A FLEET FOR FOOD ASSISTANCE. Eau Claire-based nonprofit Feed My People food bank, a hunger-relief provider, recently received an $85,000 donation from Marshfield Clinic toward the purchase of a refrigerated van. (Submitted photo)

Last year, Feed My People (FMP) food bank’s Eau Claire area partners rescued and redistributed roughly 140,000 pounds of food per month. In total, FMP’s west central Wisconsin network distributes nearly nine million pounds of food per year to those in need.

As many local pantries and programs face increasing demand and tighter budgets – a national issue spotlighted during last fall’s government shutdown and subsequent pause of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as FoodShare in Wisconsin – one crucial part of the food distribution process may be easy to overlook: transportation.

For organizations like FMP, which serves a 15,000-square-mile stretch across 14 counties (including the Chippewa Valley), transportation is imperative to meeting the needs of those communities.

FMP’s current fleet of refrigerated box trucks and two vans rack up nearly 16,000 miles per month to do so. That’s why, this past winter, FMP approached Marshfield Clinic for vehicle-related support.

As announced this spring, Marshfield Clinic fulfilled that ask and donated $85,000 toward the purchase of another refrigerated van for FMP.

“The decision to invest in a refrigerated van was intentional,” Marshfield Clinic staff shared in an email to Volume One. “In many cases, it enables fresh and nutritious food to reach communities that would otherwise go without.”

During the first three months of 2026, over 6,000 volunteer hours – driving trucks, labeling items, distributing food and more – had been logged in support of Feed My People. Learn more about volunteering with Feed My People online. (Photo via Facebook)

Perhaps especially for those smaller agencies and communities part of FMP’s regional network, dependable food rescue efforts are critical.

“It’s a positive challenge to have, but one of the biggest barriers right now is logistics and transportation capacity,” the FMP staff shared. “In many cases, donors are ready to move product quickly and smaller partner agencies may not have the vehicles, refrigeration or staffing needed to respond in that window.”

“The van will help expand that capacity both for Feed My People and for partner agencies that may not yet have the resources for their own refrigerated vehicle while they work toward more permanent solutions.”

Redirect Resources To Regional Partners

Earlier this spring, FMP made a significant announcement: This June, FMP will begin to scale back its Eau Claire facility’s (2610 Alpine Rd.) pop-up food pantry program from four times per month, to two times per month.

That rollback will continue into 2027 when Eau Claire pop-ups “move to an as-needed, emergency response model” instead of a regular schedule, a media release stated.

FMP pointed to last fall’s FoodShare predicament as an example of this kind of response, when the facility added extra days of food distribution efforts in Eau Claire and, more recently, coordinated with other local providers to support the community after the abrupt closure of Ruby’s Pantry and its Eau Claire location.

Importantly, mobile and community-based pop-up efforts across the wider region are expected to remain steady, FMP staff said.

“This change isn’t about redirecting funding and hands away from Eau Claire,” FMP staff said. “It’s about making sure we’re using resources in the most effective and sustainable way possible as community need continues to grow.”

“By gradually reducing those on-site distributions, we’re going to be able to redirect more food and resources into the broader partner network, helping strengthen multiple access points throughout the community rather than concentrating services in a single model.”

Additional food pantries and providers in the region can be viewed through Feed My People’s interactive “Find Food” map, online at fmpfoodbank.org.

Learn more about Feed My People online at fmpfoodbank.org and keep up with the organization on social media (@fmpfoodbank) for future announcements. More information about Marshfield Clinic Health System can be found online at www.marshfieldclinic.org.