MADISON, Wis. — A pandemic-prompted program that kept the hungry fed and farmers paid will continue through the rest of the year. 

Earlier in the pandemic, Dane County took CARES Act funding to create the Farm to Foodbank program. It paid farmers for their produce and donated it to Second Harvest Foodbank. 

It’s been a wild two years for Second Harvest, as staff worked to feed the hungry through the pandemic. 

“Roller coaster comes close to describing it; it has just been a whirlwind,” said Kris Tazelaar, Second Harvest marketing and communications director. “Think of a roller coaster inside of a tornado.” 

There was a sharp rise in demand, especially when the SARS-CoV-2 virus first hit. 

“We had to serve, at its height, 60% more people because of the pandemic,” Tazelaar said. “You had all of these things kind of happening at once, and things were changing almost on an hour-by-hour basis.” 

In total, 37 local farmers and growers were paid for their produce and sent it to Second Harvest. They provided everything from kale, to carrots, to potatoes.

“The Farm to Foodbank program has been a lifesaver, not for Second Harvest necessarily, but for those that we support,” Tazelaar said. 

Through the initiative, nearly 8.5 million pounds of food have gone to people in need. 

Now though, food banks and pantries are dealing with inflation, just like everybody else. Second Harvest buys about 35% of its food, so a 10-20% jump is huge.

On top of that, there’s the higher cost of gas. 

“Last year, we were able to buy a case of butter for about $90,” Tazelaar said. “This year was up to $140.” 

Dane County officials announced this week they’re extending the program through the end of 2022, for an additional $2.75 million. 

“It was an excellent example of all these different groups coming together in order to improve the lives of those who are struggling here in our community,” Tazelaar said.