May 29, 2025 – Sturgeon Bay, WI
More Door County residents are struggling to put food on the table as families are stretched by growing expenses and critical federal food programs are phased out. With more than 30% of local children and nearly 13% of adults over 60 experiencing food insecurity, hunger is a daily reality for many families, seniors, and individuals across the county.
Local food pantries are seeing the effects firsthand. In 2024, Lakeshore CAP, Door County’s largest food pantry, served more than 6,100 individuals. So far this year, demand is already significantly outpacing last year’s totals, with some pantries seeing usage jump by as much as 25%.
“I’ve seen the need for the food pantry continue to grow. This past season, we’ve served many seasonal workers, but also a surprising number of full-time employed residents. With prices rising across the board, even a little help can go a long way. I’ve had families who were once supporting their children in college now coming in to ask for help themselves,” said Heidi Penchoff, manager of the Door of Life Food Pantry in Sister Bay.
Three major federal programs, the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), have been discontinued or significantly scaled back. These programs once provided essential support for food pantries across Wisconsin, delivering fresh produce, dairy, meat, and shelf-stable staples, while also directly assisting families experiencing food insecurity. Without them, local organizations are tasked with filling the gap.
The Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA), now discontinued, provided $500 million in federal funding to help food pantries purchase and distribute locally grown food, supporting both food insecure households and regional farmers. The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which has been significantly scaled back, also represented a $500 million reduction in national funding. TEFAP supplies food pantries with free, U.S.-grown products for distribution to low-income families.
These cuts come at a time when Wisconsin is also facing the likely loss of $314 million in federal support for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation’s largest nutrition assistance program, which helps low-income households afford groceries. Proposed changes to SNAP would impose new work and age requirements while shifting costs to the state. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, these changes could cause up to 90,000 residents to lose some or all of their benefits.
With these federal programs reduced or eliminated, USDA-supported food pantries are bracing for a loss of up to 34% of their total food supply. For Lakeshore CAP alone, that could mean nearly 34,000 pounds of food lost each year. At the same time, food pantries are seeing a growing number of people in need, and with the anticipated changes to SNAP, that demand is expected to increase even further.
While support from programs like these is shrinking, local efforts are growing to fill the gaps. Recent partnerships have helped bring in new food sources to pantry shelves, from 11,000 pounds of fresh salmon harvested through a collaboration with the Wisconsin DNR and Baileys Harbor Fish Company this past fall, to this spring’s initiative connecting garden seeds, vegetable plants, and garden grown produce from the Door County Master Gardeners and UW-Extension. Food insecurity is no longer hidden in the community – it’s in schools, workplaces, and among neighbors.
The Door County Food Pantry Coalition is responding every day but can’t do it alone. Door County food pantries need financial support to keep pantry shelves stocked, doors open, and meals on the tables of those who need them most. Donations will make a direct impact, helping ensure that no one in Door County goes without the food they need. Join the fight against hunger. Give now and help ensure that no one in Door County has to wonder where their next meal will come from.
To learn more about the Door County Food Pantry Coalition, make a donation, or to find food assistance, visit feeddoorcounty.org
The Door County Food Pantry Coalition, a fund of the Door County Community Foundation, includes the following member pantries:
- Door of Life Pantry (Sister Bay)
- Feed and Clothe My People of Door County (Sturgeon Bay)
- Holy Name of Mary Food Pantry (Maplewood)
- Klaud’s Food Pantry at Shepherd of the Bay (Ellison Bay)
- Koinonia Kupboard at First Baptist Church (Sister Bay)
- Lakeshore CAP Food Pantry (Sturgeon Bay)
- Stella Maris CARE 24/7 Food Pantry (Fish Creek)
- Sturgeon Bay Community Church Pantry (Sturgeon Bay)
- Washington Island Community Health Program Food Pantry (Washington Island)
The Door County Community Foundation, Inc. is a collection of separate charitable funds set up by individuals, families, non-profit organizations, private foundations, and businesses that are managed, invested, and disbursed for the current and future good of Door County. The Community Foundation was launched in 1999, currently administers more than $55 million in assets, and distributes more than $6 million to charities in Door County every year. For more information about the Door County Community Foundation, visit us online at www.GiveDoorCounty.org.
