Contributed Photo Dan Robinson was recently hired as a program assistant and Barbara Mendoza as coordinator for the F.R.E.S.H. Project.
The F.R.E.S.H. Project recently received a three-year grant from the Community Foundation of the Fox Valley Region’s Basic Need Giving Partnership to continue its efforts at ensuring all area residents have access to healthy, sufficient food.
The grant increases the F.R.E.S.H. Project’s ability to serve Shawano County and the Stockbridge-Munsee and Ho-Chunk communities by hiring new staff. Barbara Mendoza recently joined the project as its coordinator, and
Dan Robinson was hired as a program assistant.
“We’re excited about this next stage of the F.R.E.S.H. Project’s work,” said Jo Ann Schedler and Kim Ihrcke, co-chairs of the project. “The foundation’s grant and the new staff, combined with our many community partners, will make it possible for the F.R.E.S.H. Project to increase its efforts. We’ll be working hard to make sure children, families, our elders and everyone in our communities will be food secure, knowing they’ll have access to the food they need.”
The staff will be working with the F.R.E.S.H. Project Food Council members to implement the project’s strategic plan. Already, the project has created a “double bucks” program at the Shawano Farmers Market. This program provides Food Share participants with more resources to purchase fresh produce at the market.
In the future, the F.R.E.S.H. Project will provide educational resources on food security and healthy eating, expand the Share the Bounty program, which makes fresh produce available to all area residents, and create a mobile market to bring fresh produce and other food items to rural areas with limited transportation access.
The F.R.E.S.H. Project started two years ago with a Plan 4 Health grant, which allowed the project to do an assessment of the region’s food needs, develop an initial volunteer board to guide its work, and create a strategic plan to increase food access and security in the area.
With the three-year grant from the Community Foundation of the Fox Valley Region, the project will begin implementing its strategic plan. To fully engage this work, however, the project will need to raise additional money as well as develop community support and volunteers.
Anyone who would like to learn more about the project and get involved can visit www.thefreshproject.org, online or contact Mendoza at 715-526-5206 or barbara@thefreshproject.org.