREMENDOUS
% THINGS.
% WE JUST HAVE TO DO WHAT WE CAN.
% WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO DO IT
% AND, YOU KNOW, WE JUST HOPE THAT
% FOLKS WILL COME FOR HELP.
% WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF
% PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO HAVE NOT
% HAD TO DO THIS BEFORE, COME TO
% OUR DISTRIBUTION, OR COME TO A
% DISTRIBUTION IN THEIR COMMUNITY,
% AND WE REALLY HOPE, WE REALLY
% ENCOURAGE THAT ANYBODY LISTENING
% WILL ENCOURAGE THAT THEY DO
% THAT.
% THERE IS HELP THERE.
% WE WILL DO WHAT IT TAKES UNTIL
% THIS -- UNTIL THIS -- YOU KNOW,
% UNTIL WE'RE ABLE TO COME BACK TO
% A PLACE THAT FOLKS CAN DO WHAT
% THEY CAN DO.
% >> SO WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE
% KIND OF TRYING TO PREPARE FOR
% THE END OF THAT EXTRA BENEFIT,
% BUT WHAT HAVE FOLKS SAID TO YOU
% ABOUT HOW THEY WILL WEATHER LESS
% OF A FOOD BUDGET COME MARCH?
% >> WE DID A SURVEY NOT THAT LONG
% AGO, AND IT WAS BASED AROUND
% INFLATION BUT IT'S THE SAME TYPE
% OF THING, AND THERE WAS A LOT OF
% DISCUSSION OF, YOU KNOW, WE'RE
% KEEPING OUR EAT VERY, -- KEEPIT
% VERY, VERY LOW, THAT PARENTS ARE
% GOING WITHOUT SO THEIR KIDS CAN
% HAVE WHAT THEY NEED.
% WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT SENIORS.
% SENIORS IS AN AREA OF FOLKS THAT
% STRUGGLE TO GET TO A FOOD
% PANTRY, STRUGGLE TO GET OUT
% BECAUSE OF TRANSPORTATION, AND
% ALSO THERE'S SUCH A PRIDE FACTOR
% WITH SENIORS THAT WE FEEL LIKE
% WE REALLY NEED TO BE PROACTIVE
% IN TRYING TO REACH THEM.
% SO THERE'S A LOT OF WAYS THAT
% PEOPLE WILL, YOU KNOW, FIGURE IT
% OUT.
% IT JUST NOT -- YOU KNOW, IT
% TRICKLES DOWN TO OUR KIDS.
% I HAD A MOM TELL ME THAT THEY
% WERE DOING EVERYTHING THEY COULD
% TO HIDE IT FROM THEIR KIDS
% BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT THEIR
% KIDS TO UNDERSTAND THAT THEY
% WERE STRUGGLING, AND AS A MOM OF
% 2, THAT JUST HURTS MY HEART.
% WE NEED TO -- WE NEED TO PROVIDE
% THE SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED.
% >> IN TERMS OF HELPING SENIORS
% WHO MIGHT EVEN BE HOME-BOUND,
% ARE THERE EXTRA STEPS BEING
% TAKEN THERE?
% >> WE DO WORK WITH
% MEALS-ON-WHEELS, AND WE PROVIDE
% SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD BAGS TO THEM,
% AND THOSE ARE MEANT TO BE
% SUPPLEMENTAL, JUST SO THEY HAVE
% MORE, AND ALSO, YOU KNOW,
% BECAUSE WE LIVE IN WISCONSIN AND
% THERE'S WINTER, AND SO WHEN
% MEALS-ON-WHEELS CAN'T DELIVER,
% THAT PROVIDES FOOD FOR THEM.
% WE HAVE JUST DONE A DISTRIBUTION
% AND WE HOPE TO DO ANOTHER ONE
% SOON.
% WONDERFUL TO BE ABLE TO WORK
% WITH MEALS-ON-WHEELS, WHO CAN
% ALREADY IDENTIFY WHO THOSE FOLKS
% ARE.%>> ABSOLUTELY.
% WELL, SUZANNE BECKER, THANK YOU
% FOR YOUR WORK.