University of Wisconsin - Extension

Contact: Jane Voichick, 608-233-0807, voichick@nutrisci.wisc.edu

RICHLAND CENTER, Wis. — One in ten Wisconsin households does not always have enough food. That means that more than 600,000 people live in households without enough food for good health, according to the Wisconsin Food Security Consortium (WFSC), a group of organizations focused on reducing hunger in the state. UW-Extension has provided leadership for the Consortium.

The Consortium has been hard at work since its 2007 Wisconsin Hunger Summit in Stevens Point, generating momentum to increase awareness of hunger around the state. Four Regional Hunger Forums in the fall of 2008 will build on the ideas and discussions that began at the 2007 Summit.

According to UW-Extension food security specialist Kadi Row, "The work of the Consortium and the Regional Hunger Forums provides a unique opportunity for individuals across Wisconsin to collaborate on strategies to end hunger."

Participants are welcome to attend more than one Forum or to travel to the Forum that best represents their local needs and concerns. The Southwest forum, "Ending Hunger in Wisconsin: Setting the Table for Action," is the first of the Hunger Forums and will take place on September 23 in Richland Center at the Ramada Inn White House Conference Center.

This forum will highlight the four "table legs" of food security: family economic security, access to affordable and healthy food, federal nutrition programs and emergency food assistance. In the keynote address, Kathy Sandefur, former director of outreach ministries at First United Methodist Church in Madison will share her 30-plus years of experience in hunger prevention.

To register for the Hunger Forums or learn more about the Wisconsin Food Security Consortium, visit http://www.EndHungerWI.org.