By KATHY NEIDERT
Vernon Economic Development Association
In July, Community Hunger Solutions, a VEDA local foods recovery project operating out of the Food Enterprise Center in Viroqua, began providing procured produce from area farms to a group of community volunteers operating out of Peace Lutheran Church in Readstown.
Each week a volunteer collects produce donated by several CHS partner farms at the end of Viroqua’s Farmer’s Market, and CHS staff assembles additional produce at the FEC to add that donation. This excess produce is gathered and sorted throughout the week at the Food Enterprise Center and then distributed to area sites, including the new site in Readstown, on Saturday afternoons.
According to Jackie Getter, who has been aware of the need in that community and spearheaded the startup there, elderly beyond her church also are benefitting.
Besides the 30 people per week who have come to the church for the fresh vegetables, volunteers are helping distribute the food to those who are unable to come to the church, Getter said. An elderly couple who live in the Valley View Apartments has offered to pick up and deliver to their building so the people who live there will have easy access to this nutritious offering.
“This is extremely helpful, because some of them tried to come to church to get it, but most use a cane or walker to get around and carrying bags of heavy produce is difficult for them. If it is in the building, they can easily walk to the table where the produce is left and take what they need back to their apartment,” Getter said.
In addition, “A young man in Readstown came on his lawn mower and has been making some door-to-door delivery to elderly who are still in their own homes.”
A woman also has offered her services to help those in Viroqua who cannot drive or get to the distribution at Peace Lutheran Church, Getter added.
“One nice thing about providing produce to the elderly is that they like to eat fresh vegetables, and they know how to cook them,” Getter said. “Many of them had gardens and grew what they ate when they were younger. Now that they live in a little efficiency apartment, they can’t grow their own. They light up when they see the produce we have to offer; you can see the excitement in getting some squash, zucchini or green beans. They can’t wait to cook them up and eat them.”
A woman who has come each week told Getter that her “health has been improving since she started getting the produce. She has fallen on hard times, lost her home, nearly died, and when she heard about the produce we were offering, she said it was such a blessing for her.”
“I believe this can grow even more as time goes by and more people find out what we have to offer,” Getter said. “We are just in the beginning stages of this mission, and already I have seen what good this can do for the people of this small 300-population town.”
Speaking on behalf of Community Hunger Solutions, director Gary Thompson said, “We’re glad that so many people are benefitting from this collaborative effort and that we were able to partner with a great group of community volunteers to meet the needs of another local underserved community like Readstown.”
Distribution of the free produce takes place at Peace Lutheran Church, 112 E. Center St., Readstown, on Saturdays from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. All are welcome. For more information, contact Gary Thompson at gary@community-hunger-solutions.org or (608) 632-2163 or Jeanette Burlingame at Jeanette@community-hunger-solutions.org or (608) 606-9144.
More statewide recognition
Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation recently recognized VEDA Executive Director Sue Noble for her collaboration and work on behalf of entrepreneurs in our state. Sue’s recognition is part of the statewide economic development organization’s celebration of its 30th year of financially impacting Wisconsin business through education, lending, coaching and entrepreneurship.
Sue is featured on WWBIC’s website with the statements that she “has dedicated her career to ensuring that rural entrepreneurs have the opportunity and resources needed for business success …. Sue has spearheaded efforts to foster community-enterprise facilitation techniques, to create robust regional food systems, and to help launch a statewide network of local Inventors and Entrepreneurs Clubs …. It is not only Sue’s talent and energy that help ignite rural economic development, it is also her deep understanding of the ecosystem and her true care for people. That’s what makes her a WWBIC hero!”
To read more about WWBIC and Sue’s recognition, go to wwbic.com.