Wisconsin Families Expected to See a Drop in Food Assistance Payments

Friday, February 10th, 2023 -- 2:01 PM

(By Sarah Lehr, Wisconsin Public Radio) Hundreds of thousands of low-income Wisconsinites will soon see a drop in their food assistance payments, leaving food banks bracing for surge in demand.

According to Sarah Lehr with Wisconsin Public Radio, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Wisconsinites participating in the FoodShare assistance program were eligible for extra funding from the federal government of at least $95 a month on top of their regular benefits.

But, following a vote from Congress in December, states can no longer request the extra allotments. That means the additional pandemic-related payments will be expiring in Wisconsin effective March 1.

Michelle Orge, who leads the Second Harvest Foodbank of South Wisconsin, says the drop-off in benefits is coming at a particularly difficult time, as families struggle with rising food prices.

"This is not good news for anyone, and these are dollars that are also spent at local businesses and grocery stores, farmers markets," she said. "We're not sure what the full impact is going to be, but it's already on top of a lot of folks who've had to increase support to folks who are struggling."

In recent months, the Madison-based River Food Pantry has already seen a spike in need. The organization used to serve about 2,000 people every week, a number that's now up to more than 2,500 people, according to Director of Operations Helen Osborn-Senatus.

Nearly 400,000 Wisconsin households participated in FoodShare as of December 2022, and the average household got less than $300 that month, according to state health department data.

The last round of extra FoodShare benefits should hit QUEST cards Feb. 19, according to the state. After that, only regular benefits will continue. Money left over on the cards will roll over from month to month.

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