MARSHFIELD, Wis. – Marshfield Clinic has donated $85,000 to Feed My People Food Bank (FMP) in Eau Claire allowing the organization to purchase a refrigerated van to distribute food to surrounding communities.
FMP rescues nationally and regionally donated food from manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and growers that might otherwise be thrown away. Most of this nutritious food passes through its 46,370 square foot distribution center in Eau Claire before being distributed to over 250 hunger-relief programs throughout west central Wisconsin. To safely distribute this food, FMP needed a refrigerated van.
“This was a complete collaboration of the Community Benefits team reaching out to community organizations that were involved with food insecurity efforts and a relationship that developed with Feed My People,” said Jill Niemczyk, a health educator for Marshfield Clinic’s Center for Community Health Advancement. “Feed my People works with multiple area food pantries and these pantries could benefit from having a refrigerated van to help recover and transport food to surrounding communities.”
FMP partners with more than 250 hunger-relief programs across west central Wisconsin and distributes over 8.8 million pounds of food each year. This network includes local food pantries, meal sites, and other community-based programs that provide food directly to people in need. FMP sources, stores, and distributes food through its Eau Claire facility, with agency partners ordering products for their programs and receiving regular deliveries through the food bank’s fleet. The refrigerated van will strengthen this network by giving partner agencies flexible access to safely transport perishable food from local donation sites to their own facilities, expanding their ability to recover and utilize fresh food independently.
“Serving people across our 14-county, 15,000+ square mile region means we rely on dependable vehicles to get food where it needs to go safely,” said Brit Heymans, Development Director for Feed My People. “We’re so grateful to Marshfield Clinic for supporting us through a gift of funding that made it possible to purchase a refrigerated van for partner use, and for their commitment to addressing food insecurity.”
About Sanford Health
Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, is dedicated to transforming the health care experience and providing access to world-class health care in America’s heartland. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization has 55,000 employees and serves more than 2 million patients and nearly 415,000 health plan members across the upper Midwest including South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Iowa, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The integrated nonprofit health system includes a network of 58 hospitals, 289 clinic locations, 145 senior care communities, 4,500 physicians and advanced practice providers and 1,100 active clinical trials and studies. The organization’s transformational virtual care initiative brings patients closer to care with access to nearly 80 specialties. More than 400 residents and fellows are trained each year through graduate medical education with Sanford Health fully funding and supporting 29 of the 40 available programs. Sanford Health also includes Lewis Drug, a pharmacy and retail chain with 60 locations in three states and nearly 190 pharmacists. Learn more about Sanford Health’s commitment to shaping the future of rural health care across the lifespan at sanfordhealth.org or Sanford Health News.
