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Metcalfe Park pushes for food access solutions
Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, lawmakers and community leaders came together to push for long-term food access solutions.
MILWAUKEE - Months after the Milwaukee neighborhood lost its only full-service grocery store, Metcalfe Park Community Bridges held another People's Pantry while pushing for long-term solutions on Saturday.
The backstory:
Metcalfe Park Community Bridges said the closure of a Pick 'n Save on 35th Street, paired with delays in FoodShare benefits due to the government shutdown earlier this year, have "intensified food apartheid" and limited access to fresh and affordable food.
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People's Pantry
Local perspective:
The People's Pantry is a community-led response that aims to meet residents' immediate food needs while residents continue to organize for permanent solutions to food access, organizers said. It serves up to 150 Metcalfe Park neighborhood families.
"This is not a replacement, it is just a gap," said Danell Cross, the organization's executive director. "We're filling a gap right now, but we know that this community needs and deserves a full-service grocery store. I live about 10 blocks away, and it's impacting me. I share the same struggles that my community shares."
Pick 'n Save closing, Milwaukee community protests: 'Real concern'
Neighbors protested the loss of a Milwaukee Pick 'n Save on Friday as the company plans to close several locations in and around the city.
Long-term solutions
What's next:
Metcalfe Park Community Bridges said support from the community, city, county and state are needed to find long-term solutions. They hope policy action could prevent future closures and invest in community-driven food access infrastructure.
"This team that has come together is a collaboration of public and private funding to make sure that this community is served," Cross said. "It's also the community that's putting in their effort, they're coming together to make sure that they serve their community."
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What they're saying:
State lawmakers Margaret Arney, Supreme Moore Omokunde, and Kalan Haywood showed support for the community's effort on Saturday. Milwaukee Ald. Russell Stamper, Milwaukee County Board Chair Marcelia Nicholson-Bovell and Milwaukee County Supervisor Anne O'Connor were also in attendance.
"When the grocery store closed, it didn't just remove a place to shop – it disrupted daily lives," said Stamper. "(It) strained working families and made it harder for parents to feed their children with dignity, and yet the community responded with leadership. The Metcalfe Park People's Pantry exists because residents refused to be invisible."
Metcalfe Park Community Bridges is located at 37th and North.
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The Source: FOX6 News went to Saturday's news conference and referenced prior coverage.