Area food pantries could find it more difficult in the future to serve their neighbors in the community. Earlier this year, the federal government discontinued the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program and scaled back the Emergency Food Assistance Program, both of which offered food pantries nationwide hundreds of millions of dollars to spend on stocking their shelves. United Way of Door County Executive Director Amy Kohnle says some of the food pantries in Door County did not rely on the funding through the Door County Food Pantry Coalition, organized by the United Way and Door County Community Foundation, but she admits they may have to move forward.
On the other hand, cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding also threaten to take money out of the pockets of approximately 90,000 residents in Wisconsin. Kohnle says demand at area food pantries usually goes down during the summer months because everyone is working. However, demand has stayed high, setting the stage for a potentially busy fall and winter for food pantries.
Kohnle encourages people to donate money to the Door County Food Pantry Coalition or to bring items directly to the food pantries. In addition to the standard food staples, Kohnle suggests things like cake mix and frosting for families that want to give their kids a special birthday treat and items that can be opened without a can opener.
Dining and Cooking