MADISON, Wis. — City leaders announced Thursday that they are launching a new fund to address food access and security issues in light of the ongoing pandemic and economic hardships.
“In addition to the public health crisis we are currently experiencing, COVID-19 has created a deeply unequal economic crisis in many communities, with our hospitality sector – and especially the workers in our food service sector – facing the financial strain of reduced hours, layoffs, and uncertainty around federal assistance to pay for necessities such as housing, food, and utilities,” Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said.
The 2021 Healthy Community Food Systems Fund will use $268,000 in funding from the city’s 2020 budget to support grants for local organizations that work to make food more accessible, programs to provide food for those in immediate need, and an initiative to create a plan that will address Madison’s long-term food needs.
Food Policy Director George Reistad said that while the funding is limited, the fund is a step in the right direction.
“We understand the limitations of this funding. It’s $268k. It’s a drop in the bucket for what is needed for a long term recovery perspective,” Reistad said. “But it’s a step that we can take at the local level to try and spur action. To show that we are aware of the issues. To show that we care about the issues. But it by no means will solve the problem.”
The deadline for local groups to apply for the Community Food Access Competitive Grants Program paid for by the new fund is Jan. 29 at 5 p.m. Organizations can receive up to $25,000 in funding.
COPYRIGHT 2020 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
