Nutrition Programs
The Fondy Food Center recognizes that hunger and poor nutrition among residents in urban areas is often caused by:
- The inaccessibility of fresh vegetables and fruits
- The lack of income to purchase these healthier foods
- The need for culinary and dietary education to make the most of these healthier food options.
To address these causes, we have designed three effective and successful programs:
The Fondy Farmers Market.
The Fondy Food Center runs this open-air market located at the corner of 22nd Street and Fond du Lac Avenue. Open six days per week during the growing season and used by over 50 farmers and vendors, it is the largest outdoor market in Milwaukee. Farmers Markets have been shown nationwide to be a cost effective way to improve access to fresh vegetables and fruits in low-income neighborhoods-the very areas that major supermarket grocery chains tend to avoid. Close to a million pounds of produce is sold at the Fondy Farmers Market each season.
Wisconsin QUEST Food Stamp Benefit Terminals. In 2003, the Fondy Food Center piloted the re-introduction of food stamp sales at Farmers Markets-the first in the state of Wisconsin to do so.
Paper food stamps were replaced by the Wisconsin QUEST ATM-style swipe card in 2000. The transition to a paperless system meant a loss of millions of dollars in revenue for small direct-to-market Wisconsin farmers. The new debit cards required redemption terminals with electronic links to the state food stamp network, and the technology did not exist to install these terminals at Farmers Markets and roadside stands. For low-income people living in Milwaukee, the new system reduced the number of benefit redemption sites even further.
In the fall of 2003, the Fondy Food Center launched a pilot project to reintroduce food stamp sales at Farmers Markets. In partnership with the US Department of Agriculture, the Wisconsin Department of Family and Health Services, the Milwaukee School of Engineering and the latest technology from eFunds and VeriFone, a new wireless handheld food stamp terminal was developed and used by five farmers. The project expanded in 2004 to include 15 farmers.
To download Fondy Food Center's report on the Wisconsin QUEST Food Stamp Benefit Terminal Project, please click here
The Fondy Food Center is also the largest redemption site in Milwaukee for the Women Infants and Children (WIC) and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Programs (SFMNP). These federal programs are administered by the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services. To find out if you are eligible for to receive food vouchers from these programs, please click here
A family-focused nutrition and culinary education program that focuses on increasing vegetable intake through knowledge and skills.
Area residents learn about nutrition, improve cooking skills, taste new foods, and have fun. Each week audience members learn,
sample, and share new recipes featuring a different, locally-grown, fresh vegetable which has just come into season and is
available at the market. Held every other Saturday throughout the market season, the workshops are conducted by Registered
Dietician, Lisa Kingery, and assisted by various culinary, nutrition, and health experts in the community. To see the schedule
for the Taste the Season market workshops and televised shows, please click here.
To see a list of our recipes and to watch the shows, click here.