About us

OUR HISTORY

In 1996, the La Crosse County Health Department conducted a survey to determine the number of households in the county where food was scarce and did not meet the needs of the family. Linda Lee, Nutrition Manager for the Health Department oversaw the survey and gathered community service providers to present the survey results.

Those attending included Sue Schultz, the Family Nutrition Coordinator for Extension’s Nutrition Education Program, Phyllis Borleske, the Director of the WAFER Food Pantry, Peg Nolan, Manager of the People’s Food Co-op, Marilyn Hurt, director of the school district’s School Nutrition Program, Larry White, Energy Assistance manager for Northern States Power, Mary Fitzpatrick of Catholic Charities, Cinda Todd, Social Worker at the Salvation Army, Val Chilsen of the Onalaska Food Basket, Jim McConaughey, La Crosse County aging unit nutrition program and Linda Lee, Nutrition Manager for the La Crosse County Health Department among others. The survey demonstrated significant gaps in food availability to the needy.

This motivated group began meeting at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on West Avenue to begin addressing the hunger problem in the area, including the fact that this issue seemed to be well hidden from the public. During the meetings that followed, it was determined there were too few places where the hungry could get meals or food packages and the federally-funded programs such as Food Stamps, School Lunches, and WIC would benefit from sharing information of their programs with their program users.

The Salvation Army was providing breakfasts, dinners, and monthly food packages but it could not meet the needs of all by itself. Place of Grace was just getting started as a Catholic Worker House. Skogen’s Clubhouse Catering in conjunction with 6 area churches was offering a weekly meal entitled "Supper’s On Us" in Onalaska but that would close soon as the building was needed for other purposes, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in La Crosse was opening its weekly free meal site, "Come for Supper" and WAFER was quickly outgrowing its closet located at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on West Avenue. There were occasional food drives – usually during the holidays – but nothing was coordinated and the sponsors of these drives were not sure where to send the food once it was collected.

In 1997, Sue Schultz and Linda Lee attended a workshop in Madison given by UW- Extension on Food Insecurity in Wisconsin. They learned of efforts across the state to eliminate hunger and came home with information on grants. During this time, they connected with the Milwaukee Hunger Task Force, an effective anti-hunger organization in Milwaukee that was providing outreach in the rest of the state. Representatives agreed to come to meet with the La Crosse group to assist them in becoming a more formal organization. Soon after, a meeting was called to write a mission and determine just what this loosely organized group of individuals would be called and what they would do. The mission was "to eliminate hunger in the community." Sue Schultz was elected as the organization’s first president. Linda Lee became the treasurer. Both served in these positions for several years. Linda was a member of the Board of Directors until 2006 writing numerous grants over the years to benefit HTF and filling the position of both treasurer and secretary.

In September of 1997, Wisconsin’s Welfare Reform entitled W-2, became a reality to many of the area’s poor. AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) was a cash assistance program that ceased to exist. It was replaced by W-2. The aim of W-2 was to move people from cash assistance to jobs through job training and state subsidized wages. This reform though necessary placed additional strain on the organizations providing food and further focused the Hunger Task Force to become an umbrella organization for food and hunger in the community. It could become the clearinghouse for those providing food and meals directly to those in need.

FOOD AND NUTRITION INFORMATION EXCHANGE

In February, 1998, the Hunger Task Force sponsored its first event with a Food and Nutrition Exchange at the First Congregational Church in La Crosse. President Sue Schultz invited 21 organizations to come to compare notes and exchange information on what they were doing to combat hunger. This meeting established The Hunger Task Force as a liaison linking hunger organizations to one another to eliminate hunger. The various organizations made presentations of what they did and how they did it.

KANE STREET COMMUNITY GARDEN BECOMES HTF’S FIRST ON-GOING PROGRAM

The newly organized Hunger Task Force of La Crosse determined a project was needed to establish the Hunger Task Force’s identity. Soon a van load of interested members motored up to Winona to visit the Redeemer Land Stewardship Community Garden during the summer of 1997. They were encouraged by what they saw. Tom Kalb, UW-Extension Horticulturalist, from Kenosha County came to one of the group’s meeting to share how he had helped begin a community garden. He said "If you build it, they will come."

The community garden was appealing as the county had recently examined the eating habits of low income individuals and found they did not eat enough fruits and vegetables – partly because of the expense. A community garden could not only provide food for those who needed it but provide the vegetables that were missing from many diets. The joy of having a beautiful lush garden in the community would be a side benefit.  It looked as if the project was "doable".

The search for land was on. It was determined that a garden site needed to be within the city and near bus transportation. Marilyn Hurt volunteered to find land for the project. She drove the streets of La Crosse looking for empty parcels. Phone call after phone call ended with "Sorry. We have plans for that." In desperation, she called the City Planning Department and spoke with Pat Caffrey. He agreed to attend a meeting of the Hunger Task Force at the Peoples’ Food Co-op. After hearing what HTF had in mind, he indicated the City owned 2 vacant blocks of land on the north side at Kane and Hagar Streets. Old timers indicated the rail line had come down these blocks at one time. The blocks had received dredge materials from Pammel Creek so they were raised 5 to 6 feet above street level. The City was paying to keep these empty lots mowed during the summer, so he thought the City Council might be willing to lease the land to HTF if we maintained them.

The City Council approved leasing the vacant parcels to HTF $500 was collected through donations for insurance. The soil was tested for heavy metals, water was installed, 27 dump truck loads of compost were spread over the parcel and on April 10, 1998, 100 volunteers gathered to build 70 raised beds. Reggie Destree, a retired organic farmer began volunteering in the garden and assured that no chemicals were used in the garden. The garden has continued as a strictly organic project.

Pastor Don Iliff, the minister at Wesley United Methodist Church raised hundreds of bedding plants for the project. Harvest nights were established on Mondays and Thursdays during its first year of operation. A small tool shed was purchased from an Amish builder. As the growing season progressed, HTF raised enough money through its "Adopt-A-Bed" program and other fundraisers to totally fund the new project and harvest five thousand pounds of produce. In 1999, HTF hired Mr. Destree as an organic garden consultant.

The Kane Street Community Garden continued to grow expanding into the 2^nd city block directly north of the first in 1999 by providing individual plots to anyone interested in growing their own food. 8,000 pounds of food was raised in its second year. In 2000, it was determined that this north area was needed for food distribution to HTF agencies and those who come to the garden for food. The Logan High School shop class, under the scrutiny of teacher Dave Skoog, built a 10’ x 20’ garden shed for the north garden. It was installed for the 2002 growing season.

Like all gardens, the garden production has varied over the years with the changes in the growing seasons, but it usually provides about 50,000 pounds of produce to the individuals who come on harvest nights, to the high rise apartments that house the senior citizens and to the numerous HTF agencies.

The Kane Street Community Garden requires hundreds of volunteers each year for a successful harvest. For example, Pastor Iliff has continued growing seedlings for the garden starting between 4,000 and 5,000 plants each year for the garden.

HUNGER TASK FORCE ACQUIRES TAX EXEMPT STATUS – DECEMBER, 1998

Although the Hunger Task Force had been meeting as a group since late 1996, it wasn’t until December of 1998 that it received its 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue. Attorney Maureen Kinney volunteered to assist the Board of Directors incorporate and papers were filed on November 18, 1998. The Board of Directors included Sharon Sue Schultz, Marilyn Hurt, Linda Lee, Lori Bryant, and Margaret Nolan. Sue Schultz was president. She continued as president until the end of 2001 when Mary Garves was elected to this position.

FOOD RECOVERY PROGRAM BECOMES A MAJOR INITIATIVE OF THE HUNGER TASK FORCE

In 1999, an HTF Board Member, Marilyn Hurt and Marilyn Volden, an employee of the La Crosse County Health Department attended a Food Chain conference to learn about food recovery. Food Chain was a national organization whose mission was to teach people how to recover food for distribution to the hungry. It later merged with Second Harvest. During one of the breakout sessions of the conference, Marilyn Volden met a Kraft Foods representative who encouraged them to apply for grants to begin recovering food in La Crosse. This was a new concept to the Hunger Task Force, but the idea of preventing safe, wholesome food from going to the landfill seemed worth exploring – especially in an area like La Crosse which had great potential for food recovery with 2 major food distributors, several bakeries, and other area food manufacturers. The result was a collaboration of the La Crosse County Health Department, UW Extension and Hunger Task Force. Together they applied for a $61,500 Kraft Foods grant.

The grant monies which arrived in early 2000, allowed the Hunger Task Force to lease a refrigerated truck for its food recovery work and it also provided commercial coolers for WAFER , the Onalaska Emergency Food Basket, and the Come for Supper program at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church – all recipients of the recovered food. The new program was called Three River Harvest. The leased truck began picking up food to distribute around the community in April of 2000.

For a minimal monthly fee, Rotary Lights offered to house the Hunger Task Force and its Three River Harvest food recovery operation. Rotary Lights had purchased a building near Houska Park on east Market St. HTF installed a walk in freezer and cooler plus maintained a small office at the site. Assisting with the issue of hunger had always been an important part of the Rotary Lights program and this gesture was one more way they helped.

By 2002, it became apparent that HTF needed to purchase its own refrigerated truck. In the 2 years the program had run, over 1 million pounds of food had been recovered. The truck rental was costing $1,600/month and the grant money funding the rental had run out. President Mary Garves took on the challenge with a "Buck for the Truck" campaign and raised $70,000. A used truck was purchased.

FIRST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR HIRED

Joanne Richmond, a former pastor and campus religion instructor, became the Hunger Task Force’s first Executive director in September, 2002. Richmond’s background in public policy and commitment to the mission of the organization made her a good fit. When she began the position, the food recovery program was serving 19 agencies. By the time she left – 5 years later, this number had doubled. Under her direction the task force moved from the Rotary Lights building to the WAFER site on the Causeway Boulevard. She developed personnel policies, engaged Experience Works individuals in HTF, established the Advocacy Program and helped begin a new garden on the south side on property belonging to Gundersen Lutheran Hospital. She left HTF at the end of 2007 in order to teach ethics at Western Technical College. Shelly Krause was hired to replace her and began in January, 2008.

The Hunger Task Force continues to provide significant assistance to local free meal sites and food pantries as well as serve as a voice for the hungry in the Coulee Region.