Who is Hungry?

Nationally, one in every three families in the U.S. will need food assistance, usually in the form of food stamps, at some time in their lives. While in western Wisconsin, and much of our country, few are dying of starvation, hunger is nevertheless a concern.
Cheap food tends to be the least nutritious, leading to a while host of problems with health problems, including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and tooth decay. While WAFER, and other food pantries, try to fill shelves with good food, budgets often dictate what will be purchased. High sugar cereals are cheaper than low-sugar items and high salt soups cost less than those with few additives. Still, we look for ways to fill pantry shelves with healthy, wholesome foods. For example, we are decreasing the number of prepared side dishes (like Hamburger Helper) and replacing them with bags of rice. Hot cereals, like oatmeal, are taking up space formerly filled by cereals with empty calories.
This year, WAFER will distribute food to over 3,500 households, or about 8% of the area's population, and we are just one of several pantries in the Coulee Region. Close to half of the households have children, but just over 6% of WAFER clients are senior citizens. We know the number of low-income senior citizens in the area is closer to 20%, and we are working hard to find and feed them.