NourishMKE food centers offer free, fresh & culturally relevant produce

By: Lori Fredrich, OnMilwaukee

Fresh produce is the first item to be sacrificed when times are tight and prices are high. Hunger Task Force & NourishMKE are working to mitigate this important issue.

As summer produce reaches its peak, the 200-acre Hunger Task Force Farm in Franklin, Wisconsin is busy harvesting produce. The farm grows over 70 varieties of 25 different crops and produces over a half million pounds of produce each year with the help of 5,000 community volunteers.

Even better, that produce is harvested, aggregated and transported to various food centers in its network within 24 to 48 hours. That means the food is equally as fresh, if not fresher, than anything found in grocery stores that carry locally-grown produce.

Among the organizations that receive this fresh, nutritious produce is NourishMKE (formerly Freidens Food Pantries), which receives nearly 2,000 pounds of produce from the farm each growing season, ensuring fresh produce at their Food Centers for six or seven months out of the year.

“Hunger Task Force and NourishMKE believe that access to fresh food and produce is a key aspect to ensure that the dignity of our clients is served,” says Matt King, Chief Executive Officer for Hunger Task Force. “And the produce from our farm is grown explicitly to serve those in need.”

Making fresh produce accessible

Cheryl Ousley, Site Manager at NourishMKE, says they take care to bring in as much produce as they can during the growing season while taking care not to overstock their pantries.

“During the growing season, I might get calls three times a day to offer us produce for our pantries so we can keep them well stocked,” says Ousley. “But we only accept as much fresh produce as we can accommodate without contributing to unnecessary food waste,”

Ousley says that offering fresh food – in addition to shelf-stable and frozen items – at their food pantries is important for numerous reasons.

“With rising food costs increasing over the past year, we know that fresh produce often gets put on the back burner in favor of pantry items and processed foods that cost less,” she says.

“So offering produce at our food centers prevents people from having to sacrifice fresh food for other things their families need. We also hope that we are encouraging people to make healthier choices and eat more healthful meals.”

Culturally relevant options

But NourishMKE and Hunger Task Force take things even further by listening to the people served by the Food Centers and bringing in more of what those families prefer.

“We survey the people we serve regularly regarding the quantity, quality and type of produce that we offer,” says Ousley. “And it allows us to give them more of what they need and will use at home.”

That information is communicated directly to Hunger Task Force, who uses it to plan what’s grown on the farm in future seasons.

“We want our farm to grow produce that’s based on the community’s needs and preferences,” says King. “So we frequently solicit feedback from our partners so that we can adjust what we grow. In recent years, we’ve added crops like bok choy, Napa cabbage, jalapeno and poblano peppers and collard greens.”

Ousley says that offering a variety of culturally relevant produce items means that families are more likely to take advantage of the fresh food program, since it includes produce they are used to cooking with.

“One of the locations on Orchard serves a population that’s largely Hispanic,” she says. “When we surveyed people there, they asked us for a larger variety peppers. They were so excited when we could bring in a variety of both sweet and hot peppers from the Hunger Task Force farm.”

Dignified shopping experiences

“Hunger Task Force is so proud to partner with NourishMKE,” says King. “And we are truly impressed by their mission and the work that they do in the community. We’re also proud to have maintained our partnership for the past 30 years.”

Ousley nods in agreement.

“We pride ourselves on providing a dignified shopping experience,” says Ousley. “Part of serving people with dignity is giving them the best food possible and the best resources we can so that they can get the help they need until their lives are more stabilized. Thanks to our partnership with Hunger Task Force, we can offer options for shelf stable, frozen and fresh foods and give people the autonomy to select the staples that fit their diets,”

NourishMKE Food Centers are available to anyone in need with convenient locations serving a variety of zip codes across the city.

Fond Du Lac Food Pantry
10230 W. Fond du lac Ave.
Serving zip codes: 53223, 53224 and 53225
Hours: Tuesday fom 5 to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Orchard Food Pantry
209 W. Orchard St.
Serving zip codes: 53204
Hours: Tuesday and Thursday from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. and Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m.

Vliet Street Food Center
1220 W. Vliet St.
Serving zip codes: 53205
Hours: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Mitchell Street Food Center
1615 S. 22nd St.
Serving zip codes: ALL
Hours: Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

NourishMKE also offers home delivery services for those who are homebound. Ousley says the demand currently exceeds NourishMKE’s capacity, but they are always working to increase access for everyone. Get more information about home delivery online.

Follow NourishMKE for information, news and updates on Facebook and Instagram.

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Source: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/fresh-produce-at-nourishmke-food-centers