Other pantries to be held in June at Expo
By Greg Seubert
Traffic jams are common in Waupaca, especially during the summer tourist season.
The latest long line of vehicles stretched down Waupaca’s Grand Seasons Drive May 26 for the first of five Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin drive-thru food pantries at the Waupaca Expo Center.
The organization, which operates food banks in Appleton and Milwaukee, has teamed up with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to distribute free healthy food in high-need areas.
Cassie Faulks, community impact manager with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, helped load boxes of food into vehicles as they drove through the Expo’s parking lot.
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin serves 35 counties, including Waupaca, Outagamie, Waushara, Portage and Winnebago.
“People are thrilled,” Faulks said. “It’s really great product and it’s for everyone. It’s healthy and it’s helping farmers.”
A crew of 13 people loaded food from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and Faulks said people began lining up at about 11 a.m.
Feeding america returning in June
Other pantries are scheduled at the Expo from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. June 2, June 9, June 16 and June 23.
Vehicles are limited to one box of food, unless someone is picking up food on behalf of a homebound individual.
“It is a meat product, produce and dairy products and it is from local farmers,” Faulks said. “People coming through the line are either picking it up for themselves, their neighbors or their families. This is benefiting the entire community.”
People picking up food are asked to not exit their vehicles at any time and need to have room in the trunk or backseat.
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin started the pantries May 21, according to Faulks.
“We will be in Green Bay tomorrow and we will have two semis rather than one,” she said. “We are in Wautoma, Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh, Green Lake. Each spot is different, but we do the best we can.
“It’s tough during this period of time for everybody,” she said. “We just want to make sure that people have enough food to eat. This is a really great opportunity to bring the food to the people rather than have them travel.”