Committee approves Feed MKE contract extension and No Kid Hungry grant to expand food recovery and summer-meal support
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Summary
The committee authorized a $75,000 service contract (from the Wisconsin DNR) to extend the Feed MKE food-waste assistance program through September 2026 and accepted a $25,000 No Kid Hungry grant to support four food-recovery organizations and summer-meal/SNAP-Ed continuity; Andy Shaka described program aims and delivery plans.
The Community and Economic Development Committee approved two related items to expand food-recovery and anti-hunger work in Milwaukee: a $75,000 service contract with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to extend the Feed MKE program’s FoodSaver audits and technical assistance, and a separate $25,000 grant from Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign targeted to four food-recovery organizations.
Andy Shaka, representing the Feed MKE program, told the committee the $75,000 comes from the Department of Natural Resources and is part of an EPA-related expansion to support research and technical assistance for restaurants, caterers and other food-based organizations to prevent and divert food waste from landfills. "This $75,000 will extend the program through September 2026," Shaka said, adding that the city is already conducting FoodSaver audits and that the program connects surplus food from events with recovery organizations.
Shaka said the separate competitive No Kid Hungry award is $25,000 and would be distributed to four organizations (two awarded $7,500 each and two awarded $5,000 each) to support SNAP-Ed or start-up summer-meal work and concierge services that connect surplus food to recovery partners. He cited past Feed MKE coordination—"Rooted and Rising... was able to partner with Baird and Levy and recover in October and November enough food to feed 3,000 families"—as an example of recoverable surplus from catered events.
Committee members asked whether food could be delivered to neighbors and coordinated with mutual-aid groups; Shaka said delivery partnerships exist and he offered to connect committee members with local organizations, naming ongoing outreach to groups such as 1MKE and several neighborhood stores and delivery-focused recovery organizations.
Both items were moved and adopted by unanimous consent; committee members requested follow-up communications and staff contact information to coordinate district-level participation.