A Monticello food pantry details the impacts donations have on a county

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The Green Cares Food Pantry in Monticello is working to battle food insecurity in not just the town but the whole of Green County.

“It’s across the county, and there are needs everywhere,” said the pantry’s director Joyce Hummel.

Hummel says the pantry serves, on average, roughly 250 guests each week. But the pantry’s reach goes beyond its location just outside Monticello. She says the panty also serves as a hub, distributing resources to pantries and food shelves across Green County, working with Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin to get food there before it is sent to a multitude of locations.

“This time of year, folks are really looking for help, and it’s nice to see our shelves a little better stocked,” said Hummel. “It’s nice to know that we’ve got an outlet there that’s kind of helping us in our bag.”

Thanks to the pantry’s partnership with the foodbank, it has access to enough resources to supply people in the area with food on a much broader scale and serve as a location to help facilitate other programs, like weekend meals for kids in area school districts.

“211 unduplicated students receive Food, and it was nearly 900-weekend food packs that went out during the month of October throughout the seven schools,” said volunteer Jeannie Blumer. “Our seven programs through the schools would not be possible without the help of Second Harvest.”

And campaigns like Share Your Holidays help bolster supplies at pantries like Green Cares, an especially crucial advantage as Hummel says donations over the past year have dipped from private donors.

If you would like to get involved in helping fight food insecurity across Southern Wisconsin, follow this link.

Click here to download the NBC15 News app or our NBC15 First Alert weather app.

Copyright 2022 WMTV. All rights reserved.