Rising Costs Highlight the Importance of Free & Local Food Support for Families

Phyllis Coleman is quick to tell you what she’s most proud of: her children.

A mother of six, ranging in age from 3 to 18, Phyllis is raising her family with determination and faith and an unshakable commitment to giving her kids a brighter future. She recently helped her oldest son settle into his first apartment, a milestone that carries extra weight in a time when housing costs continue to rise and stability is increasingly hard-earned.

“I was a teen mom,” Phyllis said. “I raised them by myself, and, yeah, we’ve had some struggles.”

Those struggles are shaped not only by personal circumstance, but by a broader reality facing many families. Rising prices at the grocery store, higher utility bills, increasing housing costs and uncertainty around public resources families depend on have added pressure to an already delicate balance.

As a child herself, Phyllis experienced the very real stress of not having enough food. She remembers how it felt and knows firsthand how that stress can carry into adulthood if it is not eased.

“It leaves me with anxiety and stress for my children,” she explained. “It is a lot of trauma when kids don’t have the food that they need. I still struggle now because of what happened when I was a hungry child.”

For families like hers, the challenge is not just stretching a budget. It is the constant uncertainty of whether the basics will be enough as costs continue to climb. When her family needs to fill in the gaps, Phyllis relies on Rooted & Rising Community Food Center, a Hunger Task Force partner in Milwaukee’s Washington Park neighborhood, to access free food assistance close to home.

Rooted & Rising’s mission is grounded in dignity and belonging. The organization is dedicated to helping individuals and families meet basic needs, build stable foundations and pursue their goals without judgment and barriers.

“I rely on food pantries in Milwaukee,” Phyllis shared. “When I see myself getting low on things I know my babies are going to need, I’m very stressed. But having a place I can go to means I can take care of them and get what we need.”

Across Hunger Task Force’s local network of food pantries, meal sites and shelters, partners like Rooted & Rising are providing nutritious food at a time when many families are being asked to do more with less. These partnerships ensure people from every walk of life can access healthy food in the communities where they live, reinforcing the dignity of choice and the strength of neighborhood-centered support.

Phyllis’s experience reflects the power of reliable access to food: less stress for parents, greater stability for children and stronger health outcomes for families navigating an increasingly uncertain landscape.

“As a mother, I am so grateful to everybody who makes sure children are getting fresh fruits and vegetables and to all the people who donate to make sure Hunger Task Force can continue this work,” Phyllis said. “So, thank you.”

Hunger Task Force’s Free & Local network ensures children have access to food and parents and older adults have the support they need, even as costs rise and uncertainty grows. For families like Phyllis’s, that support reduces daily stress and helps maintain the stability every family deserves.

Hunger Task Force is Milwaukee’s Free & Local food bank and Wisconsin’s anti-hunger leader. The organization’s core values are Dignity, Justice, Equity, Compassion and Stewardship. Hunger Task Force feeds people today by providing healthy and culturally appropriate food to hungry children, families and seniors in the community absolutely free of charge. Hunger Task Force also works to end future hunger by advocating for strong public policies and nutrition programs at the local, state and federal level.