Approximately 7.6% of children were food insecure at some point in 2020. By July 2022, about 12% of people in Milwaukee County did not know where their next meal was coming from, and child food insecurity increased to 25.5% from 21.1%.

The Food Insecurity and Health Pilot was created with the idea that by linking health systems and community-based organizations such as food pantries, the many individuals that do not have access to food will be able to get connected to it. The pilot aims to strengthen communication between the community-based and health care organizations, so they are able to form strong relationships that will connect families and children to the nourishment and care they need.

The pilot officially launched in 2021 and includes the following partners:

  • Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin (the Alliance)
  • Children’s Wisconsin
  • Data You Can Use (DYCU)
  • Feeding American Eastern Wisconsin
  • Friedens Food Pantries

The team is entering the third year of partnership together. A few areas of focus in 2023 include: integrating a Feeding America Outreach Specialist in primary care to increase access to FoodShare, DYCU conducting a baseline population analysis using data from Children’s Wisconsin, and Friedens Food Pantry and Feeding America identifying where there are mutually served populations.