Vivent Health is a Dedicated Hunger Relief Federation Member with 10 Participating Food Pantries in Wisconsin

Hunger Task Force is the founding member of the Hunger Relief Federation, which is a statewide association of independent food banks and food pantries. Vivent Health, a member of the federation for more than a year, is dedicated to fighting hunger at its food pantries across Wisconsin and advocating for federal nutrition programs that support hungry seniors, children and families.

“Because Vivent Health is a recipient of food donations from Hunger Task Force, it made perfect sense for us to join the Hunger Relief Federation,” said Kelli Hirt, Director of Wisconsin Food and Nutrition Services at Vivent Health. ”Being able to access the resources from Hunger Task Force and the Hunger Relief Federation at no cost has really helped us learn from like pantries across the state and look at how we can address hunger in our communities in new ways. Also, access to other hunger relief organizations helps us make food more accessible to our clients through relationship building.”

As a Hunger Relief Federation member, Vivent Health is a part of Voices Against Hunger, Hunger Task Force’s citizen advocacy group, and advocates with other member organizations to promote social policies to end future hunger. 

“Voices Against Hunger is perfect because some people are afraid to advocate or don’t know where to begin,” shares Kelli. “Voices Against Hunger provides email and phone call templates and scripts to contact state and local officials and have our voices heard at every advocacy experience level.” 

As an organization that operates food pantries in urban and rural communities, Vivent Health credits relationships with partners for their success in keeping their pantries stocked and being able to feed their vulnerable clients.

“It’s so important to know who your partners are – whether it’s 10 people being served in a rural pantry or hundreds at another site – the scale is different but the impact on a hungry individual is the same,” says Cheryl Thiede, National Program Director, Social Services for Vivent Health.

“Food insecurity is such a critical issue and donors often ask how they can help,” adds Kelli. “We work with donors to allocate their funds to feed families in various communities across the state by having honest conversations with them and letting them know how their support is crucial. Also, for corporate partners, we can ask if they have offices in other communities where they can provide additional support.” 

With a belief that there’s power in numbers while being in the fight against hunger, both Vivent Health spokespeople find value in being a part of the Hunger Relief Federation because of the shared passion for finding solutions together. 

“We know the need is already there, and I only see it growing as more people stand to lose food assistance in the future,” adds Cheryl. “It’s reassuring to me that no matter the circle we’re in — the food world, the healthcare world or the government funding world — I know we have partnerships we can lean into as we work to solve current and future problems.” 

Vivent Health operates food pantries in Appleton, Beloit, Eau Claire, Green Bay, Kenosha, La Crosse, Madison, Milwaukee, Superior and Wausau.  The food pantry is available for clinic patients. Vivent Health knows that food is a vital part of HIV care, which is why the organization works to ensure the individuals they care for have access to fresh, nutritious food as part of their overall healthcare and HIV treatment.